1920.^ niPLEMENTAL TILLAGE AT ST. AUGUSTINE. 21 



CULTIVATING GROWING CANES. 

 Plant Canes. A iicM of 9.^ acres which had been planted in canes 

 in October 1918, after the banks had been broken and the canes weeded 

 by hand labour in January and February was worked as follows :— 



Plant Canes. — Field 9, St. Augustine — 9^ Acres. 



Description of work. 



Number of 



Labourers. 



Animals. 



Co.st of 

 Labour. 



•Cultivating miiliUes across beds with "one mule" 

 plough ; making two cuts. The work was jier- 

 formed in 11.^ days of nine hours by one man, two 

 boys and two oxen, each ox working half day .. 



•Tulvevising lengthways with horse-hoe up and down 

 Tlie work was performed in 8 days of nine hoars 

 by one man, two boys and two oxen, eacli ox 

 working half day 



Total for 9^ acres 



Per acre 



Extra feed of 4-22 oxen at 20^ cents per ox 



Depreciation of implements... 



Weeding by hand labour, 14" 14 tasks per acre at 

 30 cents 



Total per acre 



Man days. 



34-50 



24-00 



Animal 

 days. 



23-00 



16-03 



c. 



9.01 



6.80 



58-50 



6-32 



14-14 



20-46 



3!) -00 



4-22 



15.81 



L71 



1.12 



.06 



4.24 



4-22 



.13 



The cost and the number of labourers required per acre to work these 

 9J acres by hand labour alone is shown below : — 



From the above it will be seen that to plough and cultivate an acre 

 of land in young plant, canes by implements with oxen in one day it 

 takes 6-,32 labourers and 4-22 oxen at a cost of $2.S9, as against ^5 28 

 for forking by band with 13-20 labourers— a saving of $2.39 and 6-88 

 labourers in favour of implemental tillage. It should be pointed out, 

 however, that the land is not so completely tilled with implements as is 

 the case with hand labour— on the other hand whereas it is com- 

 paratively easy to get the labourers for implemental tillage, it is more 

 difficult to get sufficient forkers when they arc needed. It has been 

 assumed above that the forkers make a task a day, but as they usually 

 make a task and a half the number of labourers required to fork an 



