GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN COLORADO. 



13 



In the Fort Collins district the alfalfa is followed by a crop of grain, 

 which assists in getting rid of the alfalfa roots and stems, so that 

 beets can be grown to advantage the second year. This system 

 (No. 3) is very popular outside of the potato district proper. 



Rotation No. 4, the standard for the Fort Morgan district, differs 

 slightly from No. 3 in that sugar beets follow alfalfa immediately 

 after breaking. It should be stated, however, that approximately 

 15 per cent of these farms used a grain crop after breaking. 



There are farms in all these areas where the sugar beet has been 



grown for a period of 1 to 10 years upon the same piece of land. 



It is, however, quite a general practice to employ a systematic 



rotation. 



MAN AND HORSE LABOR. 



Complete data were secured in each district with reference to the 

 cost of man and horse labor. The man-labor rate was based on the 

 average man-labor cost throughout the working season. Farm labor 

 here can be divided into three classes, namely, regular labor, extra 

 labor, and contract labor. The regular labor includes those who 

 are given continuous employment; extra labor, those who are hired 

 at certain busy periods during the spring and summer. On farms 

 where a large percentage of the land is devoted to hoed crops, extra 

 labor may be required to care for these fields. Then, too, the harvest 

 season frequently demands additional help. Contract labor includes 

 the men who are paid a stipulated amount to do certain tasks, such 

 as the hand work on beets. As a rule, the rates for special labor are 

 somewhat higher than the rates paid the regular labor. 



The man and horse rates which are given in Table V are based 

 upon records obtained during the years 1914 and 1915: 



Table V. — Average cost per hour of man and horse labor (1914-15). 





Rocky 

 Ford area 

 (110 farms). 



Greeley 

 area (195 

 farms). 



Fort Mor- 

 gan area 

 (66 farms). 





Cents. 

 18 

 10 



Cents. 

 19 

 11 



Cents. 



20 





10 







In working out costs, the operators in the respective districts have 

 been given an arbitrary allowance of 18, 19, and 20 cents per hour 

 for their work (see Table V), no charge being made to cover the 

 general management of the farm. 



The variation in labor rates was so slight that a uniform rate of 

 20 cents per hour for man iabor and 10 cents per hour for horse labor 

 might have been used to advantage in all of these sections. Labor 

 rates may fluctuate greatly, but if the sugar-beet grower wishes to 

 determine the cost of producing sugar-beets under new conditions it 



