BULLETIN 126, IT. S. DEPARTMENT* OF AGRICULTURE. 



During the years 1916-17, labor costs advanced appreciabl}?- in this 

 region, and there was a corresponding increase in the cost of materials 

 used in growing the sugar beet. This upward trend was also re- 

 flected in some of the other costs considered in this bulletin. In 

 view of these changes, since the dollar is a fluctuating measure, special 

 attention has been given in this study to values that are known to be 

 much more stable than money values. The hours of man and horse 

 labor do not vary greatly from year to year; the quantity of seed 

 used remains about the same; the application of manure or fertilizer 

 is not likely to increase or decrease perceptibly under a given type of 



MESA 



GRAND JUNCTION 



LOGAN 



® 



STERLING 



PROW. 



® Location of factories operating 1914-15 © Location of factories idle. Z9/4-/5 

 • Location of factories operating 1 9 /S * Location of factory dismanf/ed 19/5 



E3 Location of area studied. 

 Fig. 1. — Map showing the threo districts included in this survey, and location of the sugar factories of 



Colorado. 



farming, and the quantity of other necessary supplies used will un- 

 doubtedly remain fairly constant, though the cost in money may 

 not. Throughout this bulletin the emphasis has been placed upon 

 these items, and money costs are referred to only incidentally. 1 



1 Farm practice studies were begun in the sugar-beet sections of Colorado during the summer of 1910. 

 Prior to this date reports had been received from several areas to the effect that difficulties were being met 

 in securing satisfactory yields, and requests for assistance were brought to the attention of the Secretary 

 of Agriculture. The problems under consideration involved not only the production of sugar beets but 

 were also related to other important enterprises on these farms. It was felt, therefore, that a review of the 

 practices on several of the successful as well as a similar number of the less remunerative farms in these 

 areas would develop suggestions that might bo helpful in this connection. This project was expanded in 

 1916 and arrangements were made to secure detailed records on the various items of cost that enter into 

 the production of sugar beets. In order to get these data, it was necessary to make a careful analysis of the 

 cultural treatment followed by individual growers in the three areas. While the primary object was to 

 obi ain cost figures, the development of the investigation has been such that it has been impossible to treat 

 of costs without laying emphasis upon farm practice. 



