GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN COLORADO. 
17 
and the land is left with a smooth, even surface for subsequent tillage. 
The labor requirements and the cost of this operation in 1915 are 
shown in Table VII. 
Table VII. — Data on crowning alfalfa in three Colorado districts. 
District. 
Year. 
Number 
of 
farms. 
Acres 
crowned 
per farm. 
Crew. . 
Hours 
per acre. 
Man. 
Horse. 
Man. 
Horse. 
1915 
1915 
1915 
7 
28 
18 
7.2 
14.6 
12.8 
1 
1 
1 
3.57 
3.50 
3.30 
7.3 
4.6 
4.87 
26.2 
16.2 
15.8 
Total 
cost per 
acre. 
Rocky Ford 
Fort Morgan 
Greeley . 
$3.94 
2.65 
2.67 
The crowning was done partly in the fall of 1914 and partly in the 
spring of 1915. The major portion of this work occurred during the 
early spring months. There were 32 operators who used a crew of 
one man and three horses to do the crowning. On 16 farms a crew 
of one man and four horses was used. It cost $1.29 per acre more 
to do the work of crowning in the Kocky Ford district than in north- 
ern Colorado. The Greeley and Fort Morgan records did not differ 
materially in total cost for crowning. 
PLOWING. 
A limited area in these three districts was plowed during the 
autumn and early winter months. The heavier types of soil are 
benefited by exposure to the frosts of 'winter, and much less work 
is required to bring them into a mellow condition when fall and 
winter plowing can be done. Furthermore, the water-holding capac- 
ity of the soil is thus increased and more moisture is stored for the 
crop the following season. The rough broken surface also has a 
chance to become partially pulverized by the repeated freezing and 
thawing which occurs throughout the winter and early spring. If 
the work is postponed until late in the season the other farm oper- 
ations will be delayed. 
No implement has been devised that will take the place of the 
plow in the preparation of the seed bed for sugar beets. This tillage 
implement not only loosens the upper layer of soil and in turning the 
furrow slice pulverizes the particles of which it is composed, but it 
also covers and incorporates with this layer any manure that may 
have been scattered upon the field or any residue that may have been 
present at the time of plowing. 
In the three districts studied the greater part of the plowing was 
done in the early spring. Five growers in northern Colorado stated 
that this work was performed in the autumn, seven men did part of 
the plowing in the fall and completed this operation in the spring, 
while the remaining records indicated spring plowing. Usually the 
69805°— 18— Bull. 726 3 
