36 



BULLETIN 135, U. S. DEPABTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



where the fields are small and there is much turning to do. Few 

 of these men had small areas, their average acreage being above 30. 



The average yield per acre on the 305 farms covered by this study 

 was 10.76 tons, and the information gathered indicates that a yield 

 of 8.87 tons per acre is required in order to pay expenses. There was 

 a loss on 2.019 acres (22.8 per cent of the total acreage) and a profit 

 on <).No0 acres (77.2 per cent of the total acreage). (Table XII.) 



Table XII. — The cost and profit from sugar heets as related to yields per aere 

 ami to acreage per faun in the Billings region in 1915. 



Classification. 



Percent- 

 age of 

 total 



acreage. 



Per acre. 



Cost. Profit. 



Per ton. 



Cost. Profit. 



Percent- 

 age of 

 acreage 

 showing 

 a profit. 



Yields per acre: 



4 tons and less.. 



4.1 to 5 tons 



5.1 to 6 tons 



6.1 to 7 tons 



',.1 to 8tons 



8.1 to 9 tons 



9.1tol0tons... 



10.1 to 11 tons... 



11.1 to 12 tons... 



12.1 to 13 tons... 



13.1 to 14 tons... 



14.1 to 15 tons... 



15.1 to 16 tons... 



16.1 tons or more 



Total 



1.71 



3.14 



3.76 



3.54 



8.53 



8.59 



13.39 



11.90 



17.30 



11. 63 



6.35 



7.13 



2.40 



.63 



£13. 13 

 45.18 

 46.91 

 51.36 

 51. 52 

 55. 85 

 55.87 

 56.07 

 59. 93 

 58.61 

 60.47 

 65. 40 

 64. 64 

 77.10 



-S19.66 



- 12.66 



- 7.20 



- 5.90 



- .56 

 1.45 

 6.58 



12.84 

 16.34 

 23.48 

 28.15 

 28.55 

 33.95 

 30.91 



SI 2. 59 

 9.20 

 7.87 

 7.46 

 6.50 

 6.26 

 5.64 

 5.14 

 5.00 

 4.58 

 4.32 

 4-36 

 4.06 

 4.55 



-S5.74 



- 2.56 



- 1.21 



- .86 



- .07 

 .16 

 .66 



1.18 

 1.36 

 1.83 

 2.02 

 1.91 

 2.13 

 1.83 



None. 



Do. 



Do. 

 1 

 57.7 

 66.1 

 77.3 

 96.8 

 99 



100 

 97.7 



100 



100 

 92.6 



100 



56.79 



11.70 



5-28 



1.08 



77.2 



Classification. 



Average 

 area. 



Number 

 of farms. 



Per aere. 



Yield. 



Value. 



Cost. 



Profit. 



Area in beets per farm: 



Acres. 

 4.6 

 8.7 

 13.2 

 18.1 

 26.0 

 36.6 

 46.2 

 55.5 

 88.6 



10 

 37 

 26 

 41 

 79 

 59 

 27 

 11 

 15 



Tons. 

 11.7 

 10.3 

 10.8 

 10.4 

 10.7 

 10.8 

 11.0 

 10.8 

 10.5 



$74. 80 

 66.83 

 69.08 

 66.17 

 68.82 

 68.76 

 70.10 

 67.33 

 67.19 



S74.46 

 60.95 

 62.21 

 58.12 

 55.63 

 56.48 

 56.18 

 53.94 

 55.82 



SO. 34 





5.78 





6.87 





8.05 





13.19 





12.28 





13.92 





13. 39 





11.37 







Total 



29.1 



305 



10.76 



68.49 



56.79 



11.70 







Table XII indicates that the acreage of beets per farm had little 

 to do with the yield per acre but had much influence as to the profits 

 per acre within certain limits. It appears that each farmer should 

 plant at least 20 acres of beets in order to have them grown most 

 economically. Above 20 acres there seems to be but slight variation 

 in the cost of production or profits per acre. 



SUMMARY. 



(1) The data gathered from 305 farms in the Billings region of 

 Montana give the total hours of labor required to produce beets and 

 the other costs of production for the season of 1915. (Table XIII.) 



