32 
BULLETIN 693, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
second hoeing varied from 5.7 to 8.1 hours per acre, involving costs 
of $1.14 to $1.54 per acre. Eleven growers in the Provo district 
reported on a third hoeing. The labor in this case amounted to 
5.6 hours per acre, with a cost of $1.12 per acre. Weeding was 
shown on 15 records, 13 of which came from Provo. The cost for 
this work was 88 cents per acre. 
Table XX. — Comparative contract prices for hand labor. 
Kind of work. 
District. 
Garland. 
Provo. 
Idaho Falls. 
S6.00 
2.50 
1.50 
7.80 
$5.00 
2.50 
1.75 
7.20 
S6.00 
2.50 
1.50 
10.00 
Total 
17.80 
16.45 
20.00 
. 
Certain growers made a practice of doing a part of the handwork 
themselves, the remainder of this labor being done by contract. In 
the Garland and Provo districts several operators contracted the 
blocking and thinning, also the pulling and topping, but most of the 
hoeing was done by the family. The contract prices which were 
paid in these areas varied considerably. (See Table XX.) The 
usual price for blocking and thinning at Provo was $5 per acre, while 
pulling and topping cost 60 cents per ton. At Garland $6 per acre 
was the customary price for blocking and thinning, and the prevailing 
rate for pulling and topping was 65 cents per ton. A few growers 
contracted hand labor on a tonnage basis at $1.65 to $1.90 per ton. 
On the other hand, a few paid a flat price of $21 per acre for a 12-ton 
yield, making provision for a bonus of 50 to 75 cents per ton in cases 
where the yield exceeded the stipulated return. At Idaho Falls the 
general practice included the payment of $20 per acre for a 12-ton 
yield, with a bonus of 60 cents per ton for each increment of 1 ton. 
Where the yield falls below 12 tons per acre, the grower has the 
privilege of deducting 50 cents for each ton below the yield stated in 
the agreement. 
Frequently the topping is done directly from the row of standing 
beets, while in other cases the beets are pulled and placed in piles, 
from which the topping is done. It should be stated that the lifter 
loosens the beet in the soil so that the roots can be taken out readily 
by hand. For some districts the topping, especially when placed on 
a contract basis, included some work loading beets from the field 
piles. The cost per acre at the usual contract rates is somewhat 
higher than the average cost given by the growers who did this work 
themselves. Seventy-seven estimates were obtained on pulling and 
topping practice, and the results are shown in Table XXL 
