﻿38 



BULLETIN 3, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table XL. — A normal day's ivork in digging potatoes, giving the average acreages reported. 



[Net hours at work, 9.58.] 



Operation. 



Number 



Dug per 



Number 



of horses. 



day. 



averaged. 





Acres. 





2 



4.02 



38 



2 



2.73 



108 



2 



3.84 



164 



3 



4.06 



25 



4 



5.21 



129 



Adjusted 

 acreage. 



Digging sweet potatoes with sweet-potato plow 



Digging Irish potatoes with ordinary plow 



Digging Irish potatoes with potato digger 



3.60 

 2.40 

 3.45 

 3.70 

 4.70 



The quantity of Irish potatoes that can be picked up after plowing 

 out with an ordinary plow and elevator digger is shown in Table XLI 

 in terms of yield per acre. The amount that can be dug with a fork 

 and picked up is also given in the same table. Where the yields are 

 the same, it is seen that 40 per cent more can be picked up after an 

 elevator digger than can be gathered after an ordinary plow. It 

 appears also that twice as much human labor is required to dig and 

 pick up a bushel of potatoes by hand as is required to pick up after 

 an elevator digger. 



Table XLI. — A normal day's work in picking up Irish potatoes, giving the average 

 number of bushels per day per man by designated yields. 



[Net hours in the field, 9.58.] 



Operation. 



Yield 



Picked 

 up per 



Number 

 averaged. 



Picking up after ordinary plow. 



Picking up after elevator digger. 

 Digging and picking up by hand 



75 bushels 



125 bushels 



200 bushels and over. 

 75 bushels 



125 bushels 



1 to 125 bushels 



126 to 200 bushels 



200 bushels and over . . 



Bushels. 

 59.31 

 76.04 

 95.21 

 82.03 

 103. 76 

 32.31 

 42.67 

 46.35 



475 

 458 

 442 

 211 

 218 

 285 

 290 

 51 



Averages for the operation of hauling potatoes from the field and 

 unloading into the cellar are given in Table XLII by bushels in the 

 load in terms of bushels in a day. The larger loads are the most 

 economical from the standpoint of work accomplished daily. 

 Arrangement of this data by distance hauled showed no relation 

 between the distance and amount of work done daily. 



Table XLII. — A normal day's work in hauling potatoes from field to cellar, giving the 



average daily factors in bushels according to the size of load. 



[Net hours at work, 9.58.] 



Size of load. 



Hauled 



per day 



per man 



and team. 



Number 

 averaged. 





Bushels. 

 194. 16 

 223. 35 

 276. 46 

 353. 71 

 459. 87 



55 





73 





120 



60 bushels 



35 



65 to 75 bushels 



16 







