

ThQ Michigan growers intorvievjeA used tractors very little in 1928. 

 Most of their plowing and disking was done V7ith 2-horso teams. Most of the 

 Michigan vineya.rds \;orG on soils that are easily v/orked. The custom in the 

 Hudson Yalley of intdrplanting currants between the rows of grape vines is 

 the chief reason why 1 horse (rather than 2 horses or a tractor) is used for 

 tillago work. 



There was also considorable variation among the different areas in the 

 use of different tillage tools. In the Finger Lakes nrea, over half of the 

 man hours used in tilling vineyards were spent in plowing whereas in Pennsyl- 

 vania only 12 percent of the tillage work was for plowing.' (table 37.) The 

 Pennsylvania growers spent a much larger proportion of their time disking and 

 harrowing. Cultivators v/ere used voTy little in vineyards, except by the 

 grov/ers in the Hudson Yalloy and Chautauqua County areas. Horse hoes' v/ere 

 generally used in each of the areas, except Hudson Valley. Hand ?/ork, such 

 as hoeing and mowing, v/as done in all the areas and varied from 16 percent 

 of the total houi-s used in tillago work in the Finger Lakes area to 27 percent 

 in Michimn* 



Table 37. - Proportionate amount of man labor used in the performance 

 of indicated tillage opeirations in vineyards, by areas, 1928 







.Harrow- ; 















ing, : 



: Culti- 



: Horse : 



. Hand 





Area : 



, Plov/ing: 



disking, 

 : etc. ; 



; vat ing 



: hoeing : 



; work ; 



; Total 





. Percent: 



: Percent: 



: Percent" 



. Percent: 



, Percent: 



; Percent 



Crirard, Pa. : 



. 11.8 ; 



: 48.6 : 



: 0.2 : 



: 19.3 : 



: 20.1 : 



: 100.0 



North East, Pa. : 



: 12.7 . 



: 41.0 : 



Q 



: 24.5 : 



: 19.8 : 



; 100.0 



Chautauqua Co., N.Y.: 



. 17.3 : 



33.2 : 



; 11.2 : 



. 20.6 : 



: 17.7 ; 



; 100.0 



Michigan : 



25.8 : 



: 29.4 



: 0.3 : 



; 17.6 - 



: 26.9 : 



: 100.0 



/irkansas (1929) : 



26.5 : 



; 29.8 : 



3.8 



: 21.7 ' 



; 18.2 



; 100.0 



Niagara Co. , N.Y. : 



. 27.7 



: 27.5 



: 0.6 ; 



. 21.6 



: 22.6 : 



; 100.0 



Hudson Valley, N.Y. : 



34.1 



: 11.1 - 



: 31.2 



: 0.1 





; 100.0 



Finger Lakes, N.Y. 



: 51.5 



: 17.0 



: 1.6 ' 



; 14.1 : 



: 15.8 



: 100.0 



All areas 



: 27.7 



: 27.8 



: 7.5 



: 17.0 



: 20.0 



; 100,0 



Dates of Beginning and Ending Tillage 



A mxajority of the growers interviewed in iu^kansas for 1929, and in 

 the Hudson Valley and Chautauqua County areas for 1928, began tilling their 

 vineyards in April; in the other areas the majority began in May. (tr.ble 38.) 

 imiong grovrers in the same area-, there was a variation of from 1 to 2 months 

 or more in the time of the first tillago opeitation. About one third of all 

 vineyards studied Y:ere tilled for the first time during the first week in May, 

 and two thirds v/erc tilled for the first tim.e d^oring the last v/eok in April 

 or the first two weeks- in May. Plowing \7as the initial tillage openat ion on 

 about foijT fifths of the vineyards. 



Xmong growers in the same area , the variation as to the time they 

 stopped tillage v7ork was even greater. Six growers out of ten interviev/ed 

 stopped tillage d^jring the last three weeks in July or the first v/eek in 

 August. 



