GROWING SUGAR BEETS IN UTAH AND IDAHO. 
31 
very reliable check on any estimates which, may be given by men who 
make a practice of doing their own handwork. (See Table XIX.) 
Table XIX. — Comparative cost of blocking and thinning. 
District. 
Year. 
Number 
of farm 
records. 
Acres 
blocked 
and 
thinned 
per farm. 
Hours 
per 
acre. 
Cost ' 
per 
acre. 
1914-15 
1914-15 
1915 
32 
13 
17 
14.82 
9.23 
11.6 
21.32 
23.43 
23.72 
$4.26 
4.45 
Idaho Falls 
4.74 
The difference in the labor requirements for blocking and thinning 
in Provo and Idaho Falls districts was exceedingly small. The 
Garland reports placed this requirement more than two hours per 
Fig. 8. — Making a new set in a field lateral. A canvas is laid down in the ditch with the free edge 
toward the approaching stream of water, and soil is thrown upon the canvas for the purpose of 
holding it in place. 
acre less than for the other areas. The customary contract price for 
this work was $6 per acre at Garland and Idaho Falls and $5 at Provo. 
HOEING. 
The hoeing is done during the early summer months. Under 
ordinary conditions the fields are hoed twice. Where a contract is 
involved, the laborer agrees to keep the field free from weeds. This 
means hoeing the beets twice, and occasionally some weed pulling is 
necessary later in the season. In 1915, 77 estimates were secured on 
the first hoeing, and the average time varied from 9 to 11.5 hours per 
acre, with costs ranging from $1.79 to $2.18 per acre. There were 74 
records for the same season on the second hoeing. The labor for the 
