FARM MANAGEMENT ON IRRIGATED FARMS 
31 
crops. Potatoes will usually be given the preference, as the area is 
noted for its high yields of potatoes of superior quality. This crop 
also does particularly well after alfalfa. From one-eighth to one- 
fourth of the crop area in potatoes each year seems to be about the 
right proportion on the average-sized farms of this class. Wheat will 
usually be preferred as the grain crop, as it produces a larger value 
per acre and costs no more to produce than the other small grains. 
On farms where the soil lacks uniformity and the cost of produc- 
tion is increased by the lower yields, it is usually necessary to keep 
more livestock and devote more land to such soil-building crops as 
alfalfa and sweet clover, because good crop yields are essential to 
economical production. The kind and number of livestock to keep 
will depend upon the otherwise idle and waste resources available 
for farm use. and upon the fitness of the operator to conduct suc- 
cessfully the various kinds of livestock enterprises. This is discussed 
more fully in a following section. 
CROPS VARY IN DEMAND UPON FARMER'S SUPPLY OF LABOR AND IRRIGATION 
WATER 
The amount of labor used in crop production on Yakima Valley 
farms varies considerably for the different crops, as shown in Table 
21. About 100 hours of man labor, on the average, was used to pro- 
duce and harvest 1 acre of potatoes. With the same amount of labor, 
a farmer can produce and harvest about 3 acres of alfalfa, from 
which three cuttings are removed, or 4 acres of small grain. Pota- 
toes and rutabagas require considerably more time for marketing. 
Even for each crop much variation is observed in the amount of 
labor that different farmers use (Table 22). To produce an acre of 
alfalfa hay. from 15 to 60 hours of man labor was used, most farmers 
using between 30 and 40 hours. Similar variations are noted in the 
production of potatoes and other crops. These variations are largely 
due to differences in yield, equipment used, size, shape, and topog- 
raphy of fields, and differences in the number of operations necessary 
to prepare the seed bed and care for the crop and harvest it. 
Table 21. — Average amount of labor used per acre for principal crops. 
County, 1921 
Yak, 
Crop 
Aver- 
age 
yield i 
Re- 
ports 
Xumber 
Tons 
111 
9.4 
18 
13.3 
21 
8.1 
133 
4.5 
5 
13.0 
6 
12.0 
Bushels 
30 
47.0 
68 
41.5 
9 
51.0 
23 
50.0 
Hours of labor used per acre 
Production 
and Marketing* 
harvesting 
Total 
Potatoes 
Rutabagas 
Sugar beets ... 
Alfalfa 
Corn for silage 
Squash 
Corn for grain 
Wheat 
Oats 
Barley 
Man 
hours 
99.7 
125.8 
91.3 
33.8 
" ' 
41.2 
«.: 
26.1 
29.3 
25.3 
Horse 
hours 
103.2 
;- • 
66.8 
34.5 
80.7 
56.1 
65.5 
4>. 1 
45.0 
Man 
hours 
» 12-23 
17. 1 
7.7 
1.5 
Horse 
hours 
31.2 
23.5 
18.4 
14.4 
11.0 
4.2 
3.3 
6.9 
Man 
hours 
134.7 
142.9 
99.0 
40. 1 
71.5 
50.2 
U 
28.1 
Horse 
hours 
134.4 
99.0 
a . 
i 
65.5 
52. 3 
60.8 
51.9 
1 The average yield is for enterprises reporting. 
3 The average time used in marketing commercial yield from one acre. 
3 The average time used in sorting potatoes in cellar. This varies considerably, depending upon the 
condition of the potatoes a t the time of sale. 
