A FARM MANAGEMENT SUEVEY IN BROOKS CO., GA. 55 
cost of merchantable melons left in the field. When the cost is com- 
puted for the entire acreage of melons grown on the 46 farms, the 
cost per acre amounts to $22.17, or $58.32 per carload of melons 
•harvested and sold. 
SUGAR CANE. 
Sugar cane is grown on every farm to produce sirup for home use, 
and on two-thirds of the farms it serves as a source of farm sales. 
The sirup is usually sold in barrels to the local merchants, who ship 
much of it out of the county. The average price received in the 
barrel during 1914 was 26 cents per gallon. The costs shown herein 
represent the cost of the growing of the crop, grinding, evaporating, 
and putting in barrels on the farm. 
This crop is a very intensive one, requiring a large amount of 
labor per acre. Man labor is by far the largest item of cost, followed 
by mule labor, seed cane, and fertilizer. A considerable part of the 
latter consists of stable manure. The wood fuel used in evaporating 
the sirup is cut on the farms, and the labor of cutting and hauling 
the wood is included in the labor charges. The value of the seed 
cane saved and the small amount of canes sold or consumed on the 
farm has been deducted from the total cost, and the balance charged 
to the sirup, making the average cost 24 cents per gallon. The costs 
represent small scale production, but the profit per acre is fairly 
large. This crop can be grown at a comparatively low cost per unit 
of product, the chief problem being one of marketing the product. 
SWEET POTATOES. 
Sweet potatoes are grown in Brooks County only on a small scale, 
mainly for home consumption and for hog pasture. Nearly half of 
the cost of growing the crop is chargeable to man labor, the next 
largest items being mule labor, fertilizer, and land rent. The acre 
cost of the crop for hog pasture is $19.53 as compared with $29.89 
for the crop harvested and put in the "banks," the difference being 
the cost of gathering. The average yield was 109 bushels and the 
cost per bushel 24 cents. These costs represent small scale produc- 
tion and not growing on a commercial basis. The margin of profit 
is wide and it would seem that the crop offers opportunities for com- 
mercial production, provided a market can be found for the product. 
IRISH POTATOES. 
Only four farms were found growing Irish potatoes primarily for 
marketing. The yield secured was 69 bushels per acre. The costs 
amounted to $37.37 per acre and 55 cents per bushel in sacks on the 
farm. At the price received, about $1.19 per bushel, the margin 
of profit is the widest found of any of the crops grown on these 
farms. 
