46 BULLETIN 564, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



average of one and one-fourth acres per hand per day. However, 

 these calculations were made on a basis of one and one-half acres per 

 hand per day. At this rate, each picking of the 548 acres would 

 require 365 labor days, making the four pickings require a total of 

 1,460 labor days. 



In his paper Dr. Van Dine shows that the labor requirements of 

 the ordinary plantation operations (excluding boll-weevil control) on 

 this plantation during the month of June were 1,814 days. He also 

 showed that the available labor days during this same month were 

 1,719. In other words, there was an actual shortage of 95 labor days 

 during this month. Considering that three of the weevil pickings 

 would fall during the month of June, a total of 1,095 June labor days 

 would be required for conducting this operation, and as there is 

 already a deficit of 95 labor days, this would make a total of 1,190 

 days of labor shortage during the month of June. Consequently, if 

 the weevil control is practiced it must be at the expense of the 

 neglect of some of the ordinary plantation operations. In fact, it 

 would amount to about two-thirds neglect of these operations. In 

 figuring the cost of malaria to the plantation Dr. Van Din© has shown 

 that each day of crop neglect produced a loss of $5.11. Since every 

 labor day put in at weevil picking would mean a labor-day neglect 

 of the other operations, it is seen that, while no direct outlay for 

 wages might be involved, the 1,460 days required would really amount 

 to an expenditure of $7,300 at the rate of $5 per day loss for neglect. 

 While this may be reduced by reducing the number of pickings, 

 that would still not relieve the labor crisis which is shown in 

 Diagram I, as the amount of labor required for each picking would 

 still be the same unless they were conducted at longer time intervals. 

 It is interesting to note that this same Hecla plantation attempted 

 a thorough and systematic control of the weevils by the bag-and- 

 hoop collection of the weevils in 1914, and this resulted in such a 

 complete derangement of the ordinary operations without any bene- 

 fit with regard to weevil infestation being shown, that the attempt 

 has never been repeated. Although these figures of available labor 

 are based on this plantation only, this plantation certainly is as well 

 supplied with labor and as well organized as anj^ in the district in 

 which it is located. 



The writers have had the opportunity of examining the original 

 data upon which Dr. Van Dine's figures are based. Table 38 is a 

 summary of the figures obtained on Hecla plantation in 1914 on the 

 age, sex, and numbers of the 74 tenant families, giving the total num- 

 ber available for field work, the theoretical equivalent in man days, 

 and the actual man days available for field work. 



