Sugar Beet Investigations for 1898. 433 



costs per acre, leave a possible margin of profit because large 

 crops were secured. The lowest cost per ton ($1.41) is associated 

 with a low yield, (7.20 tons per acre) and is made possible by 

 the exceedingly small amount of expense ($10.20), bestowed upon 

 the crop. 



Of the 43 reports in which cost per ton is given, 



9 place the cost below $2.00 per ton. 

 15 place the cost between |2.oo and ^$3.00 per ton. 

 10 place the cost between I3.00 and $4.00 per ton. 



5 place the cost between $4.00 and $5.00 per ton. 



4 place the cost above $5.00 per ton. 



The lowest cost is $1.41, the highest $7.52, and the average 

 $3.25 per ton. 



The high cost of $7.52 per ton is only possible by the associa- 

 tion of high cost per acre with a small yield. The conditions 

 that brought about this particular result are not likely to recur 

 with experienced growers, nor are we likely to find many cases 

 where an expenditure of only $10.20 per acre will produce any 

 profit in sugar beet growing. More than half of these reports 

 place the labor cost of a ton of beets at less than $3.00, but the 

 average is drawn above that figure by a few cases of excessive 

 cost. 



Effect of fertilizer upon yield. — The Station supplied sacks of 

 fertilizer to a number of farmers to be applied to a part of their 

 experimental area. The sacks contained 



58 pounds of dissolved rock guaranteed 14 per cent phosphoric acid. 



40 pounds of sulfate of potash, guaranteed 50 per cent potash. 



30 pounds of sulfate of ammonia guaranteed 20 per cent nitrogen. 



Each lot of fertilizer was intended for a % acre plat, or at the 

 rate of 512 pounds of the mixture per acre, furnishing 24 lbs. of 

 nitrogen, 32^ lbs. phosphoric acid and 80 lbs. of potash. 

 While the effect of the fertilizer was very apparent during the 

 growing period, producing a much more vigorous growth and 

 in several instances resulting in a much better stand of plants, 

 yet it is greatly regretted that only five growers took pains to 

 harvest the fertilized and unfertilized plats separately so as to be 

 able to report comparative yields. Some of these grew several 

 varities of beets, so there were in all 13 plats fertilized and 13 

 plats unfertilized. The average yield of the fertilized plats was 



