4 BULLETIlSr 963, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



which are made from time to time; but it has been found that an 

 analysis of a suitable number of farm reports supplies material 

 indicating clearly the trend of affairs in such a group, and that 

 conclusions drawn therefrom can be regarded as significant. 



PRESENTING THE DATA. 



The first part of this bulletin includes a detailed analysis of the 

 total cost of production. Here the total cost of man and horse labor, 

 the total expense for materials, etc., are combined for the purpose of 

 showing the average district cost of producing an acre or a ton of 

 beets on the farms surveyed. These costs are distributed over the 

 entire beet acreage for these farms. The practice sheets show the 

 actual acreage covered, by operations, and the labor requirements are 

 worked out for the number of acres covered by each implement. 

 When the cost for operations not performed on all farms is charged 

 against the entire beet crop the average is lowered. In determining 

 a regional cost, the entire crop must bear any expense that may 

 apply to a part of the acreage. 



The second part describes in some detail the field operations which 

 were employed in producing the 1918 and 1919 beet crops. Each 

 district is treated as a unit and the tables show the percentage of 

 total records and the percentage of total acreage covered in each 

 operation. The most common crew is also given, and the average 

 man and horse requirement for each of these field operations. 



While the farm practice studies as a whole are applicable to 220 

 records, the different methods which are described were not followed 

 on all farms. Plowing, harrowing with spike tooth, leveling, rolling- 

 planting, cultivating, furrowing out and irrigating, blocking, thinning, 

 hoeing, lifting, topping, loading, and hauling are operations common 

 to most farms. 



In presenting the farm practice data each district is discussed 

 separately. The results have been compiled in such a way as to show 

 the most common crew and the total average labor requirements for 

 each of the four areas studied. The range in labor requirements is 

 also given. 



Tables are also given for the purpose of showing the range in unit 



cost for the individual farms included in this study. Ail farms are 



brought together in Table XIII. The respective districts are treated 



separately, with respect to range in cost per ton, in Tables XIV 



to XVII. 



AREAS STUDIED. 



Four distinct areas were included in this survey. In Utah County 

 an area was selected in the vicinity of Lehi and 44 records were ob- 

 tained. Utah County has been an important beet-producing center 



