LABOR. REQUIREMENTS OF ARKANSAS CROPS. 57 
IMPROVEMENT OF CROP SYSTEMS, 
i 
An important purpose of the preceding labor data and charts is 
to enable farmers, county agents, and others to plan crop systems or 
to amend existing systems, so that the time of men and teams may 
be utilized to better advantage, to the end that the income from labor 
and management be increased and the cost of production be 
decreased. 
Every crop has its peak loads of labor in certain months, and these 
are shown graphically in the charts. The conflict of labor between 
certain crops can be seen plainly and can be measurably avoided by 
a proper planning of the crop system. Such planning will increase 
the number of day's work obtained per man and per horse in a year 
on crop work, or, if there is a livestock industry, it will enable a 
farmer to fit the crop and animal enterprises together more advan- 
tageously. This will tend toward increased efficiency of labor. 
Planning will also increase the size of the business. It will enable a 
farmer with a given supply of labor and equipment to handle a larger 
acreage without lowering the quality of his work, and this in turn will 
increase his income with very little extra expense for man and horse 
labor. 
Properly planned crop systems will reduce the cost of horse labor 
per day and the implement charge per day of use, because both 
horses and implements will be used more days in a year. Further- 
more, plenty of feed will be furnished for the farm animals. It 
would be difficult in the cotton country to devise a crop system that 
utilizes labor well that does not furnish plenty of feed for home use. 
Summing up the advantages of crop systems which utilize labor 
to the best advantage it may be said that: 
The efficiency of labor is increased. 
The size of the business for a given equipment is increased. 
There is a tendency toward increased^ yields. 
The unit cost of man labor, horse labor, and implement 
service is reduced. 
Plenty of feed for home use is provided. 
HOW TO CALCULATE CROP SYSTEMS FROM THE LABOR STANDPOINT. 
FOR 36 ACRES OF LAND. 
As an example, the labor on crops that can be tended by a team of 
two horses wall be calculated. The crops are as follows: 
Acres. 
Cotton 15 
Corn 15 
Winter oats 5 
Cowpeas (after oats) 5 
Sweet potatoes 1 
Total of crops on 36 acres of land 41 
• Data from Pulaski County are used for cotton, corn, oats, and 
cowpeas and from Columbia County for sweet potatoes. The latter 
data might also be taken from Washington County. The difference 
between the labor on sweet potatoes in the two counties would be 
about the same as on cotton between Columbia and Pulaski Counties. 
