4 BULLETIN 748, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
costs, such as Insurance and taxes, interest and rent, machinery use 
cost, and other miscellaneous expenses, amounted to about 25 per cent 
of the total cost of production. 
Approximately 96 per cent of the farmers in Michigan fed the beet 
tops to stock. In northwestern Ohio about half the producers fed 
and half plowed under the tops. Beet tops were valued at from $1.50 
to $3.40 per acre. 
METHOD OF TAKING RECORDS. 
An investigation of this character involves an inquiry as to 
the man and horse labor required in the preparation of land for 
sugar beets as well as in regard to the subsequent care of the crop 
until the final product is delivered to the manufacturer. It also calls 
for definite information with reference to use of land, manure, fer- 
tilizer, and seed, and the apportionment or distribution of certain 
general costs to the various enterprises of the farm. 
In order to secure the desired data on the practice and cost of 
growing sugar beets a suitable blank report form was printed; with 
this schedule in hand, trained enumerators visited the beet growers 
of the regions selected for these observations. Each operator con- 
sulted gave a complete description of the methods employed in grow- 
ing sugar beets on his farm and furnished additional facts con- 
cerning the other important enterprises forming a part of his busi- 
ness. As far as possible, the acreage in beets and the yields obtained 
from each farm were checked with the sugar-factory reports. In- 
asmuch as some growers delivered sugar beets to more than one fac- 
tory. it was not possible to make comparisons for all farms. (See 
Table 1.) 
TABLE I.—A comparison of growers’ estimates with factory records—Average 
acreage, yield, and return per acre, 1914-1915. 
Acres in beets = Cash return per 
ee per farm Yield per acre. acre. : 
| Num- 
District. pet of | 
ArmMSa) aes : 
ee | Factory Ea Factory. ane Factory 
Tons. Tons 
CATO as ee eee eee Rae eee 73 14.33 14. 22 8.82 7.56 $52.89 $46. 32 
PAIN QM See hee See ern ciate Cre 49 9.57 9.36 11. 65 10. 43 69. 91 61. 90 
Grand Rapid See ees 35 6. 40 6.32 10.16 9. 67 61.32 58.45 
Northwestern Ohio: -.2 522 22.222 -. ov 15.19 14. 63 13.15 12.68 72. 74 69.39 
In this investigation the Office of Farm Management had the co- - 
operation of the Office of Sugar Plant Investigations of the Bureau 
of Plant Industry. The latter office was not only interested in the 
farm-management data that would be made available by this survey 
but was desirous of obtaining a detailed account of the field practice 
