10 June, 1918.] American Agriculture. 353 



2. The organization of the farm labour. The ordinary farm hands 

 work from 7 to 5. Sixty-five to 300 men are employed, according to the 

 season of the year. Provision is made for 25 families, and each family 

 has a modern cottage. Single men are accommodated in barracks. The 

 men receive $2 a day. There are eight " straw bosses," each of whom 

 is in command of a company of eight to ten men. These straw bosses 

 receive $60 to $75 per month and board. Over these is a foreman at 

 $150 per month, responsible to the manager. The manager does all the 

 buying and selling, and determines the policy of the farm. 



3. The magnitude of the operations involved in the farm. 



There were 800 acres of vines, 100 acres of olives, 1,000 acres of 

 alfalfa, 1,200 acres of oats and barley. 



The annual profit, after all expenses, interest, and depreciation were 

 allowed, amounted to $60,000 per annum. 



An Alfalfa Stack, 35 feet high, thatched with palm leaves. 



4. Cotton has been grown on experimental plots for some years at 

 Kearney, and now a company proposes to grow several thousand acres 

 of long-stapled Egyptian cotton in the San Joachin Valley this year. 



The cotton is planted in March and April, and is ready to harvest 

 on 15th October at Fresno. The cotton would work in well with the 

 staple crop vines. 



Fourteen thousand excess hands are required to take off the raisin 

 crop each year. The raisin crop is harvested by 15th October, so that, 

 if cotton is grown, the period of employment for labourers would be 

 greatly extended. 



5. On this estate 160 acres of " alkali " land has been successfully 

 reclaimed. 



The surface foot of this land contained from 2 to 4 per cent, of salt 

 and carbonate of soda. 



Three years ago 25,000 feet of tile was used for draining — 2 and 4 

 inch laterals and 6 and 12 inch main draws were used. The land has 

 been successfully reclaimed and planted with alfalfa. 



7416.— 2 



