GROWING SUGAR, BEETS IN COLORADO. 13 
In the Fort Collins district the alfalfa is followed by a crop of grain, 
which assists in getting rid of the alfalfa roots and stems, so that 
beets can be grown to advantage the second year. This system 
(No. 3) is very popular outside of the potato district proper. 
Rotation No. 4, the standard for the Fort Morgan district, differs 
slightly from No. 3 in that sugar beets follow alfalfa immediately 
after breaking. It should be stated, however, that approximately 
15 per cent of these farms used a grain crop after breaking. 
There are farms in all these areas where the sugar beet has been 
grown for a period of 1 to 10 years upon the same piece of land. 
It is, however, quite a general practice to employ a systematic 
rotation. 
MAN AND HORSE LABOR. 
Complete data were secured in each district with reference to the 
cost of man and horse labor. The man-labor rate was based on the 
average man-labor cost throughout the working season. Farm labor 
here can be divided into three classes, namely, regular labor, extra 
labor, and contract labor. The regular labor includes those who 
are given continuous employment; extra labor, those who are hired 
at certain busy periods during the spring and summer. On farms 
where a large percentage of the land is devoted to hoed crops, extra 
labor may be required to care for these fields. Then, too, the harvest 
season frequently demands additional help. Contract labor includes 
the men who are paid a stipulated amount to do certain tasks, such 
as the hand work on beets. As a rule, the rates for special labor are 
somewhat higher than the rates paid the regular labor. 
The man and horse rates which are given in Table V are based 
upon records obtained during the years 1914 and 1915: 
Table V. — Average cost per hour of man and horse labor (1914-15). 
Rocky 
Ford area 
(110 farms). 
Greeley 
area (195 
farms). 
Fort Mor- 
gan area 
(66 farms). 
Cents. 
18 
10 
Cents. 
19 
11 
Cents. 
20 
10 
In working out costs, the operators in the respective districts have 
been given an arbitrary allowance^ of 18, 19, and 20 cents per hour 
for their work (see Table V), no charge being made to cover the 
general management of the farm. 
The variation in labor rates was so slight that a uniform rate of 
20 cents per hour for man iabor and 10 cents per hour for horse labor 
might have been used to advantage in all of these sections. Labor 
rates may fluctuate greatly, but if the sugar-beet grower wishes to 
determine the cost of producing sugar-beets under new conditions it 
