FARM ORGANIZATION" IN SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA 
23 
ments are based on usual seeding rates in the community. The 
twine requirements are based on twine consumption in cutting a 
normal crop. 
Table 12. — Standard requirements for corn production 
Operation and implement used 
Hours of labor 
Man 
Horse 
2 
10 
3K 
10 
M 
2 
Va 
Ve 
% 
IX 
IVz 
2% 
IV2 
15 
m 
5 
11 
12^ 
2^ 
Acres 
covered 
in 
10-hour 
day 
Plowing, gang plow and 5 horses 
Plowing, sulky plow and 3 horses 
Disking, 8-foot disk and 4 horses 
Harrowing, 22-foot harrow and 4 horses 
Planting 
Cultivating, 1-row cultivator 
Husking, 1 man with team (45 bushel yield). 
Cutting, 3-horse team 
Filling silo, 8-ton yield 
Shocking, 2-ton yield. 
5 
3 
20 
50 
15 
7X 
1H 
Seed for checked corn, 8 pounds. 
Seed for drilled corn (silage or fodder), 15 pounds. 
Twine, 33^ pounds. 
DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR ON CORN 
The dates between which the different operations on the corn 
crop are commonly performed and the number of work days usually 
available during the period are shown in Table 13. These dates are 
subject to seasonal fluctuations, but their general sequence is rather 
uniform. The days available are computed by subtracting from 
the total days in the period all Sundays and holidays included, and 
also an estimated number of days on which rain would interfere 
with the operation. This estimate is based on 10 years' precipita- 
tion data for the area interpreted in the light of actual rain inter- 
ference with the various operations during the three years of the 
study. 
Table 13. — Dates and work days available for performing different operations on 
the corn crop 
Operation 
Dates 
Work 
days 
available 
Operation 
Dates 
Work 
days 
available 
Spring plowing 
Disking 
Apr. 20 to May 25... 
May 1 to May 25 
May 5 to June 1 
May 10 to May 28... 
21 
18 
17 
12 
Cultivating 
Cutting 
Filling silo 
Husking 
June 1 to July 10 
Sept. 1 to Sept. 30... 
Sept. 1 to Sept. 15... 
Oct. 10 to Dec. 10... 
28 
22 
Harrowing 
Planting ... 
10 
47 
These figures do not include the extreme ranges of dates for any 
operation. They cover only the period during which the operation 
is most commonly performed. For example, corn was planted as 
early as May 5 and as late as the latter part of June, but little is 
planted before May 10 or later than May 28. In fact, most of the 
corn for grain is planted before May 28, and the latter part of the 
period is devoted largely to drilled corn for silage and fodder. The 
dates suggested are ordinarily the most satisfactory time for per- 
forming the several operations and can safely be used in planning 
the farm labor program. 
Figure 7 shows the daily distribution of man labor on 57 acres of 
corn. Of this, 34 acres were husked standing, 11 hogged off, 11 
siloed, and 1 acre cut and fed in the bundle. Five acres of the 
