SSS SSS 
GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN THE BILLINGS REGION. 21 
be loosened to a good depth. If possible, shovels should be run in 
the middle between the rows, for if this strip of ground is allowed 
to get hard satisfactory cultivation will be difficult. Early deep 
cultivations, if not too close, do not disturb any of the beet roots, 
while late, deep cultivations are apt to injure the beet roots. <As 
much care should be taken to avoid injury to the roots of the beet 
as to the tops, for both roots and tops are essential to the growth of 
the plants. The first root of a beet strikes down deep into the soil 
and the side roots spread out later. 
The cultivation of beets is in most instances done by 2-horse cul- 
tivators, which till four rows at a time; 37 growers used 1-horse cul- 
tivators that worked only two rows at a time. These 2-row culti- 
vators are not as efficient as the 4-row implements, as they take about 
twice the man labor per acre, and the horse labor is about the same 
as for the 4-row machine. It takes two hours for a man to culti- 
vate 1 acre with a 2-row cultivator and only one hour with a 4-row 
implement. Cultivators of the 2-row type are not used on large 
areas, aS 1s shown by the average acreage of beets of those using 
1-horse cultivators being only 14.5 acres per farm, while the average 
for those using 2-horse cultivators is 31 acres per farm. (Table VI.) 
Tas VI.—Relation of the number of cultivations of the sugar-beet crop to the 
cost of labor in the Billings region in 1915. 
Percent- | Average || . Percent- | Average 
Culti- | Number | Acres of] age of labor Culti- Number | Acres of | age of laber 
vated. |offarms.| beets. total. cost per vated. | offarms.|. beets. total cost per 
area. acre.! area. acre.! 
2 times...) * 12 372 4.2 $0. 79 || 6 times... 13 614 6.9 $2. 23 
3 times... 86 1,964 2202, 1.28 || 7 times... 9 288 3.3 2. 81 
4 times... 125 4,183 47.3 1.68 ee 
5 times... 60 | 1, 422 16.1 2.20 || Allfarms. 305 8, 843 100.0 1.74 
1 The cost of the labor for furrowing, which is usually done once each season and by some is considered a 
cultivation, is not here included. 
There is no clear indication that the number of cultivations had 
wny great effect on the yield of beets per acre, there being many fac- 
tors that might tend to cause a variation in yield; for example, the 
ground in certain fields may be in poor condition or the beets may 
not be doing well, and such a field will receive extra cultivations, 
while a good field may not be cultivated so often. Weedy land will 
be cultivated more often than fields that are comparatively free 
from weeds. Beets that are growing rapidly and are healthy and - 
vigorous have a shorter season for cultivation before they become 
too large, but such beets usually yield best. 
It required 4.46 hours of man labor and 8.46 hours of horse labor 
to cultivate an acre of beets an average of 4.09 times, (Table VII.) 
