Rails: logger.debug not working inside Model function - ruby-on-rails

Question

I have a bunch of logger.debug statements in my Controller. They currently write the place where all the HTTP requests and everything are displayed in real time on my WEBRick server. However,
when I write logger.debug statements in my Model, they are not written to this same location, additionally they are not to be found in log/development which is the environment I have been working in. It is particularly frustrating because I make the call to the following Model function in a controller that has successfully executed logger.debug statements:
def process_payment
uri = URI('https://demo.myvirtualmerchant.com/VirtualMerchant/processxml.do')
the_xml = SchoolApplication.to_xml(params[:credit_card],
params[:expiration],
params[:cvv2_cvc2],
params[:amount],
params[:name])
logger.debug(the_xml)
the_xml = the_xml.to_s
my_hash = {'xmldata' => the_xml}
logger.debug(the_xml)
response = Net::HTTP.post_form(uri, my_hash)
#response_var = response
if response.response == 0
render 'receipt'
else
render 'card_Error'
end
end
the two logger.debug statements in this controller method are written to what I suppose is STDOUT? In any case I see them in the location which displays the following kind of information:
Rendered web_applications/card_Error.html.erb within layouts/application (1.7ms)
Completed 200 OK in 433ms (Views: 13.1ms | ActiveRecord: 0.0ms)
Started GET "/assets/jquery.js?body=1" for 127.0.0.1 at 2014-07-22 11:32:02 -0700
In the above Controller method when I make the call to SchoolApplication.to_xml,
it does not execute the corresponding logger.debug() statements (or maybe it writes them
to a different place? That wouldn't make sense but I am also a n00b, clearly) that are in
to_xml Model method as shown below:
def self.to_xml(number,expiration,cvv,amount, name)
xml = ::Builder::XmlMarkup.new
logger.debug(number)
logger.debug(name)
xml.txn {
xml.ssl_test_mode false
xml.ssl_card_number number
xml.ssl_amount amount
xml.ssl_cvv2cvc2_indicator cvv
xml.ssl_first_name name
xml.ssl_show_form false
xml.ssl_exp_date '25/34'
xml.ssl_track_data
xml.ssl_result_format HTML
xml.ssl_receipt_link_method
xml.ssl_receipt_link_url "#{Rails.root}" + '/receipts/receive'
xml.ssl_receipt_link_text
}
xml
end
N.B. I know that the above to_xml is being successfully called and returned from as the rest of my controller method which calls this model function executes without error.
Here is the output after I go to the route which calls the process_payment controller function:
Started POST "/application/pay" for 127.0.0.1 at 2014-07-22 12:13:40 -0700
Processing by WebApplicationsController#process_payment as HTML
Parameters: {"utf8"=>"✓", "authenticity_token"=>"pJD6Q7qJPXFNaGEczv5kTSKBC5TcG8lqhOuLNjw9UrY=", "web_application"=>{"first_name"=>"bob", "last_name"=>"job", "card_number"=>"41111111111111", "expiration_date"=>"232", "cvv2_cvc2"=>"232"}, "commit"=>"Save Web application"}
<txn><ssl_merchant_id/><ssl_user_id/><ssl_ssl_pin/><ssl_test_mode>false</ssl_test_mode> <ssl_card_number/><ssl_amount/><ssl_cvv2cvc2_indicator/><ssl_first_name/ ><ssl_show_form>false</ssl_show_form><ssl_exp_date>25/34</ssl_exp_date><ssl_track_data/><ssl_result_format>HTML</ssl_result_format><ssl_receipt_link_method/><ssl_receipt_link_url> <ssl_receipt_link_text/></txn><to_s/>
<txn><ssl_merchant_id/><ssl_user_id/><ssl_ssl_pin/><ssl_test_mode>false</ssl_test_mode> <ssl_card_number/><ssl_amount/><ssl_cvv2cvc2_indicator/><ssl_first_name/><ssl_show_form>false</ssl_show_form><ssl_exp_date>25/34</ssl_exp_date><ssl_track_data/><ssl_result_format>HTML</ssl_result_format><ssl_receipt_link_method/>
Rendered web_applications/card_Error.html.erb within layouts/application (3.8ms)
Completed 200 OK in 742ms (Views: 22.6ms | ActiveRecord: 0.0ms)
which is equivalent to what was written in development.log