64 The Bulletin. 



from 15 to 16 acres of cultivated crops for each work animal kept. When 

 these farms become organized on a basis calling for two-horse teams, with 

 from 45 to 50 acres in cultivated crops per team, it will be an easy matter 

 to get from 100 to 120 days of profit earning work for each head of work 

 stock. The diflBculties standing in the way of such organization are more 

 apparent than real. The average farm no whas 23.4 acres of improved 

 land per work animal. The system proposed will require the utilization of 

 all this land. On a great number of farms only one horse is kept at the 

 present. It will be wise for men working sucn places to exchange teams 

 with one another a few days at the periods of heavy work, especially such 

 as breaking land and harrowing it and also at harvest time. This will give 

 each farm the advantages of a better prepared soil and the more efficient 

 methods of cultivating and harvesting. Where two or more horses are 

 already kept, these should be hitched into the double teams and used with 

 bigger plows and other machinery necessary for good farming. 



The organization of a two-horse farm having 50 acres of improved land 

 may be as follows: 12 acres in cotton, 12 in corn and 12 in small grain, 

 using wheat on a part and oats on the remainder, but proportioning the 

 acreage of the respective grains to the needs and demands of the farm. The 

 small grain should be followed by a crop of peas for hay. About 4 acres for 

 all miscellaneous crops, and 10 acres for grass for hay and if there is no 

 other grazing land a part of the grass may be used for pasture. For the 

 one-horse farm the acre to each crop may be reduced proportionately. 



The 24 acres for corn and cotton will be to plow after fall crop work is 

 out of the way and before time to plant in the spring. After the land is 

 plowed it should be harrowed, then the rows are to be layed off, fertilizers 

 applied and perhaps in many cases bedded before planting.- 



A two-horse team with a turn plow will break approximately 1.75 acres 

 in a day. Thus it may require 14 days to break the 24 acres. Another four 

 days will be needed to do the harrowing. Six days with two horses should 

 open all rows and put down the fertilizers. Six days again should do the 

 bedding and planting. Cultivating these crops an average of five times 

 should require not more than 35 days of horse work. Harvesting and hous- 

 ing the corn and cotton will require not more than one day of horse work 

 per acre or 24 days for handling both crops. Allowing 12 days for all 

 extra horse work, we have the 24 acres of corn and cotton made at an en- 

 penditure of 131 days horse work. 



The horse work required in caring for the 12 acres in small grain followed 

 by peas for hay should not exceed 4 days per acre, or 48 days for the two 

 crops. Allowing 25 days of horse work on the four acres of miscellaneous 

 crops and 20 days on the permanent hay and pasture lands, we have a sum 

 total of 223 days of horse work required on the 50-acre farm organized on the 

 suggested basis. This is 111.5 days work for each horse instead of 60 days 

 as by the system prevailing on the same farms in 1909 and which has not 

 been greatly modified in recent years. 



IMPORTANCE OF PROPOSED SYSTEM. 



Under the system prevailing during the past few years the farmer cultiva- 

 ted 24.92 acres of land with 1.65 head of work stock and grew crops to the 

 value of $482. Or one horse does the work on 15.1 acres, making crops worth 

 |277. The average farm has 13.7 acres of improved land doing nothing, 

 while 60.9 acres remain unimproved. The proposed system calls for the 

 utilization of all the improved land in profit producing enterprises It will 

 also call for bringing under cultivation of from 12 to 15 acres of the most 

 fertile of the unimproved lands and the cultivating of this reclaimed acreage 

 in valuable crops. 



