4 



BULLETIN 748, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



costs, such as insurance and taxes, interest and rent, machinery use 

 cost, and other miscellaneous expenses, amounted to about 25 per cent 

 of the total cost of production. 



Approximately 96 per cent of the farmers in Michigan fed the beet 

 tops to stock. In northwestern Ohio about half the producers fed 

 and half plowed under the tops. Beet tops were valued at from $1.50 

 to $3.40 per acre. 



METHOD OF TAKING RECORDS. 



An investigation of this character involves an inquiry as to 

 the man and horse labor required in the preparation of land for 

 sugar beets as well as in regard to the subsequent care of the crop 

 until the final product is delivered to the manufacturer. It also calls 

 for definite information with reference to use of land, manure, fer- 

 tilizer, and seed, and the apportionment or distribution of certain 

 general costs to the various enterprises of the farm. 



In order to secure the desired data on the practice and cost of 

 growing sugar beets a suitable blank report form was printed ; with 

 this schedule in hand, trained enumerators visited the beet growers 

 of the regions selected for these observations. Each operator con- 

 sulted gave a complete description of the methods employed in grow- 

 ing sugar beets on his farm and furnished additional facts con- 

 cerning the other important enterprises forming a part of his busi- 

 ness. As far as possible, the acreage in beets and the yields obtained 

 from each farm were checked with the sugar-factory reports. In- 

 asmuch as some growers delivered sugar beets to more than one fac- 

 tory, it was not possible to make comparisons for all farms. (See 

 Table I.) 



Table I. — A comparison of growers' estimates with factory records — Average 

 acreage, yield, and return per acre, 1914-1915. 



District. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 farms. 



Acres in beets 

 per farm 



Yield per acre. 



Cash return per 

 acre. 



Esti- 

 mated. 



Factory. 



Esti- 

 mated. 



Factory. 



Esti- 

 mated. 



Factory. 



Caro 



Alma 



49 



36 

 57 



14.33 

 9.57 

 6.40 



15.19 



14.22 

 9.36 

 6.32 



14.63 



Tons. 

 8.82 

 11.65 

 10.16 

 13.15 



Tons. 



7.56 

 10.43 



9.67 

 12.68 



$52. 89 

 69.91 

 61.32 

 72.74 



$46. 32 

 61.90 

 58.45 



Northwestern Ohio 



69.39 



In this investigation the Office of Farm Management had the co- 

 operation of the Office of Sugar Plant Investigations of the Bureau 

 of Plant Industry. The latter office was not only interested in the 

 farm-management data that would be made available by this survey 

 but was desirous of obtaining a detailed account of the field practice 



