GROWING SUGAR, BEETS IN COLORADO. 
SIZE OF FARMS. 
9 
The latest information available on size of farms in these districts is 
found in the report of the census for 1909. These figures have been 
incorporated in Table III, together with a distribution of the farms 
covered by this survey. 
Table III. — Number and size of farms in Larimer, Weld, Morgan, and Otero Counties; 
also number and classification of farms giving records. a 
Larimer County. 
Weld County. 
Morgan County. 
Otero County. 
Size of farm. 
Thir- 
teenth 
Census. 
Survey 
records. 
Thir- 
teenth 
Census. 
Survey 
•records. 
Thir- 
teenth 
Census. 
Survey 
records. 
Thir- 
teenth 
Census. 
Survey 
records. 
Under 3 acres 
11 
121 
111 
204 
294 
559 
159 
204 
73 
94 
None. 
None. 
1 
12 
12 
26 
13 
9 
None. 
None. 
6 
72 
64 
181 
715 
1,846 
344 
626 
81 
46 
None. 
None. 
None. 
9 
44 
49 
16 
4 
None. 
None. 

28 
23 
42 
140 
450 
83 
255 
36 
18 
None. 
None. 
None. 
4 
20 
29 
9 
3 
1 
None. 
16 
85 
102 
326 
311 
438 
77 
105 
20 
18 
None. 
None. 
2 
33 
40 
100 to 174 acres 
175 to 259 acres 
260 to 499 acres 
500 to 999 acres 
1 ,000 acres and over . . 
27 
_ 5 
3 
None. 
None. 
a The figures reported under Thirteenth Census were obtained by the Census Bureau and are applicable 
to the year 1909. The numbers that are included under " Survey records" apply to the farms used in this 
survey. 
In all districts studied, according to census figures, the largest 
number of farms in any of the size groups falls between 100 and 174 
acres, including 160-acre, or "quarter-section" farms. While it is 
customary to think of irrigation farming as more or less intensive, 
nevertheless it is a fact that there are comparatively few small farms 
in these districts. 1 In Morgan, Otero, and Weld Counties there is 
found a fair proportion of farms containing 80 acres. 
When irrigated farms of this type are placed in contrast with farms 
of similar size in the humid belt, assuming that the groups are similar 
in every other respect, it will be found that much more labor is re- 
quired to carry on the operations under irrigation than without. 
Each of these counties has an extensive area devoted to dry farming, 
as may be inferred from the number of very large farms. Under this 
system these larger farms can be utilized to advantage. Small grain 
growing is the most important industry on this particular type of 
farm. Some corn is grown. A portion of this land is known as 
open range, and is devoted to pasture. 
i It will be seen that each of the counties included in this study has a certain number of farms containing 
9 acres or less. Sugar beets are grown on these tracts, but in making this investigation it was thought that 
the very small farms ought not be considered in making up the estimates. Usually, the acreage devoted 
to beets in these small units is much less than 5 acres. The man who produces less than 5 acres of sugar 
beets does not have enough work on such major operations as harrowing, disking, floating, planting, or 
cultivating to keep the horses employed for any considerable length of time, and it is therefore a difficult 
matter for him to estimate a day's work for such operations, 
69805°— 18— Bull. 726 2 
