A FARM MANAGEMENT SURVEY IX BROOKS CO., GA. 55 



cost of merchantable melons left in the field. When the cost is com- 

 puted for the entire acreage of melons grown on the 46 farms, the 

 cost per acre amounts to $22.17, or $58.32 per carload of melons 

 harvested and sold. 



SUGAR CANE. 



Sugar cane is grown on every farm to produce sirup for home use, 

 and on two-thirds of the farms it serves as a source of farm sales. 

 The sirup is usually sold in barrels to the local merchants, who ship 

 much of it out of the county. The average price received in the 

 barrel during 1914 was 26 cents per gallon. The costs shown herein 

 represent the cost of the growing of the crop, grinding, evaporating, 

 and putting in barrels on the farm. 



This crop is a very intensive one, requiring a large amount of 

 labor per acre. Man labor is by far the largest item of cost, followed 

 by mule labor, seed cane, and fertilizer. A considerable part of the 

 latter consists of stable manure. The wood fuel used in evaporating 

 the sirup is cut on the farms, and the labor of cutting and hauling 

 the wood is included in the labor charges. The value of the seed 

 cane saved and the small amount of canes sold or consumed on the 

 farm has been deducted from the total cost, and the balance charged 

 to the sirup, making the average cost 24 cents per gallon. The costs 

 represent small scale production, but the profit per acre is fairly 

 large. This crop can be grown at a comparatively low cost per unit 

 of product, the chief problem being one of marketing the product. 



SWEET POTATOES. 



Sweet potatoes are grown in Brooks County only on a small scale, 

 mainly for home consumption and for hog pasture. Nearly half of 

 the cost of growing the crop is chargeable to man labor, the next 

 largest items being mule labor, fertilizer, and land rent. The acre 

 cost of the crop for hog pasture is $19.53 as compared with $29.89 

 for the crop harvested and put in the "banks," the difference being 

 the cost of gathering. The average yield was 109 bushels and the 

 cost per bushel 24 cents. These costs represent small scale produc- 

 tion and not growing on a commercial basis. The margin of profit 

 is wide and it would seem that the crop offers opportunities for com- 

 mercial production, provided a market can be found for the product. 



IRISH POTATOES. 



Only four farms were found growing Irish potatoes primarily for 

 marketing. The yield secured was 69 bushels per acre. The costs 

 amounted to $37.37 per acre and 55 cents per bushel in sacks on the 

 farm. At the price received, about $1.19 per bushel, the margin 

 of profit is the widest found of any of the crops grown on these 

 farms. 



