May, 1929] Potato Production Costs in New Hampshire 27 



TOTAL 



HOURS 



HAN 



U80R 



APRIL 

 to 10 



MAY 



10 20 



JUNE 

 10 10 



JULY 

 10 20 



AUGUST SEPTEnBER (XTOBER 

 10 20 10 20 10 10 



NOVEHBER 

 10 20 



Figure 2 — The distribution of labor on potatoes by 10-day periods 

 on 12 farms raising 57 acres of potatoes. 



premium are planting and harvesting. Whatever changes could 

 be made at these periods would permit of changes in farm organiza- 

 tion. 



On the 12 farms on which labor is illustrated in Figure 2, prep- 

 aration of the ground took 9.6 hours for plowing and 7.3 hours 

 for harrowing. Cutting seed required 7.6 hours per acre, and 

 planting 15.0 hours. The latter includes hauling, sorting and treat- 

 ing seed, hauling fertilizer, and marking and other operations in 

 hand planting. Cultivating required 17.3 hours, including recov- 

 ering through all the cultural operations to hilling. Spraying time 

 was much less ; only 1.7 hours per acre were used. Digging, picking 

 up and hauling to storage required 50.0 hours. 



This distribution of labor fitted in with the main dairy enter- 

 prise on most of the farms. Potato planting just preceded corn 

 planting. In those sections where corn w^as raised, land was pre- 

 pared and planted while the potato crop was germinating. 



The harvesting of the potato crop followed silo filling on those 

 farms where silage corn was raised. If, however, hand digging 

 was necessary, any considerable area in potatoes would upset the 

 farm organization. 



Since so much of the profit on the farm is the pay the operator 

 gets for his labor it would seem advisable to adjust one's organi- 

 zation so that advantage may be taken of the opportunity that ma- 

 chinery offers to obtain a higher wage. If we can raise five acres 

 of potatoes with no greater total labor than is required for 3.5 acres 

 and do it at no greater cost per acre or per bushel, we receive a 

 larger return for our time and the energy expended is less. 



