BULLETIN 735, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table II. — Classification of the ■!()■') farms studied in the Billings region, accord- 

 ing to oivnership and size, showing the percentage relation between the total 

 irrigated area and the area planted in sugar beets in 1915. 





Number 

 of farms. 



Irrigated crops (acres). 





Classification of farms. 



Total planted. 



Average per farm. 



Percent- 

 age in 

 beets. 





Area. 



In beets. 



Area. 



In beets. 





As to ownership: 



117 

 55 

 133 



10,276 

 5,953 

 12, 132 



2,573 

 1,622 

 4,654 



' 87. 83 

 108. 24 

 91.21 



21.99 

 29.49 

 34. 9S 



25.03 



Owners renting additional acres 



Tenants '. 



27.24 

 38.36 







All farms 



305 



28, 363 



S,S49 



92.99 



29.01 



31.20 







As to size: 



9 

 77 

 67 

 45 

 43 

 28 

 13 

 14 



9 



139 

 2,844 

 4,277 

 3,845 

 4,893 

 3,919 

 2,083 

 3,001 

 3,362 



107 



1,273 



1,562 



1,357 



1,758 



1,121 



546 



653 



472 



15.44 



36.94 



63.83 



85.44 



113. 79 



139. 96 



160. 23 



214. 35 



373. 55 



11.88 

 16.53 

 23.31 

 30.15 

 40.88 

 40.04 

 42.00 

 46.64 

 52. 44 



76>97 





44.76 





36.52 



76 to 100 acres 



35.29 



101 to 125 acres 



35.92 



126 to 150 acres 



28.60 





26.21 



176 to 250 acres 



251 acres and larger 



21.75 

 14.04 



All farms 



305 



28, 3G3 



S,849 



92. 99 



29.01 



31.20 







PREVIOUS CROP. 



Of the 8,849 acres of beets included in this survey, it was found 

 that 6,129 acres were planted on land that had been in beets the 

 previous year, 1,640 acres were on land that had been in alfalfa the 

 previous year, 717 acres had been in grain the previous year, 86 

 acres had been in miscellaneous other crops, and data in regard to 

 the previous crop, covering 277 acres, were wanting. This large 

 acreage of beets planted on land that was in beets the previous year 

 is an indication of a cropping system that should be modified by 

 the growers as soon as possible if they do not wish to have decreas- 

 ing yields of beets. Beets should not be planted on the same land 

 continuously, even if the farmer has manure to put on the land 

 each year. The figures given would indicate that nearly 70 per 

 cent of the land was planted in beets at least two years in succes- 

 sion. Data for a longer period of time were not obtained, and it is 

 not possible to state how long the average grower devotes land to 

 beets without rotation. 



On some farms certain fields are so located with respect to water 

 supply and proximity to the loading dump, and have soil of so 

 favorable a type that they are the most desirable parts of the farm 

 for the growing of sugar beets. Naturally there is a tendency to 

 plant beets on such fields for a number of years. This region hav- 

 ing many tenants, no doubt much laxity exists in the planning of 

 the crop rotation. 



