GROWING SUGAE BEETS IN THE BILLINGS REGION, 



29 



Iii other words, the additional cost is about $1 per acre for each 

 mile of distance from the dump. In the case of hired hauling this 

 additional difference is more nearly $2 per acre for each mile from 

 the dump. 



Table VIII. — Cost of hauling sugar beets in the Billings region of Montana 



in 1915. 



Classification. 



Number 

 of farms. 



Beets 

 hauled. 



Average cost oi 

 hauling. 



Per ton. Per acre. 



Hauled by grower: 



Less than 1-J miles (average 0.76 mile) . . . 



1 J to 2£ miles (average 1.67 miles) 



2§ to 3 J miles (average 2.91 miles) 



3| miles and farther (average 3.96 miles). 



All farms J (average 2.86 miles) 



According to the size of the crew: 



1 man, 2 horses 



1 man, 3 horses 



1 man, 4 horses 



3 men, 8 horses 



Mixed 



112 



100 



65 



12 



Tons. 

 39, 220 

 29,544 

 18,337 

 3,788 



.37 

 .463 

 .544 

 .659 



4.98 

 5.85 

 7.09 



2S9 



90, S99 



120 

 30 



118 

 11 

 10 



34, 897 

 8,521 



37,859 

 5,021 

 4,591 



.402 



.498 



.46 



.52 



.52 



Total i. 



90, 8S9 



Hired hauling: 



Less than 1J miles (average 0.88 mile), 



1J to 2 T \ miles (average 1.46 miles) 



2| to 3^ miles (average 2.83 miles) 



137 



.61 



.75 

 1.00 



6.56 

 8.07 

 10.76 



All hired (average 1.55 miles). 



4,872 



7.85 



1 Excluding 19 farms from which the hauling was done under contract, as shown in the last part of the 

 table under "Hired hauling." 



HAND OR CONTRACT LABOR. 



The labor on the sugar-beet crop that is done by hand without the 

 use of machinery consists of blocking, thinning, two hoeings, and 

 pulling, piling, and topping the beets. About three- fourths of this 

 labor in the Billings region is done by contract. The labor con- 

 tractors make an agreement with the farmer to do all the handwork 

 on the crops, receiving therefor a definite sum under a system which 

 makes it to the interest of the contractor to cover as large an acreage 

 as possible per day. Some growers try to counteract the tendency 

 toward careless work by paying a bonus to the workers if the beets 

 yield more than a certain tonnage per acre. This bonus system is not 

 in general use, not having reached any definite or satisfactory basis, 

 but it has features which recommend it. The basis now varies accord- 

 ing to the different ideas as to what it should be. 



In cases where there is any disagreement, the factory agricultural 

 force supervises and looks after the fulfillment of the contracts be- 

 tween the farmers and the laborers. Most of the contract laborers 

 in this region are Russians or Belgians. 



A great deal of this work is done by the children of the families 

 of the men doing the hand labor. Women also are employed in the 



