GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN MICHIGAN AND OHIO. 37 



USE OF LAND AND INTEREST ON CASH. 



The largest item in the group comes under use of land and interest 

 on cash. If the owner grows beets, the money invested in land should 

 pay interest to the farmer. The current rate on first-mortgage notes 

 in the locality was used in figuring the interest on the investment, 

 which was taken as the charge for the use of the land. 



It is the practice in all the areas to borrow money to pay the men 

 who perform the hand work on the beet crop. Even if a man has 

 the ready money to meet this expense, it means an investment of $7.50 

 to $10 an acre from the time the beets are blocked and thinned to the 

 harvesting of the crop. In either case the interest on this money is 

 rightly chargeable against the beet crop. 



If the operator rents the land, he gives a share of the crop or pays 

 a stipulated cash price per acre for the use of the land. In the former 

 case, the value received for that portion of the crop given to the land- 

 lord is charged ; in the latter, the actual cash payment. Several fac- 

 tors affect the rental charge, namely, the share given as rent, the yield 

 per acre, and the percentage of share renters in the different groups. 



In general, the value of the share of the beet crop given as rent 

 exceeds the interest on the investment. The value of the share rent 

 also exceeds the cash amount paid by the cash renters of beet land. 

 The amount paid as rent must be sufficient to cover both interest on 

 land and land taxes. Then, too, it must be remembered that there is 

 more risk to the tenant who pays cash rent than to the one who gives 

 a share of the crop. If the yield is low, the share renter gives a 

 smaller number of tons of beets ; while the cash renter pays the same 

 amount, regardless of the yield. If a tenant gives to the landlord 

 one-half of the crop, the value of the rent is greater than if only one- 

 third or one- fourth were given. In northwestern Ohio this expense 

 is over $2 higher than at Alma. Of a total of 14 share renters in 

 the former area, 12 gave one-half of the crop as rent, one gave one- 

 third, and one gave two-fifths. In the latter sections, three of the four 

 share renters gave one-half and one gave only one-fifth of the crop. 

 When the yield is high the value of the crop share is, of course, 

 greater than when a low yield is produced. Northwestern Ohio 

 farmers produced the highest yield per acre, Grand Rapids the lowest, 

 the yields at Caro and Alma falling, in their respective order, be- 

 tween these two. 



MACHINERY. 



Certain farm implements, such as beet drill and lifter, are used 

 exclusively in the production of sugar beets. The total annual ex- 

 pense of these implements must, therefore, be met by the beet crop. 

 Other implements such as the plow, harrow, cultivator, wagons, etc., 

 are used in common on all the crops grown on the farm. In this 



