A STUDY OF FARM ORGANIZATION IN CENTRAL KANSAS 
17 
Most of the fields found on the farms in this area are of sufficient 
size to permit the efficient operation of the larger types of machinery. 
The performance of certain operations, particularly disking and 
harrowing, is frequently repeated a number of times over small areas 
at the corners and ends of fields or in low places where additional 
preparation is necessary. In such cases the acreages covered are 
usually indefinite, and this may result in greater variations in acre 
requirements. Relatively small acreages were disked on the five 
farms having the highest man labor requirements for disking. 
On the farm having the highest labor requirement for plowing 
(No. 8) two boys did most of the plowing, using 2 and 3 horse teams 
a part of the time. This fact is also partly responsible for the 
relatively high labor requirement for listing on this farm. Most of 
the differences in labor requirements which are not the result of the 
use of various sizes and types of equipment and of diversity in 
character of soil or other conditions from farm to farm may be 
attributed largely to the variations in the efficiency of the different 
laborers performing the operations. 
LABOR REQUIREMENTS FOR WHEAT HARVESTING OPERATIONS 
The labor requirements for binding, shocking, stacking, and hauling 
bundles to thresher are shown in Figures 12 to 14 and in Tables 
6 and 7. 
Table 6. — Harvesting operations, 1922 
Farm No. 
Area 
Yield 
per 
acre 
Total 
seed 
bed 
prepa- 
ration 
Bind- 
ing 
Shock- 
ing 
Stacking 
Hauling 
bundles 
Total 
har- 
vest- 
ing 
opera- 
tions 
Total 
of all 
Labor 
Acreage 
stacked 
Labor 
Acreage 
hauled 
opera- 
tions 
4 
Acres 
229 
254 
155 
236 
212 
148 
82 
96 
168 
323 
139 
151 
128 
180 
147 
250 
Bushels 
18.3 
19.0 
18.0 
16.6 
13.8 
23.7 
13.7 
27.2 
19.4 
14.9 
21.2 
19.0 
16.2 
21.9 
18.6 
21 A 
19.0 
16.7 
8.5 
Hours 
2.40 
2.11 
1.72 
12.32 
2.79 
3.92 
3.37 
13.00 
12.55 
12.75 
3.09 
2.50 
12.37 
3.44 
3.20 
12.66 
2.70 
3.52 
3.25 
Hours 
0.77 
.81 
.50 
.60 
.64 
11.41 
.74 
11.12 
11.08 
11.16 
.74 
.76 
U.54 
1.07 
2 1.25 
11.40 
.78 
«.79 
8.75 
Hours 
1.34 
1.18 
1.07 
1.24 
1.23 
1.07 
1.19 
.73 
.78 
.91 
1.64 
.92 
1.18 
1.65 
1.36 
1.40 
1.29 
«.75 
8.81 
Hours 
0.23 
1.32 
1.74 
Per cent 
8 
100 
100 
Hours 
0.71 
Per cent 
92 
Hours 
3.05 
3.31 
3.31 
3.47 
3.83 
13.85 
3.87 
13.93 
14.01 
14.11 
4.14 
4.18 
14.18 
4.84 
35.18 
!5.79 
M.06 
7 3. 08 
»3.06 
Hours 
5 45 
1 
5 42 
13- 
5.03 
5 
1.63 
100 
15 79 
7 
1.96 
100 
6 62 
11 
1.37 
1.94 
.91 
.95 
1.81 
.66 
100 
100 
64 
53 
76 
23 
17.77 
18 
7 24 
17. 
1.17 
1.20 
.23 
1.10 
2.50 
.52 
1.23 
2.32 
2.99 
1.41 
.12 
.23 
36 
47 
24 
77 
100 
35 
34 
93 
100 
71 
6 
15 
16.93 
6 
1 6. 56 
3 
16.86 
15... 
7.23 
14 
6.68 
12 
.94 
.89 
65 
66 
16.55 
8 
8.28 
10. .. 
3 8.38 
2 
!8.45 
Average: 
1, 548 acres, 1922 * 
1, 356 acres, 1921 * 
1, 259 acres, 1923 ' 
.37 
.35 
.44 
29 
33 
58 
6.76 
6.60 
6.31 
1 Tractor was used for all or part of the operation of this farm. 
2 7 per cent of the acreage was headed. 
3 Totalis for acreage bound and shocked. 
4 Farms using tractors for any wheat operation excluded in calculating these averages. 
* Total is for stacked bundle wheat. Total of harvesting operation for wheat threshed from the shock 
was 3.31. 
6 Binding, shocking requirements are for 790 acres bound. The average requirement for heading 1,257 
acres was 2.11. 
7 Total is for stacked bundle wheat. Total of harvesting operations for wheat threshed from the shock 
was 2.60. 
8 Binding and shocking requirements are for 918 acres bound. The average requirement for heading 
342 acres was 2.41. 
8 Totalis for stacked bundle wheat. Total of harvesting operations for wheat threshed from the shock 
was 2.30. 
1316°— 25f- 
-2 
