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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 2 



wheat, and the milling charge. A carga pro- 

 duces about 14 arrobas, or about 250 pounds 

 of flour, of which the mill takes 21/^ arrohafi, or 

 62 1/2 pounds. The farmer receives 187 1/2 

 pounds of flour. Either of these procedures 

 involves the labor of transporting wheat to the 

 mill and, in case the farmer has no burros, the 

 rent of pack animals or trucking charges. 

 Mills are at Jacona (regarded as the best), 

 Purepero, Tanataro, and Carapan. 



Yet another way of disposing of wheat is to 

 grind it at home or in a nixtamal mill and bake 

 bread for sale in the market towns and at 

 fiestas. Only relatively small quantities are 

 used in this way. 



One agricultural activity for which few data 

 were obtained is fruit growing. No informa- 

 tion was secured on yields of trees or on labor. 

 The main labor cost is harvesting, usually done 

 by the family at a time when there is little 

 other agricultural activity. Fruit may be car- 

 ried to markets, or it may be sold to traders. 



Another view of farming activity may be 

 gained by examining the income of individual 

 farmers. These data are probably somewhat 

 unreliable, for, as previously indicated, there is 

 a tendency to minimize wealth and income. 

 Table 2 summarizes the available information. 



Case 1 is a school teacher with a small 

 family who rents his land. Probably his share 

 in good years supplies most of his family re- 

 quirements of maize. Case 2 is a storekeeper 

 who also rents his land. In years when his 

 land lies fallow, he must have to buy a little 



maize. Case 3 owns a store run by his chil- 

 dren, but he regards himself as a farmer by 

 preference. Even without his store, he would 

 be well off by Cheran standards, although not 

 a "rich man." In 1940 he produced nearly 

 enough maize for his family and sold over $300 

 worth of wheat. In 1941 he probably was 

 able to sell not less than 35 fanegas of maize 

 above his family's food needs (less if he raised 

 pigs or fattened beef for butchering) . Case 

 4 is a widow. Her land is cultivated by a 

 nephew, but under what circumstances is not 

 known. If the nephew lives with her, the 

 amount of maize is a little inadequate; on the 

 other hand, if she lives alone, the quantity is 

 more than enough for one person. 



ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



It is virtually impossible to secure useful 

 data on labor costs or profits in relation to 

 animals. Under agriculture I have mentioned 

 some of the facts about oxen. No data were 

 collected on chicken raising; probably no one 

 in Cheran knov/s how much grain he feeds 

 cliickens or how many eggs a year he gets. 

 Prices vary from 2 to 6 centavos per egg. The 

 situation about pigs is little better. 



Virtually everyone keeps pigs; no one has 

 any idea of the total amount of grain fed 

 except during the fattening period. Shoats 

 have little value and are frequently given away. 

 Data on labor are lacking, yet the labor cost 

 cannot be negligible when the animal is being 

 fattened and its pen is cleaned frequently. A 



Table 2. — Data on farm income 

 [Data for 1940. claimed; for 1941, estimated.] 



^ Values of fodder or wheat straw not included. 



2 Land rented ; crop values represent owner's share (one-half) . 



^ Cost of threshing deducted. 

 * Value not included in $1,280. 



