GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN UTAH AND IDAHO. 



15 



FARM PRACTICE IN THE PRODUCTION OF SUGAR BEETS AND RELATED 



COSTS. 



SCRAPING THE FIELD. 



The preparation of the seed bed for any cultivated crop grown 

 under irrigation frequently demands some special attention in order 

 to insure a uniform and rapid distribution of water when the proper 

 season arrives. An uneven sm'face interferes with the run of water 

 and prevents a portion of the field from receiving the amount which 

 is required by the crop to produce an average yield. It is the custom 

 in several of these districts to level the cultivated area with a Fresno 

 scraper (fig. 2). Ordinarily a few days are spent during the faU and 



Fig. 2.— Typical crews employed in scraping the field preparatory to plowing. This is done for the 

 purpose of making the surface level for irrigation. In this study scraping was considered as improve- 

 ment work. 



winter months with a team and a scraper at this particular task. It 

 was decided to consider this as improvement work, and although a 

 smaU amount of man labor and horse labor is shown on some of 

 these records, no charge for scraping was made against the beet crop. 

 As a matter of fact, this expense should be distributed through a 

 series of years, and this process, if followed, would render the cost for 

 a single crop season practically negligible. It may be stated that 

 the analysis shows a variation in cost from $1.55 to $2 per acre for 

 scraping. Such work merely adds to the farm capital, and any cost 

 incident thereto can eventually be applied to the various enter- 

 prises of the farm as interest charge. 



