18 BULLETIN 385, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
the pupils to keep labor records on different crops on their parents’ 
farms, these to be used in arithmetic class problems and then com- 
piled for the purpose of fixing a local basis for giving credit. 
Factors causing variations.—Aside from the question of proper 
management and steady work there are several factors which very 
evidently affect the labor requirements of any project. In Tables 
2, 3, and 4, adapted from Bulletin 266 of the Ohio Experiment Sta- 
tion, it is shown that the harvesting method, the size of the field, 
and the shape of the field each influences the labor requirements. 
Without doubt a small field will usually be used by the pupil. 
In case any insect pest or disease comes upon the crop, the expe- 
rience of fighting these doubtless has an educational value and de- 
serves credit even if the extra labor diminishes the profit. This is 
quite different from extra labor due to poor methods or mismanage- 
ment. . 
It is also true that the character of the soil, the slope of the land, 
and local climatic variations will all influence the labor requirement 
and if some competent referee considers the records in view of these 
factors he may properly rate each project. 
Labor in garden projects—Because of the great variation in the 
crops raised in a garden and the local factors involved, only a few 
general suggestions may be given. 
Family gardens of from one-twelfth to one-eighth acre would appear 
suited to pupils of the upper grades. This estimate will not fit all 
cases. Gardens comprising largely such crops as corn and potatoes 
demand relatively less time. Gardens haying a large variety of 
vegetables, so planted as to need intensive cultivation, take more 
time and provide more education in the single project. The use of 
cold frames or a hotbed, growing succession crops, and either market- 
ing or canning the surplus vegetables deserves added credit. After 
such projects have been carried out and itemized, if records are filed, 
the teacher and his advisers will be able to estimate in advance for 
future cases. The main issue is to map out a reasonable amount of 
work in view of the course and the credit given, and then require 
excellence in the work. Good practice and fair crops are as much an 
evidence of what the pupil has learned about gardening as any text- 
book recitations and examinations could be. Where one crop is 
raised, as tomatoes for canning, less experience may be gained in the 
season’s work. If the pupil does the canning, however, this phase of 
the work deserves credit. 
Where an animal project, particularry poultry, is carried at the 
same time, the results are better from an educational point of view 
than where a larger crop project is carried alone. Garden waste, as 
green food for the hens and hen manure for the garden, are examples 
