STANDARDS OF LABOR. 



13 



in cultivating the row. The op(^ration of cultivating middles, or 

 breaking middles, is one which may require from one to three furrows 

 with a single plow or one-horse harrow. However, in Table XV, 

 where this operation appears, all middle work is one furrow, or single 

 trip to the row. 



Table XV. — Cultivating cotton with single plov or harrow. 





Width of row. 



Crew. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 reports. 



Average 

 acreage 

 per day. 



Acreage reported 





Men. 



Mules. 



most frequently. 



Cultivating cotton Vt'ithont 

 scraping: 



Sifeet.. 



1 

 1 

 1 



1 

 1 



I 

 1 



1 

 1 



1 





10 

 10 

 10 

 40 

 34 



54 



6.75 

 7.80 

 6.85 

 3.48 

 3.a5 



3.33 

 3.70 



6.00 

 6.97 



7.28 



Scattering. 



Do 



4 feet 



8 (9 reports). 



Do 



.do 



6 (5 reports). 



2 furrows. 



3Vfeet.. 



3i( 23 reports). 

 4 (24 reports). 



Do 



4 feet 



Cultivating following scrap- 

 ing: 



3'. feet 



/3 (18 reports). 



\3i (21 reports). 



4 (17 reports). 



Do 



4 feet 



CuUi\ ating middles: 



1 furrow 



3 feet 



1 1 10 



1 1 70 



. i 



I 4.'> 



6 (10 reports). 

 /6 (22 reports). 

 \7 (29 reports). 

 /7 (6 reports). 

 \8 (28 reports). 



Do 



3ifeet 



Do 



4 feet 











The first operation in harvesting the cotton crop is picking. The 

 records available on this work indicate that on the average an adult 

 will pick 130 pounds per day in cotton averaging 636 pounds of seed 

 cbtton peracfe; Most individuals can easily pick more than this, but 

 when the work of a large number of pickers (men and women, but 

 no children) is averaged for the whole picking season, it is found that 

 13Q pounds is a normal day's work. There are many indifid.uals 

 who can easily pick 250 to 300 pounds per day, but the average of 

 ev^n these pickers for the whole season is far below such figures. 

 High ayerages are made by individuals only during the first picking 

 or by working long hours. Many pickers do not work full days on 

 account of heavy dews in the morning. 



HAULING COTTON. 



Hauling to the gin is the second operation in harvesting the cotton 

 crop. (See Table XVI.) In many instances hauling to the gin and 

 marketing can not be separated, because the gin patronized is located 

 in the town where the crop is sold. The cotton may be sold at the 

 gin yard or hauled immediately after ginning to a near-by merchant 

 or cotton buyer, thus saving a trip to to\vn for the purpose of selling 

 the crop. A large part of the time rotjuired for hauling cotton to the 

 gin is consumed in waiting one's turn at the gin. (See fig. 5.) In 

 marketing, a considerable amount of time is spent in seeking the 

 highest bidder, weifrhinii; the cotton, and settlin": accounts. 



