vaya BULLETIN 735, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Table VII.—Relation of crew labor to the cost of cultivating the sugar-beet crop 
-in the Billings region in 1915. 
Cost of cultivating 
Average per acre. 
Grane Number | Acres of | times 
° offarms.| beets. eulti- 
vated. Once : 
ae Total. 
Wiman, AhoIse 2252 fos Se SSS ee ee ee 37 537 3. 63 $0. 60 - $2.19 
Mai, 2 NOUSCS {e< coon ease ae a ee eee ete : 265 8, 206 4,19 41 ec 
13 RDg2') eet eee aoe ee ee ae Seer aE a eee 3 98 3.41 - 00 1 ard 
FURROWING FOR IRRIGATION. 
To furrow the average acre requires one hour of man labor, and the 
team or horse labor is nearly two hours, being a little less than double 
the amount of man labor because some men use only one horse for 
furrowing. The average cost of labor for furrowing is 39 cents per 
acre. Only seven growers furrowed twice, and only one did not fur- 
row, the others furrowing once. . : 
The ordinary beet cultivator is used for furrowing, shovels that _ 
make small ditches about 3 or 4 inches deep being attached. 
Implements covering two rows were used by 35 growers; 12 fur- 
rowed five rows at a time, one man did not furrow, and the remainder 
four rows at a time. The furrower makes one extra ditch each time 
across, but doubles back in it in cases where two or four rows are 
furrowed at a time. Those growers who used 2-row furrowers did 
not have very large acreages of beets, averaging only 6 acres per man. 
Their acreage being small, it probably would not pay them to buy 
more expensive machinery. They furrowed on an average 5./7 acres 
per 10-hour day at a cost of 52 cents per acre, this being 13 cents per 
acre more than the average cost for the entire area. 
In furrowing four rows at a time the average day’s work of a man 
and 2-horse team for a 10-hour day. was 10.72 acres, at a cost of 37 
cents per acre. 
In furrowing five rows at a time the man and 2-horse team aver- 
aged 12.71 acres per 10-hour day, at a cost of 31 cents per acre. Al- 
though this is the least in cost per acre for furrowing, it is very 
doubtful whether it is the most economical method. It is necessary 
that more care be taken to cover all the rows in the same order. as 
they are planted by a 4-row drill. If the rows are a little wide or 
close between drill rounds, this method will plow up some beets; 
and 6 cents per acre is a small saving, as a few beets will more than 
amount to this sum. A dozen beets plowed out or covered per acre 
would eliminate any saving, regardless of other losses. 
RANGA hs 
DPA a} 
WIA 
