24 



BULLETIN" 385, IT. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



Table 8. — Labor on cotton, Coastal Plain region, Georgia. 

 [85 records, average yield 0.63 bale per acre.] 



Operation. 



Man- 

 bours. 



Mule- 

 bours. 



Operation. 



Man- 

 hours. 



Mule- 

 hours. 



Cut stalks, plow, harrow 



Lay off, bed, etc 



8.3 



4.2 



18.1 



13.5 



63.0 



17.6 



4.8 

 18.8 



Haul to gin (average haul 2.5 



miles), 225 bales per day 



Marketing lint 



2.8 

 1.9 



5 6 





3.8 





Total 





Picking (average 150 pounds 





111.8 



50.6 













The number of man-hours may be reduced by using more mules and the yield may 

 be increased by better practice. The increased yield ^Yould require more picking 

 and possibly leave the total man-hours much the same. Pupils' records on cotton 

 projects should prove helpful. 



Man-hours of labor on potato crop. — A few districts selected from those covered by 

 farm management studies will demonstrate the variations in the amount of labor 

 required to raise an acre of potatoes in different pai'ts of the country. A large number 

 of farms were averaged in each section and in each case there was much variation 

 even in the same county. These statistics are based on areas large enough to lead us 

 to expect efficient use of labor. The number of horses used may account for some 

 variations, soil conditions and methods for others. In some cases the picking up 

 was done by contract labor but this is not averaged in with the other fields. T^Tiere 

 contract labor is used the figures would be of little value for school estimates. 



The following districts were selected as showing enough variation and a sufficient 

 number of farms to be representative : Districts — 1, Aroostook County, Me. ; 2, Steuben 

 and Schuyler Counties, N. Y.; 3, Waushare, Portage, and Waupaca Counties, "Wis.; 



4, Clay County, !Minn.; 5, Monmouth County, N. J. (cover crop); 6, Chai'leston County, 



5. C; 7, St. Johns County, Fla.; 8 Montrose County, Colo, (irrigated). The labor 

 variations in these districts were as follows : 



Table 9. — Variations in amount of labor required for different operations in raising 



an acre of potatoes. 



Processes. 



Clearing land 



Plowing 



Preparing seedbed. 



Hauling fertilizer 



Preparation of seed 



Applying fertilizer 



Planting, machine 



Planting, hand 



Harrowing, after planting. 



Cultivating 



Spraying, machine 



Spraying, hand 



Digging, machine 



Digging, hand 



Picking up, by hand 



Hauling and marketing . . . 

 Irrigating 



Man-hours per acre by districts. 



5.3 

 5.3 

 3.4 

 6.6 



13.7 

 3.7 



16.4 

 12.4 



5.3 

 7.4 

 7.0 

 4.3 

 1.0 

 4.4 

 3.5 

 1.0 

 17.3 



2.5 

 19.2 

 13.5 

 15.0 



3.6 

 2.1 



3.2 

 1.5 



1.6 



2.3 



11.1 

 18.0 



2.6 

 1.0 



3.7 



1.5 



6.8 



.8 



1.9 



17.8 



1.5 

 3.2 

 3.7 

 1.8 

 6.2 



2.4 

 14.2 

 1.0 



2.6 



20.0 

 8.3 



2.9 

 5.4 

 4.7 

 4.0 



2.0 



6.7 

 1.4 

 26.0 

 3.2 

 4.4 

 3.0 

 18.7 

 27.7 

 6.4 



3.0 





4.2 



5.2 



6.6 



1.5 



6.0 





7.0 



4.3 



2.0 





3.7 



2.5 



10.0 





1.0 



6.0 



10.9 



10.2 



2.2 



1.0 





2.2 



28.8 





24.2 





21.9 



5.5 



Contract labor not included above. 



Total labor, maximum, 125 hours; minimum, 29 hours. 



Average for Aroostook County, Me., 67.5 hours. 



Variations in Minnesota district, 29 to SO hours. 



Variations in Wisconsin district, 36 to 109 hours. 



Other potato data will be found in the body of the text on page 4. 



