448 Labour Organization on Kast Midlands Farm. [Aug., 



be done on the grain crops, and again in November the mangolds 

 are harvested when the principal work on the winter grain crops 

 is over. Mowing seeds only come into prominence at hay time 

 in July, and the grazing seeds require so little labour as to be 

 hardly worth consideration. The whole year, therefore, is 

 provided for with a succession of crops requiring their maximum 

 attention at different periods, such crops being said to be com- 

 plementary to each other. It is true that the graphs show the 

 complementary crops competing extensively for labour at harvest 

 time, but it is probable that if a weekly chart had been drawn up 

 it would have shown that the harvesting of one crop followed 

 another in close succession and that they were therefore com- 

 plementary even at this period. The four-course rotation, which 

 has been used here to illustrate the principle of complementary 

 crops, is thus shown to rest on a solid economic basis as far as 

 labour distribution is concerned. 



The next point of note in the graphs is that certain crops are 

 demanding attention at the same time, or within a comparatively 

 short period of time. The three spring crops, barley, wheat and 

 oats will serve as an illustration. According to the graph spring 

 wheat made its maximum demands in December and March; 

 spring oats in March and April, in which months also the 

 preparation for and sowing of the barley crop was important. 

 During the succeeding months until harvest, they were more 

 or less demanding attention at the same time. Crops of this 

 nature are said to be competitive. The farmer has a choice, and 

 in selecting from such crops, he should sow that one which adds 

 most to his n,et profit, a point which he will be able to gauge 

 from experience and the relative yields and prices in the past. 

 Crops competing for labour with the winter wheat are beans and 

 winter oats, and a qualification of the rule as to competitive 

 crops should here be stated. The part which a certain crop 

 plays in the other enterprises of the farm should receive atten- 

 tion. Oats are commonly grown as a food for horses, and beans 

 are a first rate foodstuff for all classes of farm stock. Again the 

 suitability and condition of the land at the time for a particular 

 crop should be considered. 



In building up a rotation of crops from the labour point of 

 view, with a given area of land and a given supply of capital 

 equipment, the principle, therefore, should be to make the 

 crops as far as possible complementary to one another, choosing 

 such crops as give the maximum profit, and at the same time 



