Glasd.l os Bled."

Book

| BULLETIN No. 412

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
Contribution from the Office of Farm Management
W. J. SPILLMAN, Chief

Washington, D. C. PROFESSIONAL PAPER September 22, 1916

THE NORMAL DAY’S WORK OF FARM IMPLEMENTS, WORK-
MEN, AND CREWS IN WESTERN NEW YORK.

By H. ith Mowny, Agriculturist.

CONTENTS.

Page. Page.
BE mOnMmaAlidays WOMK. .-...222.-202---+---04- AoE DTeSine WHEAL sts «cece acsieawalsiaresteicraee 7
POMRCONO Mia eta ale == <n a om teiaiye gine = = 2 | ELAR Gin p AMUNG 22/25. = cs we ee nee eel= oa 8
PE CORUTUOUS Stas matlas- sci <d'cis c's =o 3 | Operations on the corn crop...-.------------ 8
UWI Ca See 3 | Operations on the bean crop...-..--.--------- 10
PUN el Ute toa = cise aici cies cies nels seme AD || Hayine operationsz22 ees cm= 2 -cecesne nase il
Nerv 00 | (0) Uy eae 6 | Operations on the cabbage crop.....------.-- 12
Grain crop operations.!....222..2.220-222-242 6 | Operations on fruit crops. ........-.----/---- 14

Every farmer needs to have a definite idea as to what constitutes a
fair day’s work in each of his operations, so that the annual work may
be planned intelligently and carried out on time. In order to obtain
results from hired help it is necessary to know what each man and
team should accomplish daily. The same knowledge will serve to
prevent the overtaxing of horses and the crowding of men beyond a
fair amount of service. Where hired help understand that a fair and
definite amount of work, not in excess of what can be performed day
after day without impairing health or efficiency, is normally expected,
the necessity of personal supervision by the employer is reduced.
Compensation can also be asked and paid on the basis of this reason-
able service and the relations of all concerned be made more satis-
factory.

Knowledge of what constitutes a fair day’s work in a given locality,
based upon the experience of many neighbors, is a valuable guide to the
individual farmer. The data of this bulletin, a summary of which is
given in Table I, represent the experience of several hundred practical
farmers in western New York, and has application to the conditions
which existed there. Knowledge of what is accomplished by farmers
in other localities is also of value to those in western New York,
because for more operations other sections of the United States have
worked out more efficient methods of dog work and handling men,

~ 54101°—Bull, 412-16 Monoerach

—
Yo ¢ \. ¢

2 BULLETIN 412, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. ae x

horses, and implements than those in vogue in this section. Hence,
in discussing the various operations in the following pages, compari-
sons are made between what farmers in New York accomplish and
the average for the entire United States.

A NORMAL DAY’S WORK.

In the following summary table is shown the mean daily duty of
implements, workmen, and crews for various farm operations, aver-
ages for western New York, as determined by this investigation,
being compared with averages for the entire United States, as deter-
mined by a previous survey.' In making these comparisons those
sizes of implements and crews were taken which are most generally
used and for which the largest numbers were reported. ©

TABLE I.—Summary and comparisons.

Daily duty. é Daily duty.
Operation. Western . Operation. Western .
ew «| ges New | ‘gulted
York | avera 1 tT: average, 2
average. Be. average. 8
Walking plow: Acres. Acres. Setting up corn after corn | Acres. Acres.
2 horses, 12-inch.......... 1.65 1.76 binder, I manin. dc saso-ce. 3.4 4.0
3 horses, 14-inch.......... 1.78 2.32 || Corn binder: ,
Sulky plow, 3 horses, 14-inch... 2. 20 2. 40 SHOTSOS scan nics ates ae 5.3 6.6
Spike-tooth harrow: SROPsOs: 2: aac eee sae 5.7 7.3
2 horses, 8-foot............ 13.0 10.8 Mowing hay (5-foot cut)...... 9.0 8.9
3 horses, 10-foot........... 1p 33 15.3 Raking hay (10 feet wide):
Spring-tooth harrow: Thorse: - 22 eset se 15.0 16.3
2 horses, 6-foot............ 9.0 7.4 2OMSOS- se. cee e Soca wae be 17.6 17.9
3 horses, 6-foot............ 10. 2 8.2 Tedding hay, 2 horses.....-... 14.3 14.5
_ 4horses, 8-toot............ 14.7 13.1 Cocking hay, 1 man........... 6.3 6.3
Disk harrow, fresh plowed Hauling hay from field to
land: barn, 2 men and 2 horses:
2 horses, 6-foot............ 7.5 We2 Unloading by hand....... 4.9 4.4
3 horses, 6-foot............ 8.2 7.5 Unloading with sling. ..-. 6.6 6.1
4 horses, 8-foot............ ad: 12.8
Land roller, 2 horses, 8-foot....| . 13.8 13.2 Picking apples: Bushels. | Bushels.
Grain drill, 2 horses, 6-foot....- 10.0 8.8 Yield 1 to 10 bushels...... 52.3 34.0
Grain binder, 3 horses, 6-foot - . 10. 4 3 Wie f Yield over 10 bushels... .. 70.0 44.8
Setting up bound grain, 1 man 7.5 9.3 Husking corn from shock, 1
Planting corn: MOVED a: Sere Si ee ta, 32.2 45.9
Hand planter, 1 man..... 3.4 4.4 715.3 679.0
1-horse, l-row...........-- 5.2 6.9 Threshing wheat from shock,
2-horse, 2-row.....2.25.2.6 10.7 13. 6 10 men and 6 horses........ Acres. | Acres.
Cultivating: 25.1 29.5
TSNOTSO Secs sweet etoces a yt 4.4
2-HOUSG aw a's: che aane tenes 26.8 6.6 Loads. Loads.
Cutting corn by hand, 1 man, Hauling manure with spreader 14.7 13.1
yield 41-60 bushels.......... et 15

1U.S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 3.
SOURCE OF DATA.

The information made available in this bulletin was obtained from
farmers in Wayne, Ontario, Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Orleans,
and Niagara Counties. A circular of inquiry afforded an oppor-
tunity for experienced farmers to record their knowledge as to what
constitutes a fair day’s work under their conditions, and these records
were averaged and assembled in the tables which follow.

1U.S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 3.
D e 0 £ ’ 2 e

SEP 97 1916

NORMAL DAY’S WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 3

LOCAL CONDITIONS.

Farm land in the section where these data were obtained is some-
what rolling, but not to an extent to reduce appreciably the average
amount of work that can be done daily. Some of the heavier soils of
the Dunkirk series can not be plowed as rapidly as can the more loamy
sous of the Middle West. The presence of more or less stone through-
out the section also operates to reduce the amount of work that can be
done daily with plows. There are no local reasons why farm im-
plements that are drawn over the land, like mowers, binders, rakes,
etc., should not perform as much work daily here as anywhere. The
horses used in western New York average 1,211 pounds in weight.
The average net day in the field in spring and summer work was found
to be 9 hours and 38 minutes, and in haying and harvest it is 9 hours
and 49 minutes. This net day excludes the time going and coming
and the noon period, and represents only the time in action on the

various operations.
PLOWING.

Table II gives the average performance of the walking plow with
2-horse and 3-horse teams working on sod and on stubble. From
10 to 15 per cent more land can be plowed in stubble than on sod where
only two horses are used. With 3-horse teams, there is little differ-
ence between the work on sod and on stubble. Breaking sod is work
that is too heavy for two horses. With two horses, the depth plowed
ranges from 6 to 64 inches on stubble and is 6 inches on sod. With
three horses, the plowing on sod ranges from 64 to 7} inches deep and
on stubble from 7 to 74 inches deep. The majority of farmers use
three horses when breaking sod and two horses when plowing stubble.
The 3-horse teams permit the use of wider plows and deeper plowing.
The farmers in western New York accomplish only about 80 to 85
per cent as much daily in their plowing work as does the average
farmer in the United States. This is doubtless due to. the heavy
character of the local soils.

TABLE IT.—A fair day’s work for walking plows with 2-horse and 3-horse teams on sod and

on stubble.
On sod. On stubble.
Horses. | Width. Aber Naraboe
Acres. | offarms | Acres. | of farms
averaged. averaged.
Inches.

2 10 1.46 124 1. 66 220
2 12 1.47 217 1.65 315
2 14 1.48 111 LiiZ 135
3 10 1.70 86 1.82 52
3 12 1.74 225 1.85 146
3 14 1.78 198 1.93 140
3 16 1.90 45 1.95 15

4 BULLETIN 412, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

In Table III is shown the duty of sulky plows in western New York
working on sod and on stubble. Few New York farmers attempt to
operate sulky plows with two horses. The load is entirely too great
for two horses, and only poor plowing can be done with less than
three horses. The 14-inch plow is most commonly used on the

‘sulky in this section, while the 16-inch is the most common for the
average of all farmers in the country. In the soils of New York the
14-inch sulky is an ample load for three horses. From 5 to 10 per
cent more work can be done on stubble than on sod with the sulky
plow.

Tasie I11.—A fair day’s work for sulky plows drawn by three horses on sod and on stubble.

On sod. On stubble,

Horses. | Width. Aas hee ts
umber umber
Acres averaged. Acres. averaged.

Inches

3 12 1.95 86 86

3 14 2.08 105 2.20 115

3 16 2. 26 51 42

e
HARROWING.

The spike-tooth or smoothing harrow can be operated with
2-horse or 3-horse teams in a wide range of widths, as it is an imple-
ment of comparatively light draft. Three horses accomplish from
10 to 15 per cent more work on the same width of harrow than two
horses do. Table IV gives the average duty for the spike-tooth
harrow for widths ranging from 5 to 12 feet for 2-horse and 3-horse
teams.

TaBLe 1V.—A fair day’s work for the spike-tooth harrow with 2-horse and 3-horse teams.

2-horse teams. 3-horse teams.
Width. HOES ree
umber. , umber
Acres. averaged, Acres. averaged.
Feet
5 11.2 15 11.0 2
6 11.1 87 11.9 27
7 12.0 102 13.2 33
8 13.0 199 14.1 75
9 13.8 43 16.4 48
£0) 16.1 102 18} 80
1b 14.8 20 19.1 38

Where two horses are required to draw widths greater than 10
feet they appear to be overloaded so that their daily efficiency is
reduced.

The spring-tooth harrow is used to do the hard, preliminary work
of fitting the land after plowing. It is adapted to soils which are too

NORMAL DAY’S WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 5

hard, stony, lumpy, or so occupied with stumps as to render the spike-
tooth or disk harrow ineffective. On account of its heavy draft it
can not be used in such extreme widths as can the spike-tooth harrow.
Three horses are more suitable than two on even the narrowest
widths, while a 4-horse team finds an 8-foot or 9-foot spring-tooth
harrow a heavy load.

TasLe V.—A fair day’s work for spring-tooth harrows with teams of two, three, and four
pring

horses.

2-horse teams. 3-horse teams. 4-horse teams.

Width. aici, Rani | oe
umber umber umber
Acres. averaged. Acres. averaged. Acres, averaged.

Feet.

6 9.0 36 10.2 SB yell Bear ersal earecceae ae
7 9.3 6 10.9 2A kes eeemea|weeton cons

8 9.7 7 13.3 10 14.7 3

Oh eceeeeyas fos etcetera, ls areata | aie cece 18.0 8

In Table VI is shown the daily averages for the disk harrow with
. 2-horse, 3-horse, and 4-horse teams working on fresh-plowed and on
well-packed land, respectively. It appears that with two and three
horses, increasing the width of the disk harrow does not result in any
great increase in acreage disked. This is more true on fr esh-plowed
than on well-packed land. Where four horses are used, increasing
the width results in more marked increases in daily siccomplishment.
The heavy draft of the disk harrow accounts for the lack of increase
in results with increasing width where 2-horse and 3-horse teams are
used. The implement is an overload, as a rule, for anything less
than four horses; so that any increase in width with the smaller units
of power results im less speed and mileage per day.

TasiE VI.—A fair day’s work for disk harrows using teams of two, three, and four horses,
respectively.

On fresh-plowed On-well-packed
land. and.

Number 5 Number
Acres averaged. Acres averaged.
Feet.
2 5 Zeal 60 8.4 61
2 6 7.5 152 9.1 149
2 7 7.8 44 9.6 44
2 8 7.8 38 10.0 38
3 5 8.1 44 9.4 44
3 6 8.2 205 9.8 201
3 ul 8.1 90 9.9 89
3 8 8.8 48 10.3 49
4 6 7.6 16 9.1 155
4 7 9.8 15 12.2 15
4 8 at a 25 13.3 25

6 BULLETIN 412, U. 8S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

THE LAND ROLLER.

The land roller (Table VII) is an implement of relatively light
draft, and two horses operate a wide range of width. Its limit in
width is determined by the awkwardness of the larger sizes rather
than by their draft. The table shows an increasing acreage with
increasing width, although the increase in results is not in propor-
tion to the increase in width.

Taste VII.—A fair day’s work for the land roller drawn by two horses.

* Number
Width. Acres. averaged.
Feet.
6 11.4 76
7 125 255
8 13.8 588
9 14.0 117
10 14.6 136
12 15.3 23

GRAIN CROP OPERATIONS.

From Table VIII it is seen that nearly all farmers in western New
York use a grain drill sowing 11 rows, or a strip from 6 to 6} feet
wide. With this size drill the grain and grass can be sown regu-
larly, and in addition corn can be drilled two rows at a time, 42
inches apart, or three rows at a trip, 35 inches apart. Beans can
also be drilled 28 inches apart, sowing three rows at each trip. The
daily acreage planted for drills having 9, 10, and 11 tubes is shown
in the table.

Taste VIII.—A fair day’s work for grain drills drawn by two horses.

Number

E Number
of drill Acres.
eS averaged.
9 9.2 95
10 9.6 67
iiss 10.0 951

Table IX gives the duty of the grain binder in western New York.
Four-horse teams are seldom used in this section, and the smaller
widths are often drawn by two horses. The 6-foot binder and three
horses are most commonly used. The 7-foot binder is too heavy for
three horses.

Tasie I[X.—A fair day’s work with the grain binder in western New York, using 2-horse
and 3-horse teams.

Horses. | Width. | Acres, | Number

averaged.
Feet.
2 5 7.6 16
2 6 9.3 71
3 5 9.6 73
3 6 10.4 901
3 7 11.3 83

NORMAL DAY’S WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 7

In Table X is shown the average acres of grain that can be set up
in shocks by one man after a grain binder. The bulk of the straw
influences the daily acreage to some extent.

TaBLE X.—A fair day’s work for a man setting up grain in shocks after the grain binder.

Yield.
Number
Acres. averaged.
Straw. Grain,
Tons. | Bushels.
1.3 20 Teil 278
1.4 25 7.6 380
1.6 30 7.4 313
eed 35 7.3 25

THRESHING WHEAT.

The amount of grain threshed daily is determined by the yield of
the crop more than by any other condition. Table XI gives the daily
duty of average crews in threshing wheat from shock in western New
York. About 25 acres is a fair day’s work, irrespective of yield, in
threshing from shock.

TaBLE XI.—Threshing wheat from shotk—A fair day’s work with average crews.

Crew.
5 Bushels Acres | Number
Yield. : daily. daily. |averaged.
Men. Horses.
Bushels. ,
205 Soe as 8or9 4or6 561.7 24.3 124
DALES {Nea 9 or 10 6 715.3 25.1 244
3landover...| 10or11 4or6 909. 8 20.3 22

Table XII gives the duty of average crews in threshing from
stack or in barn, both for wheat and for oats. The yield here is the
controlling element in the daily output. The crews reported ranged
from 5 to 18 men. In this operation, scarcity of help makes it
necessary at times to operate with too small a crew, while at other
times, where the neighbors help each other, more men are available
than are needed. A crew of 8 or 10 men should be ample if the grain
is stacked or stored so as to be convenient to the machine.

Taste XII.—Threshing wheat and oats from stack or barn—Normal output of average

crews.
Crew. Wheat. Oats.
Number
averaged.
Men. Horses. | Yield. | Bushels. | Yield. | Bushels.
8or9 2 or 4 20 733 35 1, 096 97
9 or 10 2 or 4 25 855 45 1, 269 107

8 BULLETIN 412, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

HANDLING MANURE.

Table XIII shows the normal accomplishment to be expected from
a manure spreader operated by one man and using 2-horse and 3-horse
teams, respectively. The great majority of farmers find three horses
necessary for the operation of a spreader. The advantage of the
spreader is realized in more even distribution of manure over the
field, in the shorter time required to unload, and in the greater ease
of doing the unloading by horsepower than by man power. It takes
about two and one-half times as long to unload by hand as with
the spreader. There is no advantage in favor of the spreader in the
matter of loading.

Manure carriers running on overhead tracks in the barn have largely
reduced the laborious work of removing manure from farm buildings,
while the spreader has transferred the work of spreading from man
to horse. No mechanical device, designed to load manure from the
yard to the wagon or spreader, has yet found general adoption on
farms. Farmers can eliminate the werk of handling manure from
barnyards by providing a low-wheeled, low-priced wagon into which
the manure from the barn carrier can be emptied as it comes from the
stable. The manure spreader can also be set outside, so as to receive
the contents of the carrier. By hauling the loaded wagon or spreader
to the field as soon as filled, there need be no accumulation of manure
in the barnyard, the most laborious operation of loading from the
ground by hand is eliminated, the manure is handled and lifted but
once into the carrier, and goes directly to the field with a minimum
of loss by leaching.

TasLe XIII.—A fair day’s work in handling manure with a manure spreader drawn
by two and three horses respectively.

arses Rods Pounds | Loads Acres | Number
* | hauled. | inload. | hauled. | covered. | averaged.

2 61.2 2,317 14.5 1.7
3 70.4 2, 689 14.7 1.8 355

OPERATIONS ON THE CORN CROP.

Table XIV gives the normal efficiency of hand planters, 1-row
and 2-row planters, and the grain drill in planting corn. The hand
planter is about 60 per cent as efficient as the 1-horse planter,
one-third as efficient as the 2-row planter, and one-fourth as rapid
as the grain drill. Corn is planted with the grain drill in this section
more generally than with the special planters.

NORMAL DAY’S WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 9

Taste XIV.—A fair day’s work with the implements used in planting corn.

Implement. ag oy Ares oe
| Inches
Hand planter. - ....-..--<--- 02-22-2222 eee eee ee { a A : ug
One row; 1-horse planter... .-.--2-2----+-2--2-+--- { ae ne “6
Two rows, 2-horse jibun iting A Secaen ses aoamoeeneeaae a in z Ai
Graanidralls 2 RORSES ante eee ateia-lialai eine aie a { ue a ae

Table XV indicates that the 2-horse walking cultivator is about
50 per cent more efficient than the 1-horse cultivator, and the 2-horse
riding cultivator is about 75 per cent more efficient than the 1-horse
type. The 1-horse walking cultivator is being displaced by the
2-horse riding type, since the extra horse on the latter is more eco-
nomical of man time.

TaBLeE XV.—A fair day’s work in cultivating corn,

Horses a! Acres culti-| Number
used. Type of cultivator. vated daily.| averaged.
1 | Walking 5.0545. 4.1 1,077
PO lenient Gone eee 6.2 560
DP NRERLOUOeers2 tae. tay (ei 1, 183

In Table XVI the average acreage of corn cut by one man working
with a corn knife is shown for increasing yields in terms of ears per
acre. About one acre is a good day’s work where the yield is over 80
bushels, and one and one-third acres can be cut where the yield is
less than 40 bushels. The averages for western New York for this
operation are about 25 per cent less than the normal for the United
States, the yield being the same. This may be accounted for in
part by the fact that corn in New York is planted in drills instead
of in hills, requiring more blows of the knife to cut a given number
of stalks; also because a short-handled sickle is used in the East
which requires much stooping, while a long straight-bladed knife
is used in the West, which permits the work to be done while standing
practically erect.

TaBLE XVI.—A fair day’s work for one man in cutting corn by hand.

Range of yield Acres | Number
(bushels of ears).! | cut daily.] averaged.

Wind C40 n are 13 47
EO ee ee ae 2D 187
CI=SO ee are oe 1.1 402
81 and over. ..... fib 580

1Jn Tables XVI, XVII, and XIX the yield of corn is expressed in bushels of ears, this being the customary
method of reckoning corn yields in western New York. To convert to bushels of shelled corn divide by 2.

10 BULLETIN 412, U. 8. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

Where corn has been cut by a corn binder, a man’s efficiency in
setting it up into shocks is multiplied by 3 over what he can accom-
plish in cutting and setting up by hand. Table XVII gives the daily
duty with increasing yields, there being a slight.falling off as the
yield per acre becomes heavier.

TaBLE XVII.—A fair day’s work for a man setting up corn after the corn binder.

Yield per
Acres | Number
at chanel: per day. | averaged.
50 3:5 - 102
75 3.4 165
100 3.3 474

From Table XVIII it appears that a very large proportion of
farmers use three horses on the corn binder. The amount accom-
plished daily is about 20 per cent less than the average for the United
States. The heavier average yields of corn in New York, as com-
pared with the general average, in part account for this, corn not
being grown so extensively here as elsewhere, but more intensively.

Taste XVIII.—A fair day’s work with the corn. binder drawn by two and three horses
respectively.

Acres | Number

Horses. | out daily.| averaged.
2 5.3 190

In husking corn from the shock in western New York, one man
averages only from 65 to 75 per cent of the average for the United
States, about 35 bushels per day being the normal amount husked
in this section. Table XIX gives the average bushels per day and
acreage per day for the yields indicated.

Taste XIX.—A fair day’s work for a man in husking corn from shock.

Range of yield Acres | Bushels | Number
(bushels of ears). | per day. | per day. | averaged.

Under 41....---- 0. 66 36.3 26
ANAH0 She cess 62 32. 2 122
Gl—80".. tin cede se 47 32.6 293
81 and over-..---.. .40 36.0 431

OPERATIONS ON THE BEAN CROP.

In Table XX the average daily work that should be accomplished
in some of the field operations with the bean crop are shown. The
beans are planted with a grain drill, cultivated with the ordinary
cultivators, and harvested with a bean harvester, an implement

NORMAL DAY’S WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. hk

drawn by two horses and having two long knives, each of which cuts
a row, the two rows being thrown in the center between the rows.
The beans are then thrown into small piles with a pitchfork, and
from time to time the piles are forked and turned over, so that the
pods will dry out and cure suitably for threshing.

Taste XX.—A fair day’s work for the operations in bean growing.

Acres | Number

Operation. Horses. Men. daily. | averaged.
Planting with grain drill...........- 2 1 10.9 1,040
Harvesting with bean harvester... .. 2 1 7.6 982
Bunching with fone. steeds. loos co bR [Ewe cet eee 1 2.8 793
MOBKANE WICH IOP oe. Sa2e-/scafen coe -|'a0 s-oeewree 1 2:7 819

In Table XXI the acreage that can be cleared in a day in hauling
in the bean crop is shown for the crews commonly used in this section.
Doubling the crew does not quite double the acreage cleared daily.
Crews larger than two or three men are not very common, since the
system of farming is such that the field work can be chiefly ‘déne with
one regular hired: man and members of the family.

TaBLE XXI.—A fair day’s work for crews in hauling beans from field to barn.

Crews. ree
res
cleared Number

daily. averaged.

Men. | Horses. | Wagons.

Doe Ww bo
> ee bob
NNN

HAYING OPERATIONS.

In Table XXII is shown the daily duty of men and implements in
the haying operations preparatory to hauling into the barn or stack-
‘ing. The averages for mowing, raking, tedding, and cocking are
substantially the same as the averages for the United States as a
whole.

TaBLE XXII.—A fair day’s work for implements, men, and teams used in making hay.

Width. Acres Number

Operation. Men. | Horses. daily. laveraged

Feet.
: 4} 8.3 32
Mowing 23i iced 1 2 5 9.0 974
i ve it. 2 195
. 0 5.0 175
Raking... 1 - 10 17.6 424
< 0 13.4 89
‘. Bunching........ 1 2 10 16.3 164
Tedding...-:....- 1 yj | EEF 14.3 658
Cooking 252/202 3 a ee ee (ene ee 6.3 1,044

12 BULLETIN 412, U. 8. DEPARTMENT OF AGRIGULTURE.

Table XXIII gives the daily duty of the crews ordinarily used in
western New York in hauling in hay from the field and unloading by
hand. In this section, which is not an extensive haying region,
one team only is used in a large majority of cases. Increasing the
crew does not result in increasing the amount done in the same pro-
portion, and odd men are the least valuable additions to the crew. —

Taste XXIII.—A fair day’s work with crews used in hauling hay from field to barn and
unloading by hand.

Tons Acres | Number
daily. daily. |averaged.

en | | ff

In Table XXIV is shown the normal duty of crews in hauling in —
hay where the unloading is done with the hay sling, or hay fork.
Unloading with this inexpensive device mcreases the efficiency per
day about 45 per cent. The farmers in this section are, on the aver-
age, from 5 to 10 per cent more efficient in hauling in their hay than
the average farmer of the country. The efficiency of the crews shown
in Tables XXIII and XXIV can be increased about 10 per cent by
the use of the hay loader in the field. Where stacking is done in the
field, or where the hay field is within 60 rods of the barn, hay can be
put away about 75 per cent more rapidly with the western sweep
rakes than with wagons and racks.

Taste XXIV.—A fair day’s work for crews hauling hay from field to barn and unloading
with hay sling or fork.

Crews.

Tons Acres | Number
daily. daily. |averaged.
Men. | Horses. | Wagons.
2 2 1 10.7 6.6 290
3 2 1 12.6 7.5 496
3 4 2 14.9 9.3 9
4 4 2 17.5 9.8 58
5 4 2 20.1 a Bi 82

OPERATIONS ON THE CABBAGE CROP.

In Table XXV the averages for planting cabbage with a trans-
planter have been brought together for increasing sizes of crews. In
all cases there are three men on the transplanter, the additional men
and horses being used to bring the plants and water to convenient
points for the transplanter. The efficiency per day is not greatly

NORMAL DAY’S WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. ike

increased by additional men, two men and two horses adding only
half an acre, or about 15 per cent to the amount done daily. Two
additional men and an extra team are used more frequently, however,
than are smaller numbers, these being sufficient when properly
directed to keep the transplanter constantly at work.

TaBLE XXV.—A fair day’s work in setting cabbage, using three men on the transplanter
and additional men and horses as indicated.

- Acres

Extra Extra Number
men. horses. Poe averaged. !
BASSE Se ee ea eee 3.4 53
1 LSA bes Meer ee 3.4 42
AGN Byars ae 3.5 65
1 1 ono 47
2 1 ont 83
1 2 3.8 30
2 2 4.0 155

Table X XVI shows the average number of loads and tons of cab-
bage that can be harvested daily and unloaded on the farm. The
smaller crews are most frequently used. The larger crews do not
accomplish results in proportion to their size. Two men and two
horses and four men and four horses are the most efficient per man
and per horse.

TaBLE XXVI.—A fair day’s work for crews harvesting cabbage and sorting in the barn.

Crews.
Loads Tons Number
daily. daily. | averaged.
Men. | Horses. | Wagons.

2 2 1 7.4 9.8 142

3 2 1 8.0 11.4 107

4 2 1 9.4 Veo 50

4 4 2 12.3 16. 4 48

6 4 2 14.9 20. 7 16

Where the cabbage is hauled directly from the field to market, the
number of loads that can be handled daily with the respective crews
is as Shown in Table XXVII. On account of its great weight and
bulk, cabbage is not grown to any considerable extent on farms over
5 or 6 miles from market, the greater part of this crop being produced
on farms that are from 2 to 4 miles from shipping point.

14 BULLETIN 412, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

Taste XXVII.—A fair day’s work for crews harvesting cabbage and hauling directly to
market—loads per day.

Crews. Miles to Market.

1 2 3 4 5

hes wry Mey Ft wey bts

a ov oy ov ov ov

A 22 : ae . ier : 22 : 2°
.13/8| 4/82] 3/82] 2 |e2| 4 || 3 | ee
g/8/27!1 8a ])5s|] 8 |2e| ¢ | Ss] 8 | Be] 8 | es
Sim iEe | wie Shae ar ae a Pee ae
FIA Tat a WH Oa | $5.1) 309 61 | 3i0 29) 2.5 BEN 2eas is
S.(. Salads lee Rin ade (242 Gl) SO) eueron BLO AD eaar 19)| AOU
10) WY) bens bal Weer 3) APT | GaP AB KOnl) kee ah soD 8 S6'| 26
4| 4] 2] 10.4 5} 6.9 15| 6.0| 10] 4.7 Bel" 450s ok
6 |e eal ates 3| 7.0 2| 6.5 ve ar!) Oa eal 1

OPERATIONS ON FRUIT CROPS.

The data for Tables XXVIII to XX XIII were obtained in western
New York under conditions where orcharding is on a commercial
basis and the work is well standardized. They refer to well-estab-
lished orchards and the customary methods and practice which obtain
among the vast majority of growers. Baldwins and Greenings pre-
dominate among the orchards and the data presented refer to trees
having their general habits of growth. Trees are pruned quite regu-
larly, few, if any, neglected orchard conditions and abnormal factors
being incorporated in the averages. Fruit growers in this region
necessarily know quite definitely what an average day’s work should
be for the various orchard operations.

In Table XXVIII are given the averages for pruning fruit trees
and for thinning the fruit from apple trees where the crop is too
heavy to permit the maturing of good fruit. In general, the thinning
operation does not present a serious labor problem except on occa-
sional years when a very heavy crop is set. At other times wind and
storm are likely to remove even more than the excess and fruit is not
thinned on that account. The data for thinning refers to the average
tree in the orchard in years when thinning is necessary.

Tapie XXVIII.—A fair day’s work in pruning fruit trees and in thinning the fruit from
t apple trees.

Trees Number

Operation. daily. | averaged.
Pruning apple trees (10 years Old)... .....--.-----2-0-ee eee ee eee e eee ee ees 28. 6 803
Pruning apple trees (30 years old)~.......---...------------+-++-----+-- 12. 6 769

NORMAL DAY’S WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 15

In Table X XIX is shown the number of bushels of peaches that
one man can pick daily where the yield per tree varies. The better
the crop per tree the more it is possible to pick daily. In making
these reports farmers reported those yields per tree regarding which
they had the best record as to the efficiency of the picking. The
larger yields are most readily reported because the most unusual.
The yields per tree, therefore, should not be taken as representing
the average yield of peaches. Two or 3 bushels per tree is the most
common yield.

TaBLE XXIX.—A fair day’s work for one man in picking peaches from trees of average
size, according to yield per tree.

Yield Bushels | Number
er tree picked aver-
(bushels). | perday.| aged.

POSR ESS
WOOwsIDn

_
COMmOrRWN Re
Crees Go Goce ty

From Table XXX it appears that about the same number of peaches
can be handled daily by one man packing into baskets as can be
picked from the tree. In general, the smaller the basket, the less
the quantity that can be packed in a day. The 4-bushel basket is
most commonly used. Mechanical graders for sorting peaches were °
“ almost unknown in this area at the time these data were collected.
The work covered by the tables, therefore, refers to methods which
are entirely manual.

TABLE XXX.—A fair day’s work for one man in packing peaches in baskets.

Sizeof | Number of| Average

Number
basket baskets bushels
(bushels). daily. daily. averaged.
4 88.2 AS 17
i 97.7 32.6 266
2 79.5 39.7 44
1 57.6 57.6 15

Table XX XI gives the daily duty of one man in picking apples.
The larger the yield, the greater the quantity that can be picked in
a day. Apples can be picked somewhat more rapidly than peaches.
In good years pickers prefer to be paid by the bushel or barrel and
work more rapidly than when paid by the day. Under average con-
ditions in this territory the yield of apples is from 4 to 6 bushels per
tree, and the average picker gathers from 20 to 25 barrels daily.

oi

16 BULLETIN 412, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

TaBLE XXXI.—A fair day’s work for a man in picking apples.

pute Bushels Number pine Bushels | Number
(bushels). | Pet day. | averaged. (bushels). | Pe? day. |_| averaged.

6 53 il 20 66.9 207
10 54.5 88 25 75.8 81
15 63.5 199 30 78.6 150

Mechanical devices for sorting and packing apples are seldom
used in western New York. A simple barrel header operated by one
man as the barrels are filled constitutes the chief mechanical aid in
packing apples in this region. The same general practice prevails
over the entire region, the work being done by hand.

Where apples are sorted by hand and packed in barrels, the daily
amounts set out in Table XXXII should normally be accomplished.

TABLE XXXII.—A a day’s work in sorting and packing apples with the number of
hands indicated.

Crew. | Crew.
Barr els Number |i Sl IE Number
daily. averaged. || dail d
Sorters. Packers. Sorters. Packers. y: averaged:
/ An) Be
1 1 56.7 209 3 1 - 98.4 4 27
1 2 65. 4 11 3 2 115.0 37
2 1 77.4 228 4 2 124.9 9
2 2 88.7 118

Not many of the commercial orchards in New York are over 6
miles from market. The number of trips that can be made daily
-with loads of fruit for distances from 1 to 8 miles is shown in Table
XXXII. The usual load is 20 to 22 barrels of apples and 55 to 60
bushels of peaches.

Taste XXXIII.—A fair day’s work for man and team in hauling fruit to market.

Miles to | Loads Number || Miles to Loads | Number
market. | per day. | averaged. || market. | per day. | averaged.

1 6.3 58 4 3.0 150
1} 5.6 53 5 2.3 128
2 4.8 173 6 2.1 77
4.1 79 7 1.9 29
3 3.7 210 8 1.9 17
3h 3.4 38

WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1916

PAT, JAN, 21, 1908

~yracuse

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

TIM MIL

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