GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN COLORADO. 9 



SIZE OF FARMS. 



The latest information available on size of farms in these districts is 

 found in the report of the census for 1909. These figures have been 

 incorporated in Table III, together with a distribution of the farms 

 covered by this survey. 



Table III. — Number and size of farms in Larimer, Weld, Morgan, and Otero Counties; 

 also number and classification of farms giving records.* 1 





Larimer County. 



Weld County. 



Morgan County. 



Otero County. 



Size of farm. 



Thir- 

 teenth 

 Census. 



Survey 

 records. 



Thir- 

 teenth 

 Census. 



Survey 

 •records. 



Thir- 

 teenth 

 Census. 



Survey 

 records. 



Thir- 

 teenth 

 Census. 



Survey 

 records. 



Under 3 acres 



11 

 121 

 111 

 204 

 294 

 559 

 159 

 204 

 73 

 94 



None. 



None. 

 1 

 12 

 12 

 26 

 13 

 9 



None. 



None. 



6 



72 



64 



181 



715 



1,846 



344 



626 



81 



46 



None. 



None. 



None. 

 9 

 44 

 49 

 16 

 4 



None. 



None. 





 28 

 23 



42 

 140 

 450 



83 

 255 



36 



18 



None. 



None. 



None. 

 4 



20 



29 



9 



3 



1 



None. 



16 



85 



102 



326 



311 



438 



77 



105 



20 



18 



None. 





2 





33 





40 



100 to 174 acres 



175 to 259 acres 



260 to 499 acres 



500 to 999 acres 



1,000 acres and over. . 



27 

 5 

 3 



None. 



None. 



a The figures reported under Thirteenth Census were obtained by the Census Bureau and are applicable 

 to the year 1909. The numbers that are included under " Survey records " apply to the farms used in this 

 survey. 



In all districts studied, according to census figures, the largest 

 number of farms in any of the size groups falls between 100 and 174 

 acres, including 160-acre, or "quarter-section" farms. While it is 

 customary to think of irrigation farming as more or less intensive, 

 nevertheless it is a fact that there are comparatively few small farms 

 in these districts. 1 In Morgan, Otero, and Weld Counties there is 

 found a fair proportion of farms containing 80 acres. 



When irrigated farms of this type are placed in contrast with farms 

 of similar size in the humid belt, assuming that the groups are similar 

 in every other respect, it will be found that much more labor is re- 

 quired to carry on the operations under irrigation than without. 



Each of these counties has an extensive area devoted to dry farming, 

 as may be inferred from the number of very large farms. Under this 

 system these larger farms can be utilized to advantage. Small grain 

 growing is the most important industry on this particular type of 

 farm. Some corn is grown. A portion of this land is known as 

 open range, and is devoted to pasture. 



1 It will be seen that each of the counties included in this study has a certain number of farms containing 

 9 acres or less. Sugar beets are grown on these tracts, but in making this investigation it was thought that 

 the very small farms ought not be considered in making up the estimates. Usually, the acreage devoted 

 to beets in these small units is much less than 5 acres. The man who produces less than 5 acres of sugar 

 beets does not have enough work on such major operations as harrowing, disking, floating, planting, or 

 cultivating to keep the horses employed for any considerable length of time, and it is therefore a difficult 

 matter for him to estimate a day's work for such operations. 



69805°— 18— Bull. 726 2 



