GROWING FIELD CROPS IN SUGAR-BEET DISTRICTS. 13 



from the land the usual method was to rake it up with a common 

 dump rake and burn it immediately. The total amount of labor 

 expended in this operation is comparatively small. 



PLOWING PRACTICE. 



The benefits of fall plowing are apparent to those in these regions 

 who grow potatoes or sugar beets, for in harvesting the crop the land 

 is partially plowed. In the spring these fields are very easy to pre- 

 pare for a seed bed, the winter's freezing and thawing having mel- 

 lowed and pulverized the soil. The land usually contains moisture 

 stored from the winter and spring rains and snows. With this 

 example and their experience with the few fields that they have been 

 able to get plowed in autumn or winter, most farmers believe there 

 would be an increase in the production of their crops if they could 

 practice more fall plowing. In fact, there is so little available time 

 for fall plowing that only a small percentage of the grain-stubble 

 land is plowed before spring. Some alfalfa is plowed in early winter, 

 but the time of harvesting, especially beets and potatoes, prevents 

 fall plowing. The acreage of these crops is usually large, so that 

 the full season is taken in harvesting, some frost usually being in the 

 ground before the completion of the beet harvest. The winters are 

 seldom sufficiently warm to permit winter plowing, and frost usually 

 remains in the ground until late March or early April. This causes 

 a rush for the preparation of seed beds in the spring, and too often 

 seed is planted in a poorly prepared seed bed. 



Only 5 out of 57 men growing small grain at Greeley plowed in prep- 

 aration for the crop. Table III shows that much of this land had been 

 in potatoes or beets the previous year. Out of 41 men reporting, 13 

 plowed for grain at Fort Morgan. At Rocky Ford 50 per cent of the 

 men growing grain plowed the land. For beets, potatoes, cucumbers, 

 and cantaloupes nearly all used the plow in preparing the seed bed. 



For such crops as sugar beets and potatoes deep plowing is neces- 

 sary. With beets special care is taken to pJow deeply and carefully 

 cover and incorporate all manure and vegetable matter with the soil. 

 Unless deep plowing is practiced for beets the beet roots are likely 

 to be stunted and misshapen, and a low yield results. An impervious 

 subsoil is very detrimental to the yield of a crop of beets, deep plowing 

 tending partially to overcome the ill effects of a close subsoil. The 

 average depth of plowing for beets in northern Colorado was between 8 

 and 9 inches. Rocky Ford growers reported shallower plowing for 

 beets. 



In all three regions 2-way plows are more common than the gang 

 or sulky plows. A 2-way plow is one which has a right-hand and a 

 left-hand plow mounted so that one can be operated at a time. (Fig. 

 12.) In this way the land is all turned one way by beginning at one 



