40 
Because rutabagas are not planted until after all other crops are in 
(fig. 14) , they occupy a peculiar place in the crop organization of 
these farms. They can be used to replace crops which have failed 
(fig. 15) or as a second crop, following pasture or small grain. Ruta- 
bagas do comparatively well on land too alkaline for other crops. 
The labor on rutabagas comes at a time when it can often be fitted 
into the cropping system without disturbing the time needed by the 
other crops. 
1 1 
i 
MAN LABOR 
V 
Sj — 
m 
HORSE WORK 
B 
JAN. 
JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. 
OCT. NOV. 
DEC. 
| Farm Labor y/A H,red Labor 
Fio. 14.— Distribution of labor for principal field operations on 1 acre of rutabagas, by half -month periods ' 
CONDITIONS 
Yield: 12 tons per acre. 
Equipment used: 14-inch 2- way plow and 3 horses; 6-foot spring-tooth harrow and 3 horses; 8-foot spike- 
tooth harrow and 2 horses; 6 foot by 12 foot float and 3 horses; 4-row planter and 2 horses; 4-row cul- 
tivator and 2 horses; beet lifter and 2 horses. 
Materials: 2 pounds seed, 225 sacks, 1. 8 pounds sack twine. 
Following are some of the more important cultural practices used 
by one of the most successful rutabaga growers in the Yakima Val- 
ley: Land selected for rutabagas should not be too rich or the plants 
will grow too rank and the quality be reduced. For this reason ruta- 
bagas do not follow alfalfa, but usually some other cultivated crop 
or some grain crop. In the fall, this farmer seeds rye for pasture, 
which gives good pasture until June 15, or he seeds beardless barley 
i The data from which this chart was made, as well as other information on the principal field opera 
tions for corn, appear in the following table: 
Item 
Times over 
Rate per day 
Man labor per 
acre 
Horse labor per 
acre 
Date performed.. 
Number 
Acre 
Hour 
.-do 15 
Usual 2- week 
period. 
a * 
15 8 
2.12,4 
4. 2 7. 2 1. 4 2. 2 
July 1 to 15. 
July 16 to 
Aug. 31. 
OS 
Aug. 1 to 
15. 
8.0 
Aug. 1 to 
Sept. 15. 
Aug. 16 to 
31. 
Nov. 1 to 
15. 
"Two harrowings are after first irrigation. 
* Second floating just before planting. 
c One irrigation before planting. 
d First hoeing, 14 hours; second 6 hours. 
