36 
BULLETIX 693, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
reduced to the average cost per ton, the lowest figure was shown for 
the Provo group — namely, $2.54 per ton. It will be recalled that 
the contract rate which prevailed at Idaho Falls was $20 per acre. 
This is 57 per cent of the total labor cost. 
COST OF MATERIALS. 
Cost of materials includes the value of the manure in the yard, 
money spent for the purchase of manure on a few farms, expenditures 
for beet seed, and water assessments. (See Table XXVI.) 
Table XXVI.— Cost of materials. 
District. 
Year. 
Num- 
ber of 
farm 
records. 
Total 
acres 
in 
beets. 
Cost per acre. 
Cost 
Manure. 
Seed. 
Water. 
Total. 
per ton. 
1914-15 
1914-15 
1915 
79 
58 
36 
1,461 
833 
735 
S3. 62 
4.22 
3.52 
$2. 21 
2.24 
2.18 
SO. 93 
.49 
1.47 
$6.76 
6.95 
7.17 
80.45 
.46 
Idaho Falls 
.53 
Manure. — Each grower gave an estimate of the value of manure 
used, thus furnishing a basis for computing the manure charge. 
There was a slight difference in the rate of application for the re- 
spective districts. The Idaho Falls group shows the lowest rate of 
application per acre and the lowest charge. The Garland group 
shows the highest average application of manure, but the highest 
manure charge is for the Provo area. It should be observed, however, 
that the total manure charge was distributed over a relatively large 
acreage in the Garland district. The area manured per farm was also 
less than in the Provo district. 
Seed. — The common practice in these areas was to plant beet seed 
at the rate of 15 pounds per acre. The seed was sold to the grower 
at 15 cents per pound, making a total charge of $2.25 per acre. A 
few farmers in the groups studied used less than 15 pounds of seed 
per acre, the average cost varying from $2.18 to $2.24 per acre. 
These rates are a fraction below the standard charge. 
Water. — The farms in the Garland area invariably showed a uniform 
charge of $1 per acre for water assessments. This group, however, 
contained some rented farms. In such cases the water assessments 
were not paid by the operator, but were included in the rent. With 
these farms eliminated, the average rate is lower than $1 per acre. 
In the Provo district a number of growers obtained their irrigation 
water from artesian wells. This feature had a tendency to reduce 
the number of men who paid water assessments on a given ditch, 
and the rate per acre is consequently comparatively low for this 
area. The average water assessments reported for the Idaho Falls 
district was 98 cents per acre higher than that for the Provo district. 
