42 



BULLETIN 748, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



$1.50 to $3.-10 an acre. The lowest figure is shown where the tops 

 were plowed under for manure, while the highest value was placed 

 on tops used as feed. Grand Rapids growers gave the highest esti- 

 mated value for tops fed. In this area many farmers hauled the 

 tops to the barn or feed lot and fed them to dairy cattle. In some 

 sections the tops were pastured on the ground after the beets were 

 harvested. In such instances many of the tops were trampled by the 

 stock, while some spoiled because of unfavorable conditions and 

 could not be used for feed. 



Table XXVI. — Disposition and estimated acre value of supar-beet tops (1915), 



District. 



Nrmber 

 of farm 

 records. 



Per cent 

 feeding. 



Value 

 when 

 fed. 



Per cent 

 selling. 



Value 

 when 

 sold. 



Per cent 

 plowing 

 under. 



Value 

 when 

 plowed 

 under. 



Caro 



68 

 51 

 33 



82 



97 

 96 

 97 



48 



SI. 78 

 2.20 

 3.40 

 2.00 







3 



2 



3 



52 



$2.00 



Alma 



2 



$2.00 



1.50 



Grand Rapids 



2.50 









1.60 











Some growers follow the practice of feeding a portion of the tops 

 and turning under the remainder. In such cases, where the greater 

 part of the acreage was fed, the value of the tops was higher than 

 where the larger portion was turned under. The utilization of the 

 tops depends largely on the amount of stock kept on the farm. Many 

 farmers do not keep enough live stock to consume all of the beet 

 tops produced on the farm. In some sugar-beet sections cattle and 

 sheep are fattened for market. The stock is turned in on the beet 

 field after the beets are harvested. When the beet tops are cleaned 

 up, alfalfa and corn are fed until the stock is ready for the market. 

 The feeding period lasts from two to five months. If the grower 

 has no stock to fatten, he may sell the tops to a stock feeder, who 

 turns his cattle and sheep into the farmer's field, paying a certain 

 sum per acre for the pasturing privilege. Only two farmers sold 

 all of their beet tops in this manner. 



RELATION OF BEET ACREAGE TO TILLABLE AREA. 



There was a decided variation in the size of the beet acreage per 

 farm. Grand Rapids farmers grew the smallest acreage and north- 

 western Ohio growers the largest. There is also a difference in the 

 acreage of tillable land per farm in the four sections. However, 

 when reduced to a percentage basis there is little variation for these 

 regions. Approximately three-fourths of the farm land is tillable; 

 at Grand Rapids, 71 per cent; at Alma, 72 per cent; at Caro, 75 per 

 cent; and in northwestern Ohio, 83 per cent. (See Table XXVII.) 



