UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

 BULLETIN No. 748 



Office of the Secretary 



Joint Contribution from the Office of Farm Management 



E. H. THOMSON, Acting Chief 



and 



Bureau of Plant Industry 



WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



January 28, 1919 



FARM PRACTICE IN GROWING 

 SUGAR BEETS IN MICHIGAN AND OHIO 



i By 



R. S* WASHBURN, Scientific Assistant, L. A. MOORHOUSE, Agriculturist, 

 and T. H. SUMMERS, Scientific Assistant, of the Office of Farm Man- 

 agement; and C. O. TOWNSEND, Pathologist' in Charge, Sugar 

 Plant Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry 



.CONTENTS 



Summary of Results . 3 



Method of Taking Records ..... 4 

 Development of Sugar-Beet Industry in 



Michigan and Ohio 5 



Size of Farms 6 



Rainfall 6 



Soils 7 



Crop Rotation 8 



Man and Horse Labor ....... 10 



Farm Practices in Growing Sugar Beets . 10 



Page 

 33 

 39 

 40 

 41 

 42 



Cost of Producing Sugar Beets . » . . 

 Sugar-Beet Returns Versus Cost . . . 

 Relation of Yield to Cost of Production . 



Value of Beet Tops 



Relation of Beet Acreage to Tillable Area 

 Beet Acreage Per Farm and Yield Per 



Acre in Relation to Cost 43 



Comparison of Beet Receipts with Other 



Farm Receipts „ 44 



Labor Requirements . 45 



WASHINGTON 



GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 



1919 



