r-i.-ri iti' 
£attry h o 
Vol. LXVIIi. 
Published Weekly by The Rural Publishing Co., 
33.i W. 30th St.. New York. Price One Dollar a Year. 
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 1, 1919 
Entered as Second-Class Matter. June 26, 1879, at the Post XT , „ 
Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 3. 1879. NO. 4ol9 
The Year on a South Jersey Farm 
A Larger Crop with Less Help 
VARIED RECORD.—The past season was a 
busy and trying one. I have just found the 
time to count up some of the results of the season’s 
work, and T give below the amount of produce grown 
on the farm in 1918, compared with 1917. (See next 
page.) 
ITALIAN WORKERS.—The products of the farm 
in 1918 exceeded those of 1917 to a considerable ex¬ 
tent. Yet they were grown with less help and under 
more trying conditions. The first of last March our 
two head men left for high wages at a munition fac¬ 
ers. so part of the workers found places on neighbor¬ 
ing farms. 
BUSY TIMES.—To make things doubly interes¬ 
ting. the whooping-cough broke out in the crowd of 
21 babies about two weeks after they landed, and if 
your readers know what whooping-cough is at its 
worst they will excuse me for not writing at that 
time. Also, those familiar with early truck growing 
in rhe Swedesboro district, and especially that part 
of the work connected with the growing of Earliana 
tomatoes for the early market, know that both my 
father and myself had our time fully occupied plant¬ 
ing. cultivating, marketing and teaching the new 
men the thousands of things it was necessary for 
Some crops have been far more profitable this season 
than others, but we <lo not intend to cut out the less 
profitable and increase the acreage in the more prof¬ 
itable. That plan seldom pays. Results over a period 
of years are what count, and figures for one year 
should never be taken for a guide. The crops we now 
grow suit our conditions very well. 
EXPENSES AND RETURNS.—The items that 
enter into the cost of production promise to remain, 
high for next season, and some growers fear that 
with increased production produce will sell so low 
next season as to wipe out the profit. We do not 
feel this way about it. We think the business farmer 
will have a fair return for his season’s work, al- 
Hnsy Times Marled in</ Trail uds of a South'Jersey Trade Farm. Fiff. ’/I 
tory, and throughout the entire year we have had to 
get along with Italian help, a good part of them be¬ 
ing new to the farm. By the last of March we had 
succeeded in getting a gang of W Italian workers. 
They consisted of live middle-aged men, five middle- 
aged women, two old women, four boys, one girl. and. 
as a bonus, 2/ babies all under five years! Two men 
were selected to learn horse work, and these, to¬ 
gether with father and myself, have done the more 
important work. The rest remained in a gang and 
started the season’s work by cleaning up strawberry 
plants. After the plant season was over they cut 
asparagus; then came strawberry picking, then to¬ 
matoes and Lima beans, etc., through the season. 
They also did day work in cleaning up crops. After 
Strawberry picking was over we needed fewer pick- 
them to learn before they could even do the ordinary 
farm work. They learned quickly, were willing 
workers, and. on the whole, did first-rate, but there 
was no time to write articles, even for The R. N.-Y. 
PLANNING THE WORK.—The daylight saving 
plan helped greatly, as far as father and I were con¬ 
cerned. for we found it necessary to make 12 to 14 
hour days right along. The men made 10 to 10 U 
hours. There was little time to experiment, but we 
relearned a few old lessons, took note of a few spe¬ 
cial results as to this year’s crops, found time to keep 
the more important accounts, got through the season 
with good health, and when the armistice was signed 
could shout as loud as anyone. For next season we 
are planning to grow about the same old list of crops 
and make but few changes in our system of cropping. 
though perhaps not so large as the past year. Our 
records show that the gross returns from this farm 
over a period of M2 years have been continually in¬ 
creasing. and the profits, we judge, have followed 
nearly the same scale. Sales during the past eight 
years are equal in amount to the 24 years preced¬ 
ing. In passing I may say that in many of the 
earlier years this farm, in common with others all 
over the East, was run at a loss. Had there been 
a moderate profit then there would probably have 
been no need for a Food Administration now. 
CIMELY (T LTTYATIOX.—tine of the things that 
stood out prominently in last year’s work was the 
fact that it costs much less to grow a crop if the 
cultivations are timely. Many farmers often pay 
very high wages to get a grassy sweet potato field 
