GROWING FIELD CROPS IN SUGAR-BEET DISTRICTS. 13 
from the land the usual method was to rake it up with a common 
dump rake and burn it immediately. The total amount of labor 
expended in this operation is comparatively small. 
PLOWING PRACTICE. 
The benefits of fall plowing are apparent to those in these regions 
who grow potatoes or sugar beets, for in harvesting the crop the land 
is partially plowed. In the spring these fields are very easy to pre- 
pare for a seed bed, the winter's freezing and thawing having mel- 
lowed and pulverized the soil. The land usually contains moisture 
stored from the winter and spring rains and snows. With this 
example and their experience with the few fields that they have been 
able to get plowed in autumn or winter, most farmers believe there 
would be an increase in the production of their crops if they could 
practice more fall plowing. In fact, there is so little available time 
for fall plowing that only a small percentage of the grain-stubble 
land is plowed before spring. Some alfalfa is plowed in early winter, 
but the time of harvesting, especially beets and potatoes, prevents 
fall plowing. The acreage of these crops is usually large, so that 
the full season is taken in harvesting, some frost usually being in the 
ground before the completion of the beet harvest. The winters are 
seldom sufficiently warm to permit winter plowing, and frost usually 
remains in the ground until late March or early April. This causes 
a rush for the preparation of seed beds in the spring, and too often 
seed is planted in a poorly prepared seed bed. 
Only 5 out of 57 men growing small grain at Greeley plowed in prep- 
aration for the crop. Table III shows that much of this land had been 
in potatoes or beets the previous year. Out of 41 men reporting, 13 
plowed for grain at Fort Morgan. At Rocky Ford 50 per cent of the 
men growing grain plowed the land. For beets, potatoes, cucumbers, 
and cantaloupes nearly all used the plow in preparing the seed bed. 
For such crops as sugar beets and potatoes deep plowing is neces- 
sary. With beets special care is taken to pJow deeply and carefully 
cover and incorporate all manure and vegetable matter with the soil. 
Unless deep plowing is practiced for beets the beet roots are likely 
to be stunted and misshapen, and a low yield results. An impervious 
subsoil is very detrimental to the yield of a crop of beets, deep plowing 
tending partially to overcome the ill effects of a close subsoil. The 
average depth of plowing for beets in northern Colorado was between 8 
and 9 inches. Rocky Ford growers reported shallower plowing for 
beets. 
In all three regions 2-way plows are more common than the gang 
or sulky plows. A 2-way plow is one which has a right-hand and a 
left-hand plow mounted so that one can be operated at a time. (Fig. 
12.) In this way the land is all turned one way by beginning at one 
