16 BULLETIN 135, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Of the 302 growers who floated their land, 205 used 4-horse teams. 
The cost of floating with crews of different sizes can not be used for 
any practical application, for the men using the greater number of 
horses invariably have the heavier floats. These heavier floats usu- 
ally accomplish more in the way of smoothing and firming the seed 
bed than the lighter floats for an equal number of operations. 
HARROWING PRACTICE. 
It required an average of 1.75 hours of man labor and 5.75 hours 
of horse labor to harrow an acre. All of the farmers harrowed their 
land in preparing the seed bed for beets; 246 growers used 2-section 
harrows, and 49 used 3-section harrows, while 13 used harrows of 
unclassified types. (Fig. 3.) 
Fig. 3.—A 4-horse team harrowing a field of sugar beets. This crew economizes man 
labor. 
Of the total number of growers, 31 harrowed their land but once, 
158 harrowed twice, 70 harrowed 3 times, 34 harrowed 4 times, 4 
harrowed 5 times, 4 harrowed 6 times, 2 harrowed 7 times, and 1 
harrowed 10 times. The average field was harrowed 2.44 times, at 
an average cost of 38 cents per acre, or a total cost of 93 cents per 
acre. 
Harrowing varied a great deal on the various farms, owing to 
two causes. The type of soil has a great deal to do with the number 
of harrowings that are necessary, and in this region the growers 
who use disks, drags, and levels do not use the harrow so much as 
those who have less machinery of this sort and who use the harrow 
as a sort of float or level by turning the teeth horizontal to the sur- 
face of the ground. The first harrowing of the land is usually done 
immediately after plowing. A man will harrow once what is plowed 
Sateen eri 
Stites Sean, tee 
Sa a ES Re SR 
Px 
the 
q 
a 
Mg 
