10 BULLETIN" 1285, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Most of the negroes interviewed in the course of this survey were 
of a good type, ambitious, bright, and intelligent, though often with 
little education. They were usually farm bred and in favor among 
farmers because they are experienced and speak English. Some of 
these negroes come every spring from States as far south as the 
Carolinas to work on southern New Jersey farms and return to the 
South in late fall. Others, now resident in New Jerse}^, originally 
came from the South or are of southern extraction. 
Monmouth County potato-harvest laborers are to some extent 
recruited from migratory families and from roving, casually work- 
ing men. The New Jersey cranberry harvest attracts large num- 
bers of migratory workers in September and October. 
USUAL MEANS OF FINDING EMPLOYEES AND JOBS 
The majority of farmers reported little or no trouble in obtain- 
ing help early in the season of 1922. Near large cities, especially 
New York, however, there were many complaints that labor, espe- 
cially experienced labor, was^scarce. This applied more to trucking 
than to other types of farming. In northern New Jersey some of the 
midsummer farm-labor shortage was attributed to the demand of 
railroads for men to break the shopmen's strike. On the other hand, 
men out on strike from Pennsylvania coal mines were found working 
on farms in that same region. In Monmouth County the potato mar- 
ket was so poor that at the time the canvassers visited the district 
many farmers had stopped digging the crop ; this threw enough farm 
help out of work to create a surplus of labor. On the whole, how- 
ever, the supply and demand in farm labor was such that wages 
had risen sharply from March to July, especially when harvesting 
began. Increased wages usually attracted new workers or kept 
on the job laborers already there. 
Considerable variation in New Jersey farm-labor supply is due 
to the demand of near-by industries of all kinds, as well as to 
crop conditions and markets. Mills and plants in cities and towns 
and, frequently, rural highway construction all attract labor. That 
much of the farmer's difficulty in getting labor often lay in his own 
attitude and practices was shown by the fact that farmers in the same 
locality gave different reports and opinions of the situation. Farmers 
naturally wish to hire labor as cheaply as possible, but are often 
shortsighted enough to turn down capable men because they ask a 
somewhat higher wage than do less capable ones. The saving in wage 
is usually offset by losses due to lack of efficiency, but this is often 
hard for farmers to see. 
In almost equal percentages of cases farmers obtained laborers 
by personal search, through or of acquaintances, through farm 
bureaus, offices of the United States Employment Service, or by 
engaging those applying for employment (see Table 3). The 
methods used varied somewhat from place to place and also from 
one type of farming to another. General farmers seemed to have 
to hunt for their help more than did the truck f armors to whom 
many Laborers applied for work. Likewise farmers in southern 
New Jersey were forced to personal search for labor more often 
