BULLETIN" 851, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



LABOR. 



The farms considered in this investigation are of such size that it 

 is usually necessary for an owner or operator to hire one or two men 

 from 8 to 12 months, and ordinarily some extra help during the har- 

 vest periods. Data obtained in 1916 show that in 1915 men with fami- 

 lies, hired by the year, were usually paid from $300 to $600, depend- 

 ing on the man and the responsibility placed upon him. They are 

 often furnished a house, sufficient garden space for the growing of 

 truck for family use, milk, and fuel, which privileges, as evaluated 

 by the owners, amount to from $75 to $200 annually. 



Unmarried men, hired by the month, received from $25 to $45, with 

 meals and lodging, which is valued at 75 cents to $1 per day. When 

 board was not included $30 to $60 was paid. The average period of 

 employment is about 8 months, from April 1 to November 15. 



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Fig. o. — View of one of the intensive fruit-growing areas of western New York. 



Men hired by the day received $1.50 to $2.50 per 10-hour day. Dur- 

 ing the last three years it has been increasingly difficult to obtain ex- 

 perienced help, especially at harvest time. 



Since all the work, except in some instances the picking and the 

 sorting, is done by the operator and his regular farm hands, the rate 

 of 20 cents per hour has been used for all labor, unless otherwise 

 stated. 



All horse labor is figured at 15 cents per hour, which, from pre- 

 vious investigations, is a fair charge. 



Figure 5 shows the seasonal distribution of labor and the average 

 time for each operation in the bearing apple orchards of western New 

 York. 



