2 BULLETIN 814, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
eral that must be taken into account in working out any particular 
problem with regard to farm implements, teams, and workmen. 
Size of farm, distribution of labor, cost of operation, etc., must be 
known before specific application can be made of these figures. They 
indicate what is actually being accomplished in the average farm 
practice of the area. It is for the individual farmer to judge, by 
applying the data in the light of his own peculiar conditions, 
whether he is getting efficient service from his machinery and crews, 
and whether they are of the best size for his purpose. 
While these data are strictly applicable perhaps only to the Mc- 
Lean County area, the practices followed on the farms in question' 
are so typical of those of a large and ividely distributed class of 
Com Belt farmers that the results may be assumed to apply, at least 
in a broad way, to all parts of the Corn Belt inhere soil and condi- 
tions in general are comparable. It should be borne in mind that 
the figures presented do not represent actual, recorded performance, 
but are averages derived from careful estimates made by the 600 
farmers icho contributed to the making of this study. 1 
In the latter part of the bulletin figures for various farm opera- 
tions, as determined by this study, are shown in comparison with 
figures' for the same operations in western New York, as determined 
by a like study made there some years ago. 
SUMMARY OF RESULTS. 
The outstanding facts brought out by this inquiry are summarized 
in Table I. By reference to this table one may learn at a glance 
the average number of acres covered per day by these Illinois farm- 
ers in the different operations, according to size of implement or 
team, or the average number of minutes required per load in handling 
hay, ear corn, oats, and manure. 
Table I. — Summary of performance of implements, worhmen, and crews in most 
common use in central Illinois. 
Implement or operation. 
Size. 
Horses. 
Men. 
Acres 
per day. 
16 inches. 
do.... 
28 inches. 
do.... 
42 inches. 
do.... 
8feet.. 
do. 
3.02' 
2.58 
5.15 
4.71 
Sulky plow: 
Spring plowing 
Fall plowing 
Gang plow: 
Spring plowing 
Fall plowing 
Tractor plow: 
Spring plowing 
Fall plowing 
Disk harrow: 
Well-packed land 
Freshly-plowed land 
1 Experience has shown that the variation in such estimates is no greater than the 
variation in the results of efforts to obtain precise records by actual observation of farm 
operations, watch in hand. This latter method was tried out by the Office of Farm Man- 
agement several years ago and discarded as impracticable. (See Dept. Bui. 3, " A 
Normal Day's Work for Various Farm Operations," p. 5.) 
.67 
17.4 
15.5 
