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BULLETIN 3, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



Table XVI. — A normal day's work in marking rows for planting, giving the daily acre- 

 ages reported for designated ividths and adjustments for each width. 



[Net hours in the field, 9.53.] 



Number of horses. 



Width of 

 marker. 



Width of 

 rows. 



Marked 

 per day 

 for each 3 

 feet in 

 width of 

 marker. 



Number 

 averaged. 



Adjusted 

 acreage. 



Allowance 

 for each 

 foot in 

 width. 



1 



Feet. 

 3-12 

 3-12 



Feet. 

 3 

 3 



Acres. 

 5.68 

 6.81 



89 

 78 



5.1 

 6.2 



Acres. 

 0.75 



2 



.65 







The operation of planting Irish potatoes by hand, and. with the 

 1-man and 2-man type of potato planter is reported in Table XVII. 

 Out of 925 reports, 31 per cent name two acres as a reasonable day's 

 work in. dropping potatoes by hand and 26 per cent allow one acre. 

 With the potato planter the 2-man type is somewhat slower than 

 the automatic-feed type. The former is in more general use, since 

 planters feel more certain that seed is placed in every hill with the 

 hand-feed type. The picker (1-man) type of planter also tends 

 to spread disease from one seed tuber to another if disease, such as 

 scab, is present. The original averages have been adjusted by 

 reducing them about 10 per cent. 



Table XVII. — A normal day's work in planting Irish potatoes, giving the average acre- 

 ages reported and adjusted factors for each method. 



[Net hours in the field; 9.53.] 



Operation. 



Number 

 of men. 



Number 

 of horses. 



Planted 

 per day. 



Number 



averaged, factors. 



Adjusted 



Dropping by hand 



Planting with planter. 



Acres. 

 1.98 

 5.48 

 4.91 



925 

 132 

 174 



1.8 

 5.0 

 4.4 



HANDLING MANURE. 



In Table XVIII the operation of hauling and spreading manure 

 with a manure spreader is shown for loads of less than 60 cubic feet 

 and for 60 cubic feet and over. The heavy draft of this implement 

 renders the use of three or more horses necessary in 70 per cent of cases. 

 A 2-horse team is used by 30 per cent, three horses by 45 per cent, and 

 four horses by 25 per cent of those owning spreaders. The larger 

 loads and teams are all reported from the Mississippi Valley region. 

 Fewer of the larger loads can be handled in a day, but with the in- 

 creased power used they are unloaded more quickly and spread more 

 evenly. From 1£ to If more loads daily can be spread on sod than 

 on plowed land. For practical purposes the original averages have 

 been adjusted and reduced about 10 per cent. 



