GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN UTAH AND IDAHO. 



19 



4 ill the case of 38 records. Only a few operators plowed with a 

 2-horse team. Idaho Falls growers plowed the beet land at the rate 

 of 2.25 acres per day, the Garland operators averaged 2 acres per day, 

 while in the Provo area 1.65 acres constituted a day's work. The 

 fact that the soil is fairly heavy may have been responsible for some- 

 what slower work in the latter instance. The depth of plowing in the 

 three districts varied from 8 to 10 inches. 



At Garland and Provo the plowing was done mainly in the fall (fig. 

 3), whereas in the Idaho Falls district this work was done almost 

 entirely in the spring. The plowing practice in the latter district 

 especially with reference to the time of doing the work may be con- 

 trolled in part by the combined potato and sugar-beet harvesting 

 operations. Then, too, it may be observed that the Yakima loam is 

 not a heavy type, consequently frost action is not essential in order 

 to obtain a mellow condition. The majority of the beet growers 

 harrowed daily all of the land newly plowed that day; in fact, many 

 made a practice of harrowing up to the plow each half day. Under 

 arid conditions this plan prevents undue evaporation of moisture; it 

 also leaves the surface of the field in much better tilth, and subsequent 

 culture can be carried out much more effectively than when the land 

 is allowed to dry out before harrowing. 



DISKING. 



In the preparation of beet land the disk harrow was used on rela- 

 tively few farms. The Garland group contained only 1 disk- 

 harrow record for the year 1914 and 13 records the succeeding season. 

 Apparently the climate conditions were less favorable in 1915 than 

 1914, hence more work was required to bring the soil to the proper 

 degree of fineness, the disk harrow being selected for the extra work. 



Table VIII. — Dishing practice. 



District. 



Year. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 farm 

 records. 



Acres 

 disked 



per 

 farm. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 times 

 disked. 



Average crew. 



Hours per acre. 



Man. 



Horse. 



Man. 



Horse. 



1914-15 



1914-15 



1915 



1915 



14 

 12 

 8 

 11 



11.86 

 12.33 

 17.81 

 13.63 



2.93 

 2.08 

 1.12 

 1.50 



1 

 1 

 1 



1 



3.93 

 3.25 

 3.88 

 3.36 



2.08 

 2.24 

 1.74 

 2.93 



8.24 

 7.33 

 6.76 

 9.72 



Cost 

 -per 

 acre. 



Garland 



Provo 



Idaho Falls 



Provo, lap one-half 



$1.16 

 1.16 

 1.03 

 1.53 



The disking was done mainly in March and April, Thirteen out of 

 14 Garland growers and seven out of eight at Idaho Falls reported 

 crews of one man and four horses, while only 8 out of 23 in the Provo 

 district used this crew. Provo also had 14 estimates which reported 

 crews consisting of one man and three horses. It will be observed 

 that the records at Provo were divided into two groups. On 1 1 of 

 these farms it was the practice to lap one-haK in domg the disking. 



