18 BULLETIN 917, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



takes dirt off all small knolls and ridges and deposits it in depressions. 

 An even surface free from small depressions or knolls is thereby 

 obtained, and even irrigation is made possible. Such a leveler is 

 of further benefit in crushing clods and firming the land. 



To properly operate one of these levelers, four horses are neces- 

 sary. One man and four horses will level from 9 to 15 acres per 

 day. Men with lightly constructed levelers usually find it necessary 

 to go over the land a greater number of times. 



Of the beet growers, 98 per cent leveled their land before planting, 

 going over it 1.5 times in the Greeley district, 1.8 times in the Fort 

 Morgan district, and 2.1 times at Rocky Ford. All cantaloupe and 

 cucumber growers reported leveling their land, averaging 2.2 times 

 for each crop. All the grain growers at Rocky Ford reported level- 

 ing, going over the land an average of 1.6 times. In the Fort Morgan 

 district 20 per cent of the grain growers did not level their land, the 

 others doing so an average of 1.3 times, while 44 per cent of the 

 grain growers in Weld County did not level the seed bed for grain; 

 those who did went over the land on an average but once. Potato 

 land is furrowed deeply, and there is less necessity of leveling it 

 than for other furrow-irrigated crops. 



These figures show that more leveling is done in the preparation 

 of furrow-irrigated crops than with those flood irrigated. In furrow 

 irrigation small depressions or knolls retard the water or cause 

 streams of water in furrows to unite, and there is a necessity for 

 better preparation of the land for these crops. 



TOTAL LABOR OF PREPARATION OF THE SEED BED. 



The greatest amount of time was occupied in the preparation of 

 beet land for seed. Alfalfa has no charge made for the preparation 

 of the seed bed, for in all cases the crop was sown with grain and the 

 hours of labor were charged to the crop of grain. In most instances 

 no extra work was done on the field that was to have alfalfa sown 

 in the grain. 



Approximately the same number of hours were expended per 

 acre in plowing for beets as for potatoes, but the time spent in lev- 

 eling, rolling, and harrowing was much less for the potato seed bed. 

 The seed bed for beets must be level, firm, moist to the surface, and 

 free from weeds at planting time; otherwise the stand will be poor. 

 The seed bed for potatoes does not need to be as smooth or firm or 

 free from small weeds. Under the head of "Planting" an explana- 

 tion of this difference in requirements will be given. Bean land 

 requires approximately the same work in preparation as potato 

 land. A somewhat better seed bed is required for beans, as they 

 usually follow potatoes, grain, or beets; but potatoes more often 

 follow alfalfa. The expense of plowing is less for beans than for 



