28 BULLETIN 748, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
cent of the farms in Ohio the farmer did a portion of the work and 
had the remainder done by contract labor. The labor requirements 
on farms when the topping was not contracted ranged from about 23 
to 28 hours per acre and the labor cost varied from $4.65 to $5.60 per 
acre. It will be seen that the farmer performed the labor of topping 
at an appreciably lower cost per acre than the contract rate. 
HAULING. 
The sugar beets are forked into large beet boxes from piles in the 
field. From the field they are either hauled to a loading station 
(see fig. 21), where 
they are loaded into 
cars, or directly to 
the sugar-factory 
beet dump. Upon 
arrival at the loading 
station or factory, 
as the ease may be, 
a representative 
sample is. taken and 
weighed as it comes 
from the load. All 
dirt is removed. The 
sample of beets is re- 
topped when neces- 
sary and the clean 
sample is weighed a 
second time. The 
difference in weight 
represents the tare. 
In all sections, with 
the exception of 
northwestern Ohio, 
the loading of beets 
into cars was done by 
Fig. 21.—A typical loading station in northwestern Ohio. hand. At one place 
Here the beets are placed in cars and are then trans- in northwestern Ohio 
ported to the factory. 
several mechanical 
loading devices were observed. (See Table XV.) 
In northwestern Ohio five men hired the hauling done at a contract 
rate of from 65 cents to 80 cents per ton, depending on the distance 
hauled. In all other districts the hauling was done by the farmers’ 
own labor. The weight of load ranged from 14 to 24 tons. 
The size of the load is an important factor in determining the 
hauling cost per ton. By comparing the records which were obtained 
in the Alma district with the records which were secured in the 
Grand Rapids area it is found that the average, load in the former 
