UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 917 



iflf* Joint Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry, WM. "ifi 

 A. TAYLOR, Chief, and the OflBce of Farm Manage- 



ment and Farm Economics, H. C. TAYLOR, Chief. 



&XP^SrL 



Washington, D. C, 



March 11, 1921 



FARM PRACTICE IN GROWING FIELD CROPS IN 

 THREE SUGAR-BEET DISTRICTS OF COLORADO. 



By Samuel B. Nuckols, Agriculturist, Office of Sugar- Plant Investigations, Bureau of 

 Plant Industry, and Thomas H. Summers, formerly Scientific Assistant, Office of 

 Farm Management and Farm Economics. 



CONTENTS. 



The districts studied 1 



Method used in collecting data 3 



Soil types of the region 3 



Climatic conditions » 4 



Seasonal distribution of labor 6 



Farm practice 11 



Preparation of the seed bed 12 



Planting 19 



Manurial practice 21 



Cultivation 24 



Irrigation 27 



Harvesting 33 



Marketing 40 



Cost of production -. 42 



Summary 51 



THE DISTRICTS STUDIED. 1 



In 1915 and 1916 a study was made of the farm practice in growing 

 sugar beets in three districts of Colorado. These data were published 

 in Department Bulletin 726. In the summer of 1918 these districts 

 were revisited and data obtained for the 1917 farm year, showing 

 the farm practice and labor requirements in handling the crops 

 grown in rotation or in competition with sugar beets. 



It is believed that this information will show not only the com- 

 parative requirements of labor, materials, etc., for the various crops, 

 but also how these crops fit into the rotation system in these areas. 



An attempt has been made to present the comparative cost of 

 producing these crops. Many items of cost in 1917 were abnormal, 

 but as many of these enter into the production of all crops, the 

 opportunity for comparison remains the same. 



The data presented were worked out from 328 records. The dis- 

 tribution of these among the various crops is shown in Table I. 



1 Acknowledgment is due to Miss Catherine Hawley, of the Office of Farm Management and Farm Eco- 

 nomics, for careful work in supervising the tabulations which have been used in this bulletin. Thanks 

 arealsodue the farmers of these districts for their hearty cooperationin giving complete estimates concern- 

 ing the man and horse labor requirements and other costs of producing the crops included in this study. 

 . 11311°— 21— Bull. 917 1 



