28 



BULLETIN 148, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



cent of the farms in Ohio the farmer did a portion of the work and 

 had the remainder done by contract labor. The labor requirements 

 on farms when the topping was not contracted ranged from about 23 

 to 28 hours per acre and the labor cost varied from $4.65 to $5.60 per 

 acre. It will be seen that the farmer performed the labor of topping 

 at an appreciably lower cost per acre than the contract rate: 



HAULING. 



The sugar beets are forked into large beet boxes from piles in the 

 field. From the field they are either hauled to a loading station 



(see fig. 21), where 

 they are loaded into 

 cars, or directly to 

 the sugar-factory 

 beet dump. Upon 

 arrival at the loading 

 station or factory, 

 as the case may be, 

 a representative 

 sample is taken and 

 weighed a%it comes 

 from the load. All 

 dirt is removed. The 

 sample of beets is re- 

 topped when neces- 

 sary and the clean 

 sample is weighed a 

 second time. The 

 difference in weight 

 represents the tare. 

 In all sections, with 

 the exception o f 

 northwestern Ohio, 

 the loading of beets 

 into cars was done by 

 hand. At one place 

 in northwestern Ohio 

 several mechanical 

 loading devices were observed. (See Table XV.) 



In northwestern Ohio five men hired the hauling clone at a contract 

 rate of from 65 cents to 80 cents per ton, depending on the distance 

 hauled. In all other districts the hauling was done by the farmers' 

 own labor. The weight of load ranged from 1^ to 2£ tons. 



The size of the load is an important factor in determining the 

 hauling cost per ton. By comparing the records which were obtained 

 in the Alma district with the records which were secured in the 

 Grand Rapids area it is found that the average load in the former 



Fig. 21. — A typical loading station in northwestern Ohio. 

 Here the beets are placed in cars and are then trans- 

 ported to the factory. 



