GROWING SUGAR BEET'S IN COLORADO. 



53 



Table XXXI. — Relation of acreage, and yield per acre to cost per acre and per ton 



(1914-15). 





10 tons or less. 



11 to 15 tons. 



16 tons and over. 





Num- 

 ber of 

 farms. 



Cost. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 farms. 



Cost. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 farms. 



Cost. 





Per acre. 



Per ton. 



Per acre. 



Per ton. 



Per acre. 



Per ton. 





12 



10 



21 



1 



$72. 31 

 62.38 

 57.35 

 49.85 



$7.72 

 7.92 

 6.30 

 4.92 



23 



46 

 80 

 33 



$71.90 

 66.77 

 65.78 

 63.86 



$5.64 

 4.99 

 4.99 

 4.68 



24 

 40 

 56 



21 



$83. 22 

 78.25 

 75.09 

 75. S2 



S4.87 





4.42 





4.21 



41 acres and over 



4.43 



There were 59 farmers who planted 10 acres or less to sugar beets. 

 Twenty-one per cent of these operators had an average yield of 

 10 tons or under per acre, and these beets were grown at a cost of 

 $7.72 per ton. Approximately 38 per cent of these farms made 

 average yields that varied from 11 to 15 tons per acre. The cost per 

 acre was essentially the same as in the first group but the higher 

 yield enabled them to reduce the cost per ton. Even with this 

 advantage the margin of profit was comparatively small. Forty-one 

 per cent of the farms raising 10 acres or less secured average yields 

 of 16 tons and over. The cost advanced about $11 per acre over the 

 preceding groups, but the higher yields brought the cost per ton 

 down to $4.87. 



There were 96 farmers who planted from 11 to 20 acres to beets. 

 Ten per cent of these men produced the crop at a loss. Increasing 

 the yield per acre within this group produced the same effect as in 

 the preceding list of farms. Where the average yield was 16 tons or 

 over, the maximum cost per acre for these farms was attained, but 

 the cost per ton was only $4.42. 



There were 157 farms with beet fields that varied from 21 to 40 

 acres. Thirteen per cent of these operators produced the crop at a 

 loss. The lowest cost per ton was reached by 56 farms with an 

 average yield of 16 tons and over. 



The last group contained 55 farms with 41 acres and over of beets. 

 There were no failures in this class. One man had a yield of 10 tons 

 or under, but the cost per ton was only $4.92. It would seem that 

 the man with the small acreage per farm can not afford to have a low 

 yield, whereas the man who is cultivating 41 acres of beets or over 

 has a chance to break even with a crop of only 10 tons per acre. 

 Good yields aid in securing a low cost per ton. This is essential if 

 the grower expects a substantial profit. This point is illustrated 

 even more effectively in figure 29. This diagram shows that the 

 lowest cost — $3 per ton — was reached by six operators who produced 

 an average yield of 18.66 tons per acre. The highest cost per ton 

 shown in this investigation was $12.50, which was on a farm with a 

 yield of only 5 tons per acre. 



