UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



I BULLETIN No. 814 ^4 



SlJ^ "^yJ-U 



Odice of the Secretary 



Contribution from the Oflice of Farm Management 



H. C. TAYLOR, Cliief 



Washington, D. C. 



April 24, 1920 



THE STANDARD DAY'S WORK IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS. 



Performance of Implements and Crews as Indicated by Reports from 600 

 Farmers in a Typical Corn-Belt Area. 



By H. R. ToLLEY, Scientific Assistant; L, M. Church, Assistant in Farm Accountiny. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Summary of results 2 



General conditions 3 



Plowing 4 



The disk harrow 9 



The spike-tooth harrow 10 



Planting corn 11 



Cultivating corn 12 



Cutting corn 14 



Page. 



Husking corn 17 



Seeding grain 19 



Harvesting grain 21 



Unloading grain 23 



Haying operations 23 



Hauling and spreading manure. 29 



Comparison of Illinois and New York 



practices 30 



As offering the investio-ator more or less assistance in deter 



INTRODUCTION. 



Data regarding the amount of work that farm implements, teams, 

 and crews may reasonably be expected to do are of value — 



1. In determining the equipment that should be used on farms of 

 various types and sizes. 



2. As a guide to the farmer who plans to locate where farming 

 conditions are unfamiliar. 



3. As a guide to the farmer who plans to change the size of his 

 farm or his type of farming. 



4. 

 mining the amount and value of work necessary in the production 

 of crops. 



During the winter of 1918 and 1919 reports were obtained from 

 nearly 600 farmers in McLean County, 111., concerning the rate of 

 doing work with the farm implements, teams, and crews in use there. 

 Each of these farmers gave his estimate of an average day's work 

 on his place for each of the field operations, and the average time 

 I'equired for the operations not directly measurable in terms of a 

 day's work. The results of this inquiry are set forth in the following 

 pages. 



It will be understood that the averages here presented are to be 

 considered as representing, in each instance, but one factor of sev- 



138712°— Bull. 814—20 1 1 



