GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN COLORADO. 



17 



and the land is left with a smooth, even surface for subsequent tillage. 

 The labor requirements and the cost of this operation in 1915 are 

 shown in Table VII. 



Table VII. — Data on crowning alfalfa in three Colorado districts. 



District. 



Year. 



Number 



of 

 farms. 



Acres 

 crowned 

 per farm. 



C 



■ew. 



Hours 



per acre. 



Man. 



Horse. 



Man. 



Horse. 



1915 

 1915 

 1915 



7 

 28 

 18 



7.2 

 14.6 



12.8 



1 

 1 

 1 



3.57 

 3.50 

 3.30 



7.3 

 4.6 

 4.87 



26.2 



16.2 

 15.8 



Total . 



cost per 



acre. 



Rocky Ford . 

 Fort Morgan 

 Greeley 



S3. 94 

 2.65 

 2.67 



The crowning was done partly in the fall of 1914 and partly in the 

 spring of 1915. The major portion of this work occurred during the 

 early spring months. There were 32 operators who used a crew of 

 one man and three horses to do the crowning. On 16 farms a crew 

 of one man and four horses was used. It cost $1.29 per acre more 

 to do the work of crowning in the Rocky Ford district than in north- 

 ern Colorado. The Greeley and Fort Morgan records did not differ 

 materially in total cost for crowning. 



PLOWING. 



A limited area in these three districts was plowed during the 

 autumn and early winter months. The heavier types of soil are 

 benefited by exposure to the frosts of winter, and much less work 

 is required to bring them into a mellow condition when fall and 

 winter plowing can be done. Furthermore, the water-holding capac- 

 ity of the soil is thus increased and more moisture is stored for the 

 crop the following season. The rough broken surface also has a 

 chance to become partially pulverized by the repeated freezing and 

 thawing which occurs throughout the winter and early spring. If 

 the work is postponed until late in the season the other farm oper- 

 ations will be delayed. 



No implement has been devised that will take the place of the 

 plow in the preparation of the seed bed for sugar beets. This tillage 

 implement not only loosens the upper layer of soil and in turning the 

 furrow slice pulverizes the particles of which it is composed, but it 

 also covers and incorporates with this layer any manure that may 

 have been scattered upon the field or any residue that may have been 

 present at the time of plowing. 



In the three districts studied the greater part of the plowing was 

 done in the early spring. Five growers in northern Colorado stated 

 that this work was performed in the autumn, seven men did part of 

 the plowing in the fall and completed this operation in the spring, 

 while the remaining records indicated spring plowing. Usually the 

 69805°— 18— Bull. 726- — 3 



