EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. 11 
TaBLeE 7.—Harvest experience of wheat harvest hands interviewed in 1921. 
Harvest hands interviewed. 
| At Federal-State employment offices in—| 
Harvest experience | By field group. | Total. 
(seasons). Sioux City. Other cities. 
Number. | Per cent. | Number | Per cent.| Number. Per cent.| Number.| Per cent. 
IS ore 470 | 20.1 3, 693 34.5 175 15.6 4,448 30.6 
S12 2 ie 409 17.5 | 2,226 20.8 119 10.6 2, 754 19.4 
“2h ree 298 La 1,320 1 Is} 82 fae 7 12.0 
Fourth or over-.....-- 1165" 49.7 3, 463 32. 4 748 66. 5 5,376 38.0 
Moral 25>. ste 2, 342 | 100. 0 | 10, 702 100. 0 1, 124 100. 0 14, 168 106. 0 
The high percentages of experienced men among those interviewed 
should be kept in mind when considering the subsequent tables in 
this bulletin. They indicate that the facts given in the remainder of 
the bulletin are typical of the experience of the harvest hands in 
general and not simply of inexperienced harvest hands. 
Fic. 5.—Riding a freight to harvest fields near New Rockford, N. Dak. A common sight through- 
out the Wheat Belt. Many of these riders are not hoboes, but such methods of travel throw the 
farmer boy, city workmen, and college student into too close contact with the hobo, the thug, 
and the gambler. They result in many murders and robberies each year during the harvest and 
in the demoralization of some of the harvesters 
METHODS OF TRANSPORTATION TO PLACE OF WORK. 
Approximately 60 (59.8) per cent of the harvest hands interviewed 
rode freight trains to the harvest, while 35.6 per cent paid their 
fares on passenger trains. (See fig. 5.) Less than 1 per cent were 
