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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

 BULLETIN No. 735 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



FARM PRACTICE IN 



BEETS IN THE BILLING 



OF MONTANA 



By 



S. B. NUCKOLS, Assistant Agriculturist, Office of Sugar- 

 Plant Investigations, and E. L. CURRIER, Professor of Farm 

 Management, Montana Agricultural College 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Basis of the Study 1 



Procedure 2 



Description of the Region Studied . . 2 

 Development of the Sugar-Beet Industry 



in the Billings Region 4 



Irrigated Area in Beets in 1915 ... 4 



Previous Crop 6 



Value of Labor 7 



Manuring Practice 7 



Plowing Practice 11 



Crowning Alfalfa Sod in Preparing Land 



for Beets 13 



Disking Practice 14 



Floating Practice 14 



Harrowing Practice 16 



Rolling Practice 17 



Page 



Ditching Practice 17 



Planting Beet Seed 18 



Rolling Land after Beets Are Planted . 19 



Cultivation of Beets 23 



Furrowing for Irrigation 22 



Irrigating the Sugar-Beet Crop .... 23 



Lifting Practice 26 



Hauling Beets 26 



Hand or Contract Labor 29 



Cost of Seed for Sugar Beets .... 31 



Cost of Machinery 31 



Prorating Interest on the Investment . 32 



Cost of Land for Sugar Beets .... 32 



Relation of Yields to Cost and Profit . 34 



Summary 36 



WASHINGTON 

 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 



1918 



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