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Washington, D. C. v May 23, 1924

SOURCES OF SUPPLY AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT.

By Don D. Lescouter, Collaborator, Bureau of Agricultural Economics.

CONTENTS.

Page. Page Scope and method ofinvestigation ............. 1 | Methods of obtainingemployment............. 14 SeuTCeS GlhAarvest HANGS: =: =... 25-5-.------+--- 1 | Difficulty in obtaining reemploy MENG nee ee 16 Regular occupations of harvest hands.......... 3, Wwareratesin the harvest... ..7......3-.22-.--- 17 Amount of unemployment .-.....-........-.... 9 | Net earnings of harvest hands.................. 17 maxperiencein harvesting. .-..:)........--.---- 1¢ | Extent and direction of migration.............. 21 Methods oftransportation to place of work...... HC ONCIUISIONS ers oon s ee a eis oe Lo ae ok so eee 22

Objectionable aspects of travel on freight trains. 12 |

SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION.

The wheat harvest of the central wheat belt each year requires the services of more than 100,000 harvest hands from other States. Two other bulletins have described the conditions controlling the demand for harvest laborers and the methods of their mobilization and distribution, and furnished considerable information about the harvest hands themselves.' The present bulletin discusses the condi- tions of employment in the wheat harvest as described by the har- vesters themselves.

The facts presented were obtained by personal interview with 1,174 harvesters. The majority of these were interviewed when they applied for harvest work at Federal-State employment offices in the Wheat belt.2, Many were interviewed on the streets and around depots and railroad yards of wheat towns or while working on farms.

SOURCES OF HARVEST HANDS.

Of 1,105 giving information on the point, only 15 per cent were residents of the State in which they were interviewed, 70.1 per cent had permanent places of residence in other States, and 14.9 per cent

1 Harvest labor problems in the Wheat Belt, by Don D. Lescohier, U.S. Dept. of Agr. Bul. 1020, 1922. Conditions affecting the demand for harvest labor in the Wheat Belt, by Don D. Lescohier, U.S. Dept. of Agr. Bul. 1239. ‘1924.

2 A field agent was stationed successively at the Federal-State employment offices at Fort Worth, Tex.; Enid, Okla.; Wichita, Hutchinson, Salina and Colby, Kans.; Sioux City, Ia.; Fargo and Grand Forks, N. Dak. Information was also obtained from harvest hands on the streets ofa number of other townsin Kan- sas: Lincoln and Aurora, Neb.: Aberdeen, S. Dak.: Oakes, Jamestown, Devils’ Lake, New Rockford, Grand Forks, and afew other towns in North Dakota.

NoTE. Josiah C. Folsom, Bureau of Agricultural Economics, gave valuable assistance in the pee of this report for publication.

64892°—24——1

2 BULLETIN 1211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

were migratory workers without permanent places of residence. (Se fig. 1.) b

f=)

viewed came to the harvest. It also gives the geographical sources o 10,586 other harvest hands who applied for aa

employment offices in the Wheat Belt. The table shows that ap- proximately 80 per cent of the harvest hands interviewed were resi- dents of the wheat States and the tier of States immediately east of them. In other words, the Mississippi Valley furnishes more than three-fourths of the transient harvest hands. Only 4.4 per cent came from the New England and Middle Atlantic States, and 0.7 per cent from the Pacific seaboard. Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and ‘Tennessee mark the eastern border of the important sources of harvest labor supply, while none of the States west of the Wheat Belt contribute to it in an important way, except Montana. Table 1 does not show Montana’s contribution to have been important in 1921, but in years when the northeastern Montana crops are not good large numbers of Montana farmers come to the North Dakota harvest.

TABLE |.—Slates from which 11,516 harvest hands came to harvest of 1921.

Number _ Number reported Total Per cent States from which harvesters came. interviewed| by Federal- of both of total

by field | State em- group. ployment 8TOUPS. | each State. |

offices. ee ns oe ATI ee ole ee i ee ae eee a ee 147 1.3 ATRANSAS ooo oa Secs se > Fase eh oe oe eee 325 2.8 CANOES «0s o2252 2 Sel REE 2 ee ee eee 65 6 molnpe doe ye. a or 2). 2 eS So th ee eee ee 82 =a NGGPIIOE GCI. 5 Stine. So elm wee oe cee ee ee eee 14 | NOMA sec Se sea ces ed ate eae en ce RE ey. | 21 Be. CREO) Ha 6: Ie epee Sos apo See ate oe See ee ee 38 3 MUONS: Ste non so. were ORNs Rene es A ee ee: 1257 10.9 MTNA Be oes es adie: 20,05 debe ee oe ee 306 28 WAU Ai Sen ICKY cio BO as Sa ee Ot = eee eee ee 655 Li fey IBAINASE( Sot ty ec os: sank Fe 903 7.8 entuCky “Fees be. . Sooners 183 1.6 Moursianall > oF 484i... 24s eee 100 9 1h TCL) =i een ee on Rael ops = 8 fi Massachusetts >.< .7. 3.22.2 2..82 67 6 MCHC AN st 233 te oe che eye Laie eee es aoe eel Cee 338 2.9 RintIMeSObA oe oe Seo. 2k a Pe eee oe oe ee. ee 773 6.7 RMISSISSID DN... SEGGES OS is A oN ee sees 95 8 RUSS ONVUEE | ou ee a, Si a a ee ee ee ee 2, 821 24.5 ELUENT Ce oc) oe St Oe a ER ey ee eee. oe 66 3 INOOTASKS se 5d tS ise tiies dates BE OE ose 262 2:3 New Jersey...-.-.-- Fac cle, ene eects ot eee a A See Cl» eRe = 21 2 DIBWHWIAKICOt. -. 2 occtetdde tthe Bees oe PER asad. 23s tee 18 22 PORNO Kate i ce ecg 8 ee ee 166 1.4 Dione Gano aio 72. aes oe Be ee 34 33 PIOEE NA KOGA. = = ws 8 ce Sa tee Te ns wt ee ee 82 7 MEIARO eS ae. ts 1, ee ee Pe Rn ee Rn eee 414 op MIL OTIIO. 06 toe oa ts See 8 Se eM on ee 682 5.9 OTROS Pete Se ot) eek Te ee ee eS RUE Os te 2 (1) PCI Eryn 01 ye ih a ERT A 5 Se ie en eee 232 2.0 MIDI SOUR. tc coe Seka esl cee co eee 5. ar 79 Cm Ribanrtenser cis) 2.72 ee eed eet nS eee ee 332 2.9 LCS? a ee eae ye Pe Se a neg ee eee 494 4.3 SCC Sa oe i Pee ne ge re, EY 18 ey OUEST GY 1h) 0 ea ai ed i ge Pi Seg era ey Ry Se Sa 20 29 WISCONSIN 12 eee 3h ee dT ee ee 357 3.1 YS VOTO oy en a Oe I NE en a eS 18 2 Coes <8 be Sg ee REE Re M2 Sil, Ae nN, a 19 2 TCR IEE ae, eSB rr aoe el a dh os I ken Bee 2 (4) KDateli yt: Be Fp eee PS od ee AC ee oo ett 11, 516 100.3

1 Less than 0.1 per cent.

EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. 3

Of a group of 995 harvest hands interviewed 110 were born in 23 foreign countries; 88 of them came from non-English-speaking coun- tries. Over a third of these harvest hands were Scandinavians by birth; the remainder came from other parts of Europe, Canada, Hawaii, and South America. Thirty-seven immigrants were included among 148 migratory workers having no permanent places of resi- dence; the percentage of foreign born having no permanent place of residence was nearly three times that of the homeless native born.

Fic. 1.—A typical group of harvest hands in the southern area. Most of these men worked in the Kansas harvest and then came north to the Dakota harvest.

REGULAR OCCUPATIONS OF HARVEST HANDS.

What proportion of the harvest hands were born and raised on the farm? This question is answered in Table 2. Considering the fact that all of these men were engaged in an agricultural occupation when interviewed, it is at first surprising to find that nearly half of them were city bred (44.6 per cent) and that over half (52.9 per cent) found their first job for wages in a nonagricultural occupation. This table demonstrates a fact that the wheat farmer, especially in the spring-wheat area, now clearly comprehends: Agriculture is depend- ent upon the industrial labor supply for so large a portion of its seasonal labor that the state of employment in cities, and the wages, hours, and conditions of employment in urban occupations largely determine the amount of labor available for farm work in any given season and the price which the farmer must pay for it. Many wheat farmers, especially in the Dakotas, told the writer that the most critical difficulty which they saw in the farm-labor situation was the inability of agriculture to compete with some of the urban indus- tries In wage rates.

<

4 BULLETIN 1211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

TasLe 2.—Number of harvest hands interviewed who were born and raised on farms a in cities; and number whose first jobs were in specified industries.

-

| Num-

| Num- ber - : : Peres 3) whose | Number whose first jobs were in specified types of © | were— | first industry. job— | State in which interviewed. | 4/4] ¢ 4 | aj Z . (oe ig jo ie = a SI & |B s] 4 [OC le a. el . £/35/)5 18 OS |S) & no = 4 i 2 = OCR badd iat oo) FF) S)E (oS) |8Sl8 Joa 3 adigqis =| ee ae s Neal . |es 3|3-a a | 8 BSEl wi Bl. |wElo [ol 4 /BSISSSS g alsa = aia & lau! oO o S| Site U 3 Le] Mo} 5 jaa] & = & |(8s] 8 |e sg| a |= Slo = tb | = ip Fs) pe | ai/216 |jgal © 8] S lePlatlasl gis ninintin Sid | > Wats losgidad fouls “lo ors te sailadlS\io |§13/18 fs8ialeasialecis 15 |8}2 Beer RIAs A |e Pom = ee lala S Pa i koe aha ee cs , Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas. . .....| 296) 176} 229) 250) 229}. 3) 45, 16) 14) 96) 144 9 6) 7 28 12 lowa, Nebraska, South Dakota. ..| 116) 99) 124) 74) 124) 1) 32 4) 6 S| 3) 2 1 10) 3 4 North Dakota, Minnesota. ....-.-- 211) 236) 175, 270) 175) 14, 95, 23) 20) 52) 1) 3 5 Il) 14 32 Potala ope eae eee 623} 502) 528) 594) 528, 18/172. 43) 40| 156] 18] 14 12, 28) 45 48 Combined totals. ...............- 1,125 | 1,122 . 1,122 ! |

Percentage of combined totals. ../55. 4/44. 6/47. 1/52.9/47.1| 1.6,15.3 3.8] 3.613.9| 1.6, 1.2) 1.1) 2.5, 4.

Fic. 2.—A North Dakota threshing crew. (Owner of farm stands at extreme right.)

Table 3, which shows the customary occupations of 14,133 harvest- ers, further. illustrates the dependence of the wheat harvest upon the industrial labor supply. Agriculture itself furnished but 29.2— per cent of these harvesters. Most of them were farmers and farmers’ sons from Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, and Iowa who had completed their own harvests and had come to- the wheat harvests to earn some extra money. (See fig. 3.) The remainder were migratory farm hands. These, however, were few

EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. 5

in number—less than one-fourth of the men classified as of agricul- tural occupations. One-third of the entire number were ‘“laborers”’ _ who worked at various kinds of seasonal work requiring a minimum

of skill, such as railroad “extra gang’’ work, road construction, swamping in the woods, dish washing in restaurants, trucking, and — other common labor in factories. They were men of no particular - occupation, as shown by many of them naming from 3 to 8 or 10 — particular kinds of work in which they ordinarily sought employment. E For most of the laborers interviewed harvesting was one of the _ occupations which they included in their annual cycle regularly or intermittently.

_ Tasie 3.—Customary occupations of 14,133 harvest hands interviewed in wheat belt in

UO Is Applicants tor hsrvest work— | . Be ic ; . : | ; | Interviewed |At Sioux ty At other . ee by | employment | employment Total. Customary occupations. | field group. office. | offices. Num-| Per | Num-| Per | Num-| Per | Num-| Per ber. | cent. | ber | cent. | ber. | cent. | ber. | cent.

Parmers ang farm iaborers . -.-=...--..----2-- | 296] 27.0 840 | 36.0 | 2,994] 28.0] 4,130/ 29.2 Laborers, city and floating................... | 226] 20.6] 339] 14.6 | 4,089 | 38.2] 4,654] 32.9

Mechanicaland skilled trades, building trades, | manufactures, miscellaneous ......-..------ 7A id el pb a 530 | 22.7 | 1,921 | 18.0 | 2,662 18.8 Ns Se eta oe ee eee 46 4.2 26 lat 179 7 251 a Railroad employees, except laborers.......... 47 4.3 81 a0 432 4.0 560 4.0 Semiskilled occupations, except factory .-..-... 126' |) 41-5 240 | 10.3 271 ydees 637 4.5 Factory operatives,except men with trades. -- 7 fee 131 5.6 193 1.8 403 2.9 Office help, stenographers, bookkeepers, clerks. 13 1.2 35 £35 161 is 209 £5 Professional men and Government employees.| 6 6 12 zm 13 a as | e- SESS (coe — Sa 13 iy 30 ie 131 fe 2u-~ Li4 12 A 1 Sl eens fee 32) 2.9 6841 .29.), 322). 3.0), 492 3.0 OS, 2258. tr pe | 1.095 | 100.0 | 2,332 | 100.0 ho, 706 | 100.0 |14,133 | 100.0

Norte.—In order to compare this table with Table 8 on page 21 of Department Bulletin 1020, Harvest labor problems in the Wheat Belt, it will be necessary to make the following rearrangement of Table &. In Table 3, ‘‘chauffeurs,” ‘‘teamsters,’ and “others” are classified as ‘‘semiskilled occupations;’’ ‘‘office help” and “bookkeepers”’ are combined: ‘‘sailors’’ are grouped with ‘‘mechanical and skilled trades”’ and “‘contractors”’ with “‘business men.”

It was possible to obtain definite information concerning the pres- ent occupations of 623 harvesters born on farms. Sixty-three of these were operating farms and 199 were farm laborers. Ninety of the latter group were farmers’ sons still living at home and 109 were migratory farm hands; 42 per cent, therefore, were regularly engaged in agricutural pursuits. Twelve (2 per cent) were students. The other 56 per cent were distributed among 52 industrial occupations. Thirty had become skilled craftsmen in 7 of the building trades. Sixty had become factory craftsmen, such as machinists, boiler makers, printers, molders, acetylene welders and jewelry makers. Seventeen were miners, 12 skilled oil-field workers, and 7 had learned other trades. Thirty had entered semiskilled occupations. One had become a teacher, and 2 were salesmen. Twelve were college students. In all, 433, or 69.5 per cent, of these laborers born on farms had either remained in agriculture or learned occupations requiring skill. The other 30.5 per cent were common laborers.

———

EO OO

nn oo ee

6 BULLETIN 1211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

Table 4 shows thé amount of education attained by 1,016 har vest hands. It will be noted that 32 per cent had not completed th eighth grade, and that 73.5 per cent had no education beyond the grammer grades. This figure corresponds closely with the per- centages obtained in the harvest of 1920, 75.8 per cent.2 It wag somewhat surprising to find that § 20.3 per cent of the harvesters} interviewed had attended high § school, but this high percentage is in part accounted for by the

t

fact that many young men mak- ing the harvest have not com- pleted their education and will eventually become professional or business men. Table 5 shows_

;

Fic. 3.—Anexperienced Kansas harvest hand. This lad, a Southern farmer’s son, was making the har- vest for the sixth time. Thousands of sturdy, clean and competent farmer boys from Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, and other States close to the Kan- sas wheat belt come to the harvest each year. They represent the backbone of the Kansas har- vest force.

that 38.4 per cent of the group were under 25 years of age. A good many of these were earning money to com- plete their education. pe ES cos a a a southern Kansas The contrast shown by Table 4 hand tound in tee pine, finest, types of harvest between the skilled workmen, me- chanics, miners, railroad men, and skilled factory hands on the one hand, and the farmers and laborers on the other, in the matter of education, is interesting. More than 25 per cent (25.6 per cent) of the skilled workmen had attended high school and 7.3 per cent had attended trade schools or night schools. Only 15.1 per cent of the farmers and 17.5 per cent of the laborers had attended high school and but very few had attended technical schools. Only 19.8 per cent of the skilled workmen had failed to complete the eighth grade, as compared with 36.7 per cent of the farmers and farm hands and ¢ 41.7 per cent of the laborers.

* Bulletin 1020, U. S. Dept. of Agr., p. 18.

| |

EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. t

TABLE 4.—Extent and character of education of 13016 harvest hands.

Farmers and

Skilled Miscellaneous i | farm hands. | Total.

Laborers. eae sabe workmen. occupations.

Amount of education. }—_——_—_——_ =e -

| Num-| Per | Num-| Per |Num-| Per Num-| Per | Num-| Per | ber. | cent. | ber. | cent.| ber. | cent. | ber. | cent. | ber. | cent. Mess than fifth grade.......--. 38; 14.4 7 21. 4 JA ALY) 8 11.6 145} 14.3 Fifth, sixth, seventh grades... 59 | 22.3 72} 20.3 42} 12.8 7} 10.2} 180 Yj Finished eighth grade..-...-.-.-- | 119 45.1 136 | 38.3 144 | 43.9 23 33.3 | 422 41.5 One to three years of high Reems et 2 9. 2] 31 ig ¢/ 43 | 12.1 (2 — 21.9 15} 21.7} 161 15. 8 Finished high school. ..-..--.---| 9 3.4 19 Ne 2/524. 12 3:7 6 8.7 | 46 4.5 Agricultural or trade school | | (in addition to eighth grade). 5 1.9 1} oa: 12 3 ea | 1 1.4 | 19 1.9 Business college (in addition | to eighth grade).........-.... 2 8 3 8 5 1.5 2 2.9 | 12 2 Mere SCHBULIWOEK@c. 2.02 Sif 5-234] —5i-- <= 1 3 | 12 2 Al eal eee 13 1.3 College (incompiete in most Is See 1 4 floit|) 6). 1.8 7| 10:2 | 18 | Mee |

aii se Se 264 | 100. 0 | 395 ~=100.0 328 | 100.0 69 100.0 | 1,016 | 100.0

Table 5 shows that only 17.7 per cent of the harvesters interviewed were married men, and some of these were not supporting their families. More than 56 per cent were less than 30 years of age. The harvest army is principally composed of single men and of young men. A study of the extent to which harvest hands were supporting dependents, whether wives, children, parents, or other relatives, showed that 77.8 per cent of them were supporting only themselves or living at home, but that 16.3 per cent were supporting wives and

children, and 5.9 per cent were supporting other relatives, generally

their mothers.

Among the harvest hands interviewed there were 71 farmers who were operating farms which they owned in neighboring States and 4 operating farms which they rented. These men left their farms and ‘“‘made” the harvest as a “‘cash crop.” These were 6.5 per cent of all the harvest hands interviewed. The investigators in, 1920 showed an even larger proportion of farmers among the harvest hands interviewed, particularly m the winter-wheat area. <A considerable number of Minnesota and Montana farmers are found in the Dakota harvests each year. The writer believes that it is safe to say that 5 per cent of the Kansas and North Dakota harvest laborers each year are operating farmers from neighboring areas who have left their farms temporarily to work in the harvest. It is probable that the total number of farmers who make the harvest ranges in different years from 5,000 to 15,000 men. Some of these are trying to supple- ment the income from a farm not able to support a family; some are earning funds to meet debts or to buy more land, a team, a piece of machinery, or other equipment.

8 BULLETIN 1211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

TABLE 5.—Age and marital condition of harvest hands by States where interviewed.

| Marital condition. Age (years). Law Wes | ' Y ao 3 ee . ~ MY lo: 2 a ° State where interviewed.| % ey te i fas. S (Bie Sis lSlalexigi#z(Sslazaial[s#lale 1s a 1 = pO es ot N N N os oD |. = idm | af °o S Ss ] asiogziets ° S ° ° cS oO} °o © ° yi let ° Ce OS ah Tit ye (ae, wie Fal ne Be ted eee Se - BH (alo |S |AlRIN | aA |S le/ Sl Riel ei sie | } | “| “wary IPOS Ak ae = aa eae aml Gone wees | -" <) a, on MORASS 6c 322. < the ake eee IF. Sin ASS oles TL =e eee Z| “Zhe l 2 Oklahoma! : 2.25). te te. 2 46] 15; 28; 3)... Lah -Ope0)- OF 6 Ws 22Zhet oie ee ROS ASE oo Aone eee ee oe 437| 96] 301) 40 8| 23] 72) 75) 70 44) 42) 32 24) 7 8} 10) «22 lowa, (Sioux City). .... 193, 28] 163 2 | ' 6} 23) 34) “33 14) 28) 16) 30) 15) 745 5 INGDYASKM oc. 2 2 So eee Ske 3 7 | Panto 1 74 eae 3 1 i eee See eI Be ease e| Pos mouth Dakote< =. .2..<,2222- LOM ee Aes eee 1 Faas 1 “Sete 1 aes re Dis ees North. Dakota. .......2..~ 4 455) 62] 380) 13) 3) 25 “4 81) 86; 57] 45) 22 1 bf ME) es be tad 3225+" Ny ee 1, 161} 205] 894) 62) 11) 58] 178} 200 20%, 125] 125, 73) 53] 42} 22) 29) 37 Per cent of total. ......... 100. 0\17. 7/77. 0) 5.3) 0.9) 5. 0/15. 3)17.2 17.9 10.8) 10.8) 6.3) 4.6} 3.6) 1.9} 2. 5) ous | |

There was another group of farmers of a different type—56 of whom had formerly operated their own farms and 55 of whom had formerly operated rented farms. These 111 men, 9.5 per cent of all of the men interviewed, had in most cases failed as farmers. Forty-four of them stated that they had failed because of poor financial management, and 14 that their failure was due to poor crops and excessive rents. Six who said they became diseouraeed can probably be included with those unable to make a financial success as farmers. In short, 57.7 per cent of the 111 former operators of farms had proven incompetent as farm operators: of the remainder, 10 had withdrawn from farming to invest in other lines of business, but had not succeeded in the new lines; 2 had left the farm because of iliness, and 17 because of the death of their wives or separation from them; 3 had wanted to move to town to educate children, 2 had sold out and entered the Army, and 5 had retired; 6 had been forced off rented farms by the sale of the farms.

In short, all but 10 of the 111 men who had dropped from the status of operating farmers into that of day laborers seem to have become laborers because they lacked some quality essential to success in agriculture.

It will be noted that only about half (53 per cent) of the men classed as migratory farm laborers do farm work exclusively. (See Table 6.) If the group classed as laborers working on farms intermittently be added, only 38.5 per cent of the migratory farm workers do farm work exclusively. The table again illustrates the fact that agricul- ture, in so far as it depends for hired labor upon others than “the neighbor’s boys,’ competes with industry for a part of the industrial labor supply.

EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. 9

TaBLe 6.—Classification of 282 farm laborers with respect to age, place of birth, work - done, and whether magratory or resident farm laborers.

| Farmers’ sons

working as

Laborers who work on |

Migratory farm laborers. |. month hands farms by month in- |Grand total. on fathers’ termittently. | farms. Classified character- | == —_———_____—_ istics of farm la-| Z r is) it sa cS Zz S a Z borers interviewed | 2 SP" ls aes We: s e S - 5 : = eMiut Belt | Fie | «| as |e .|s sels la) Sen ee SSfesits)]-c¢ |*S\%>5|/ -€ 1838) 65| 22] 2} 2 lose bea |o8(58| & |eei oe) & | eP| oe] se) & | | § a ee ee | ee | le | St See L = = L = S | a = s = 5 L S g = L 2 ap S = = = |8 = eB lH a aes a ~ ~ et Ay Number who do. farm work exclu- | i Zo eee Pee od |, 910) - 69} - 2.1... ae eee 133 | 47.2 Number who do} H | | ; I | farm work and | common labor...-. 3) 33 914 50 12 | 7| 19 } 28] 12] 6 46| 125 | 44.3 | Number who do} _ farm work and | | Me skilledlaborwork} 5) 6| 4| 15| 2/......) 2] 5] 2|...... 7| | 85 | oe 31] 73} 35) 139| 73] 17] 90] 33 | 14 6| 53 | 282 | 100.0 Born on farm. ....... pemerer! Si tis) 67 iz | 84] 16 | 8) 5) 29] 228 | 80.9 Not born on farm.... 4A SAG a 22) Ue eae 6 17 6 24 54} 19.1 ce eee 31; 73| 35| 139| 73] 17| -90 | 33{ 14| 6 53] 282/ 100.0 Bornin central west. 29 60| 22] 111| 7i|} 16| 87 22 | 10 4| 36] 234| 83.0 _ Born clsewhere in | United States....../.-.... Se mee iB Sean ess et eee ae S1-..19') ob y Born in foreign countries... ....... ieee | is) 4) 94) 2] “3|- 4|- 2|. 9] 29] 303 Weta 31} 73| 35| 139] 73| 17| 90] 33| 14{ 6! 53] 282] 100.0

AMOUNT OF UNEMPLOYMENT.

An effort was made to discover the amount of unemployment the harvest hands had experienced during the year previous to the har- vest. There were two reasons for this inquiry: To ascertain the extent to which unemployment had caused the workmen in non- agricultural industries to come to the harvest, and to discover what proportion of the harvest hands were men who “regularly worked irregularly.”’ Table 3, which shows that approximately 35 per cent of 14,133 of the harvest hands were of various skilled and semiskilled urban occupations, suggests that unemployment must be important among the reasons why men come to the harvest. Figures for 17,767 men in the 1919 and 1920 harvests almost exactly corroborate the 1921 figures. Many men were unable to give definite information concern- ing the number of jobs they had had and the time they had lost during the preceding year, and such men as farmers, students, and business men did not come within the scope of the inquiry.

Information was obtained from 964 men upon the question of unem- ployment; of these 22.3 per cent had lost less than 1 month's time during the year previous to the harvest and 16.9 per cent less than 2 months. Inasmuch as 1920-21 was a year of distinct depression in most industries and unemployment more widespread than during the

4 Harvest Labor Problems in the Wheat Belt, op. cit., p. 21. 64892°—24 2

10 BULLETIN 1211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

6 years preceding, these figures show a fair percentage of men who had had relatively steady work. It is a low figure, however, compared with the facts for the entire number of wage earners in American industry. It is safe to state that the proportion of wage earners in the United States who suffered less than 2 months unemployment between the summer of 1920 and that of 1921 would exceed 50 per cent.”

Looking at the matter conversely, almost 61 per cent of this group of harvest hands had lost more than 2 months and 44.5 per cent more than 3 months during the year. Sixty-two (6.5 per cent) said they had worked less than 6 months of the year.

Concerning the number of jobs upon which they had been employed during the year, only 774 out of the 964 men were able to give reliable information. Of these, 168 (21.7 per cent) had worked on but one job during the year and 41 per cent on but two jobs. Nearly 63 per cent of this group and over 50 per cent of the 964 men had worked on but one or two jobs. Some of them left their jobs to come to the harvest; the others quit or were ‘laid off’’ and were idle for periods ranging from 1 to 10 weeks before coming to the wheat harvest.

One hundred and forty-eight (19.1 per cent) worked on three jobs and 66 (8.5 per cent) on four jobs during the year. The other 75 (9.7 per cent) had worked on from five to a dozen jobs during the year and were distinctly of. the restless, migratory type of laborers who work as little as they can and never stick anywhere very long.

EXPERIENCE IN HARVESTING.

The amount of experience which 14,168 harvest hands had had in the harvest of the Wheat Belt is shown by Table 7. It will be noted that almost one-third of the group were inexperienced. It must be remembered when considering this figure that the group under discussion were nearly all transient harvest hands. The percentage of inexperienced men would be somewhat smaller in the quota of men furnished by the farms and towns of the Wheat Belt itself. On the other hand, it is significant that 69.4 per cent of these men had ‘“made the harvest’? at least once befcre and that 38 per cent had worked in four or more harvests.. Among 1,124 men interviewed by the field group about one-fourth claimed more than 10 seasons’ ex- perience and 78.3 per cent said that they had worked in one or more harvests during the preceding 5 years.

5 Of The Labor Market, D. D. Lescohier, chap. 3, 13. Unemployment survey, 1920-21, American Labor Legislation Review, September, 1921.

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

12 BULLETIN 1211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

“Shipped” on “free fares’”’ by employment agencies, and 3.7 per cent came in their own autos. Incidentally, only 52.3 per cent of them came alone. The others all traveled with one or mere companions.

OBJECTIONABLE ASPECTS OF TRAVEL ON FREIGHT TRAINS.

Traveling on freight trains has become a typical characteristic of the American wheat harvest; it hardly exists in Canada. From every point of view it is one of the most objectionable aspects of the

Fic. 6.—Ho! For the harvest fields. A truck load of harvest hands leaving Wichita for the harvest fields ofsouthern Kansas. Farmersfrequently send trucks from 50 to 150 miles to the labor centers to gather up crews and transport them to their farms. Thousands of harvest hands are now taken out to the farms by auto.

harvest. It is dangerous, for freight wrecks are more frequent than passenger wrecks. (See fig. 7.) Gunmen, gamblers, and other criminals come to the harvest and ride the freights to carry on their

nefarious activities. Most of the murders, highway robberies, and

Fic.7.—One of the objections to riding the freights. This train carried harvest hands.

other crimes that occur during the harvest occur on freight trains and in or around freight yards. The railroad officials and police of the cities and towns in the Wheat Belt make commendable efforts to abate the nuisance, but it is impossible for them to control the

——o

EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. 13

situation. Young men riding the freights are compelled to associate with criminals, tramps, and hoboes, and are subjected to the temptation to become migratory workers themselves. Many of the hoboes have “smooth tongues,” and the “romancing” in which they indulge con- cerning their travels and experiences fires the imagination of many a young man to “see the world.” One can hardly be in the company of a group of genuine hoboes for an hour without hearing many

Fig. 8.—Hiring harvest hands. ‘Two farmers interviewing hands in city park of awheat townin Kansas.

sophisticated allusions to various distant places, and the eager inter- est of the young and untraveled stimulates them to exhibit their wares, true and false, to the utmost. The life histories obtained by the field group from hundreds of hoboes show that it was just such

Fre. 9.—Harvesters waiting for farmers to ‘‘ pick them up.”

experiences in their youth that turned many of them from ordinary ways of living to their irregular, irresponsible life habits.

Freight trains are also a very unsatisfactory means of distributing harvest labor to the farmers. Men traveling by freight, especially when going considerable distances, take so much longer to reach their destinations that they do not relieve labor shortages quickly. On the other hand, while they are en route, the farmers keep calling for

14 BULLETIN 1211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUR:2.

men, and when the harvesters do finally arrive they are likely to arrive in excessive numbers. Farmers are bound to lose more grain by shattering when the men travel by freight than when they travel by passenger trains. Harvest hands are certain to encounter local labor surpluses more frequently, and be unable to get work when traveling by freight. They must also lose many more days’ time during the harvest when riding freights, because of the extra time required to shift from one area to another.

The employment office and agricultural officials, moreover, find their efforts to control the flow of harvest labor much less difficult when the laborers travel on passenger trains, as in Canada. The railroads are able to furnish the employment service, as needed, with daily figures showing the number of men who have gone to each locality. If their work is properly organized, the employment officials can largely control the flow of the labor which does not come to the employment offices as well as of that which does. But when the workers are riding the freights it is not possible to keep any ac- curate account of the volume of the movement along each railroad and its branches.* The United States Employment Service sends “scouts” to watch the movement of men by freight trains and esti- mate its volume, but is unable to do more than roughly guess at the flow of labor along the different railroad routes.

METHODS OF OBTAINING EMPLOYMENT.

Harvest hands use a variety of means to obtain work when they arrive in the harvest area. (See Table 8.) Two-thirds of those inter- viewed depended principally upon picking up jobs by interviews with farmers met on the streets of labor-distribution centers like Enid, Wichita, Hutchinson, Sioux City, Aberdeen, Fargo, and Grand Forks, or ‘wheat towns” like Larned and Great Bend, Kans., or Oakes, Hillsboro, or New Rockford, N. Dak. (See figs. 8 and 9.) Obviously, much of the service of the employment offices furnishing harvest labor must consist in directing the flo of that labor which does not come to the offices to obtain work, but relies upon its own initiative. This labor must be guided in proper quantities into the several towns of the counties needing labor.

It will be noted in the table that the use of private fee-charging employment agencies was important only among the men interviewed at Sioux City and in North Dakota. In these two areas a considerable number of men were interviewed who had used private agencies in Kansas City, Omaha, Sioux City, and Minneapolis. These were mostly migratory laborers, who worked at seasonal employment like railroad “extra gang’? work, road construction, lumbering, and harvest work, and were accustomed to the use of fee-charging agencies to find jobs.

6 Detailed discussion of this problem, including a description of the Canadian system, appears in Bul- letin 1020, pp. 28-30.

_ id

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EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. 15

TABLE 8.— Methods of seeking employment used by 1,164 harvest hands, by States in which interviewed.

Number who used

| Applications to farmers—

. P Newspaper Public Private TE Dak sein Aa rs : | employment | emplovment | S4verements | Gonoray met | With whom ae State. offices. offices. | information. oe ee | by previous : danas! | correspondence | spits. or contract. Exclu- | Exclu- Exclu- Exclu- | Exclu- | sively | Exclu-| sively | Exclu-| sively | Exclu-| sively | Exclu-| sively | Exclu- orin |sively.| orin |sively.| orin |sively.| orin | sively.| orin | sively. | part. part. part. part. | part. _ = eee 2 Qiks Sa A2 et 2 1 8 7 | 2 | 2 Oklahoma. 552. 14 9 Tp tS s3 Fe 2 6 2 26 18 | 2 1 ranSaso. oo 2222. .2- 170 71 Re eee 12 3 327 135 | 12 4 Iowa (Sioux City)..-| 147 30 (53 sl [tae he 9 1 105 13 22 Webraska « 26:7. 5!. 2, 2 1 1 ] ] 3 | 2 Z| 2. eee South Dakota and North Dakota..... 326 78 95 2 6} eee Fe 301 28 Ba 2 Wotal ik -. 661 192 166 3 36 gi) =%70.| 203" > 597 10 Percentage.......... 56.8) 16.5 14.3 0.3 | Saal 0.7 66225 > 1724 8.3 0.9

DIFFICULTY IN OBTAINING REEMPLOYMENT.

More than half of the harvesters mterviewed stated that they obtained their first jobs within three days after they reached the harvest area. Very few who really wanted work were unable to get work within a week. The harvest hand’s difficulties do not ordinarily begin at the point where he enters the harvest, but when he finishes his first job. He is then on a farm near some small interior town and out of touch with the sources of information which could advise him where his work is needed next. Guided by such information as he is able to obtain, or following the route traversed by whatever railroad happens to be nearest, he moves on in quest of another job. He frequently wanders for a week or two Betats obtaining work again. Many men find job after job, only to have each terminate in two or three days and be followed by more travel and hotel bills. It is this loss of time between jobs, and the expense of travel and support, that eat up the harvester’s earnings.

In Table 9 the experiences of 998 men are summarized. It will be noted that the 998 men who furnished the information had worked _ but 51.2 per cent of the time that they were in the harvest area, and that this percentage represents the experience both of those who had been a short time in the harvest area and of those who had worked in both the winter-wheat and the spring-wheat harvests. Subsequent tables show how this loss of half of his time eats up the ‘“‘stake”’ of many a harvest hand.

Es

16 BULLETIN 1211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

q TABLE 9.—.\verage number of days worked and lost per man during harvest to date of

interview.

Per cent of time

Jays in harvest arez : Aver: Days in harvest area By ea ees Average number of days

per group per group per man in harvest area. Days from arrival in Men ee. * ee harvest area to date in | of interview group. From ar- Total. | Worked.'| Lost. | Worked.) Lost. Fabs sh Worked.) Lost. view Notover 30:2...” 2235... 872 10, 783 5, 542 5, 241 51.4 48.6 IPS VE 6. 36 6. 01 31 to 45 dete 86 3, 266 1, 742 1, 524 53.3 46.7 37.98 20. 26 Lisiz 46 to 60 31 1,625 736 | 889 45.3 54. 7 52. 42 23.74 28. 68 61 to 75 9 614 312 302 50.8 49.2 68. 22 34. 67 33. 56 Total.......... 99x | 16,288| 8,332 7,956| 51.2| 488] 16.32|° 8.35| 7.97

WAGE RATES IN THE HARVEST.

Table 10 contains data on the wages received by harvest hands in 1921. The figures agree with those furnished by the farmers.’ The wage rates in excess of $6 are all threshing wages paid to especially skilled men, such as engine men and separator men. The prevalence of a $4 wage for harvesters in south-central Kansas and northern Oklahoma, of a $5 wage in central and western Kansas, and of rates running from $3 to $4 in Nebraska, thé Dakotas, and Minnesota is shown by the table.

NET EARNINGS OF HARVEST HANDS.

The series of Tables 11 to 14 and Tables [I and II of the Appendix comprise a study of the actual earnings of harvesters able to ae data on the subject. Most of these men had not completed their harvest work, and their final earnings—or losses—would vary from the figures given. Tables 13 and 14 give the final figures on earn- ings of a portion of these men in the 1919 and 1920 harvests.

TABLE 10.—Daily wages received by wheat harvest hands on 1,050 jobs in 1921.

- 1s | es ee LEA Pee) ee 2 lint] Saeeaese hese es cee se tek eS oe es aes 3 .28 REE ENOL SAEED | 4 ig a ES ota 1 2 1 | 5 48 - AL Ee l 1 aa 3 1 7 2 8 26 2.48 - 6 eS, ee oe ee 1 11 15 | ll 11 39 31 4 123 L371 ahs" EE ele See ie 2 2 2 6 22 71 15 4 122 11.62 + ee a eee Re 3 dl 132 23 15 93 29) fc cscesss 346 32.95 1S Re Bee | ee ho 6 9 3 3 20 2 2 45 4.29 Bare iets teri! | I 39 192 | 4 5 21 1 8 271 25.81 OS ee eee reer ee ee 1 eer eee | ees ee 2 ln oe 5 lee ee 5 -48 A I a ee bel ge ea 4 28 1 | 7 1 Z 44 4.19 es | eee ee oe Pee ee ee ee eh. 22d belideeeeeas iS Hes Beer ee Sees = 4 -38 Se re rare 4 ? 1B) aap Ree (Spa 1 DP otacetaretans LS 1. 43 SDs fn dae (ame & oe ate CA sree eae 1]25 228 3 28 - | ee Ce ae ae) erg eee 3 Les Lee: beeen 1 2 | ae acee 20 1.90 BOS See co. Slate fe sok.d ee btn a Oe a= (cars See | Lie eae 2 -19 | | ee era eee 2 2 Ip (ie 1 Saleh Sere laces eee 11 1.05 ieee ont See ae ee erie ec 1 pe ge ore (A oe Sae We ae eee eel re eee 2 -19 BLAS ooo a. eats ate ook elle ewnn 22 [sen ced clo oeae el eee | Pe Ae | a 1 .10 1b: Pa pane Sees ee lets een nite ne | eee 1 A soe elke oven 2 -19

7 Wage figures for the 1921 wheat harvest are presented in detail in Department Bulletin 1211.

oa Se see Se et ee —— ee

| |

EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. 17

In Table 11 are presented the earnings of 1,022 men in the 1921

harvest up to the time when interviewed. Only 735 had actually earned harvest wages previous to the date of the interview. The

table shows that the average earnings of these 735 men had been $55.74 each. Only 96 of them had earned more than $100 each and but 11 had earned over $200. In Table 12 are recorded the expenses which 885 of the 1,022 interviewed on the subject had to meet after entering the harvest area; 163 of them had had no expenses

either because they had just arrived or because they had had a _ steady job from the time of arrival until the date of interview. In-

cluding these, the average subsistence expense of the group while idle was $15.88; excluding them, it was $19.47. Comparing the average earnings of the 735 men listed in Table 11 who had been employed and the average cost of subsistence of the 722 men who Bd, incurred subsistence expenses, average earnings exceeded aver- age expenses by $36.27.

Some interesting contrasts are found in Tables I and II of the Appendix. The tables compare the experiences of the least suc- cessful and most successful (financially) of the harvesters inter- viewed in 1921.

Taste 11.—Total and average earnings of 1,022 harvest hands and numbers who had earned specific amounts to date when interviewed, classified by States.

Number of | er nin oe an Harvest hands who had earned specified men— “Si a amounts when interviewed. money. & | | | State whereinte- | —& | ¥ : ~ Z te |B |e a sot | etl) a he, Ses Bees tos | SS | Re S = = “<|42/H|/S/]/ae |B | Rl ela So Seo ees ||| maa | Ses OO Ts) Hie fl. Po eee eee Ohishowia® ..2 52 2o2. = 5 E 486.00 | 37.38 32 4 | 6 al ae Be bitte. a ae : 372.00 | 42.43] 128) 64) 103] 73| 18 S dy Gee NWA e222 oi Sei Z ; -00 | 63.50 35 15 35 33 22 11 2 5 oe ae ee i : S200) 65-00. |. 32 $152 252 PAN [ened 2 tS. | eee South Dakota.-.-....-.| j j 37-00 | 47-83 |....-- 3 | 1 Ne es ei Pierre 1 ee _ North Dakota....-.-. | 404] ; 20,675.00 | 64-81} 85| 59} S84] 79| 32) 28) 14 23 4 ————— EE = Total. ......... .00 | 55.74 | 287 | 146 | 231| 188] 74| 49] 19| 28

TaBLE 12.—Cost of subsistence (not including transportation expenses) of harvest hands . to dates when interviewed while idle during harvest, classified by States.

Cost of subsistence of harvest hands while idle in harvest area. (oes Aver- ~ age ex-

| Num- | State where inter- | ber of

: | pense

viewed. HHatvest! Noex-| PSS | sioto | $25 to | $50to | $75 to | $100 | Beaten per

"| pense. ‘310 | $24.99. | $49.99 | $74.99. | $77.99. | Over. | oe aan man.

| | ae

Lp ee | 10 1 7 | 24 Aer | Mug to el ee oe ee $72. 50 $8. 06 Oklahoma 19 1 10 6 bil Ode tele >| Ml a eee 196. 50 10. 92 ia 335 24 177 111 20 2. ig Beet | 3,239. 00 10. 41 Li” Sg at i Bile ales 137 29 19 42 36 1 ee. 1 | 3,074. 00 28. 46 Nebraska. ......-. 5 2 ee ee ee ss 6 eb 12. 50 4.17 South Dakota..... 6 4 1 | 2] ek CE ae a ae Pee ee Pee 55. 00 27. 50 North Dakota. ... 373 102 72 109 40 27 | 15 8 | 7,409.00) 27.34 ‘ it) <: | er 885 163 289 O71 98 39 | 16 v7 9 | 14,058.50 19, 47 Percentage.......- 100. 0 18. 4 Bye | 30. 6 1124 1.4 ES | LO.) 22s coe

18 BULLETIN 1211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

Table I of the Appendix records the amount of employment, num-_ ber of jobs, earnings, and expenses of 32 harvest hands whose earn- ings were less than $100 and expenses over $50. The table includes all of the harvest hands interviewed of whom these two facts were true—they represent the most unfortunate harvesters encountered. — These men had been in the harvest area, on the average, 42.4 days © and had lost 69.4 per cent of their time. Thirty-one of the thirty-two had been a month or more in the harvest area; 16 of them more than 6 weeks. The group consists of men who had been in the harvest — long enough, therefore, to make some money. Three of them had not worked at all, 8 had worked only 5 to 10 days. They had obtained on the average only 1.6 jobs per man. While ciarnglaet they had to travel and to pay hotel and restaurant expenses. As a result, only 5 of the 32 had made any money. One of the five had been in the harvest 40 days and had cleared $40—$%1 a day and his board. None of the others had done as well. Twenty-five of them had lost money, on the average $46.33 per man, by coming to the harvest. The average loss of the 30 men reporting surplus or deficit was $35.89. In Kansas, where the man who earned $40 was employed, the current wages were $4 to $5 a day and board. His net earnings, therefore, were only from one-fifth to one-fourth of what they would have been if he had had steady employment.

Table IL of the Appendix furnishes similar data upon the earnings and expenses of the men who had earned $100 or more in the 1921 harvest. There were 83 of these, 7.1 per cent of the 1,164 men interviewed. The average period for which these 83 men had been in the harvest was almost the same as in the case of the 32 men just discussed. The 32 had averaged 42.4 days in the harvest, and the 83 averaged 41.1 days. But the latter group lost only a third instead of 69.4 per cent of their time. Instead of a loss of $46.33 per man reporting deficit, they had cleared, on the average, $101.28 per man reporting surplus. The average earnings of the 80 men pode: surplus or deficit was $94.25. Their earnings per man were higher; their subsistence cost lower; their travel expenses a little higher. The principal reason that this group which worked more steadily spent more per man for travel expenses is that harvest hands with considerable money in their pockets ride on passenger trains, while the unsuccessful must teaxat on the freights. Comfort and _ self- respect cause men to prefer the passenger trains, while the danger of being robbed causes many to avoid the freights.

Thirty-two of the 115 men listed in Tables I and II of the Appendix who started harvesting in Texas, Oklahoma, or Kansas and followed the harvest north through the Dakotas reported their net earnings. Two earned over $300 and one $248; seven others cleared between $100 and $200. The other 22 had all cleared less than $100 each and eight of them had spent more for subsistence and travel than they had earned.

In 1921, 696 men were interviewed who worked in the 1920 harvest and 703 who worked in the 1919 harvest. In Table 13 are shown the earnings in the 1920 harvest of 517 of these hands, and in Table 14 the earnings in 1919 of 443 hands. The wages in 1920 and 1919 ranged from $6 to $8 per day throughout the Wheat Belt, or roughly, a third higher than in 1921. Living costs for harvest hands were also high, but not so high in proportion to wages as in 1921. Testau-

EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. 19

rant and hotel prices did not drop so rapidly in 1920-21 as the cost . of foodstuffs declined. Consequently, the 1919 and 1920 harvest hands had a little better chance ‘‘to make a stake” than the 1921 harvest hands enjoyed. The difference between these years and _ 1921 was also accentuated by a stronger demand for harvest hands, in proportion to the available supply, than in 1921. Of the men able to furnish definite information, one-fourth stated that their - net earnings were over $300 in 1920, one-fifth said they made over - $300 in 1919, approximately a fourth said that they cleared between $200 and $300. Nearly half of the group, therefore, made sub- - stantial “stakes” in 1919 and 1920. Most of these men declared that their 1921 earnings would fall far below those of the previous _ year because of the greater difficulty in getting work and the smaller margin between wages and hotel and restaurant prices.

TaBLeE 13.—Earnings in 1920 harvest of 517 of the harvest hands interviewed in 1921 harvest.

Number of men whose net earnings in 1920 v-ere—

State where inter- ree Not | |

viewed. viewed. | 20W2 $50 or| S21 | $75 | $100 | $150 | $200 | $250 | $300 | $350 : to |None. I E to to to to to COM | OF

them- eSS. | $74. | $99. | $149. | $199. | $249. | $299. | $349. | over.

selves. | GOS. 2s 6 Lee se selcetoclbs@ass | peters Baaec |G ares aces ae eae Meseresar 2 Okighonias:-. = 4. 2.8 30 10 5 2 1 a eee 2 2 2 1 2 3 ISGTISAS see Sto oes 270 82 26 15 8 10 23 17 32 9 11 37 Jowa (Sioux City).....: 112 12 10 iat 8 3 18 16 14 7 4 9 NIG) OUP tea 2 Ba ih 3 DE ee eee lll ea ee 1 ee ie NS | eectarerst De Eom e South Dakota:........- 5 35 Sie Sloe cS See A Seka |= eas eee! [Sere sere (Ea eel Den z, North Dakotarse.c. 22 266 65 11 11 8 14 24 37 37 11 19 29 Ao} cleat es er 696 179 53 39 25 27 68 72 86 28 37 82 Per cent ofall (696) cases 100 2B dale te Or io On oO" 18 369) | 958 | 10.3 | 12.4°| -4.0)| d.3°— 11.8

Per cent of cases (517) : reporting earnings... MOQZ oe 3 eos: LODal aco metsOleeone | Ls.2 led! L616. -b.40 Fol 1529 | |

-

TasLe 14.—Karnings 1 1919 harvest of 443 of the harvest hands interviewed in 1921 harvest.

Number of men whose net earnings in 1919 were— Total | nuin- | | Place wheré inter- ber of | Not | | viewed. men | known $50 | $51 | $75 | $100 | $150 | $200 | $250 | $300 | $350 inter- by |None.| or to to to to to to to or viewed.| them- less. | $74. | $99. | $143. | $199. | $249. | $299 | $349. | over. selves SOR AS eo ete eS let 7 a [ies | oe ea oe hea dl le | ee et 1 i 1 Piklaloma . 02 oo. 5. 32 11 1 1 1 4 2 4 1 a 2 o Kansas 3 cre een rare 291 121 N7é 22 7 6 24 16 28 11 ll 28 lowa (Sioux City) ..... 129 29 i) 17 1 7 16 Sri ez 6 7 12 PO DTASKA sera ke | 8 5 Tes i sea Scope berets « Gs | Ree pcp cE levi acl econ 1 South Dakota._....-/_. 6 St | eee SB | Tes ols eel ee 1a Retcee < 2h | cere North Dakota.......... 230 87 11 te 6 10 33 21 25 6 fs 17 rRapaliee, 2c 85 57 12 793 260 35 47 15 PA 76 49) | 76 24 30 64 Per cent of total........ 100 Se eOnO Oat imee2et |, O.o | 1058 } 2.0") 10.8) 3.4 1.3 Oct Per cent of cases (443) reporting earnings.... MOOI cosets TaD \WlORGe)) i. 4s We Omk tedee | 110 | 17.2 D. 4 6.8 14.4

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IS3M JIGGIN 3HL 40 1139 LVSHM 3HL HONOYHL GNV OLNI SHSAHOEV1 LSIAYVH 40 TSAVYL 40 SALNOY NIVW

20

_ $ . =a

EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. 21

EXTENT AND DIRECTION OF MIGRATION,

There is a widespread impression that the harvest ‘‘army”’ enters the harvest in Oklahoma and Kansas and sweeps northward through the ripening grain across the Dakotas and on into Canada. This is

far from true. The major portion of the harvest work of each State

is done by the men who work only in that State; a large contingent of men work in more than one State, but confine themselves to the winter-wheat belt; another contingent works only in the spring-wheat harvest; a small minority go northward with the harvest from Oklahoma to the Dakotas or Canada. (See fig. 10.)

TABLE 15.—States in which harvest hands interviewed in 1921 worked in 1919 or 1920 and in 1921.

Number who worked in each State or group of States in—

States. | } i or 1920. 1921. In winter-wheat States only: | ES Sects eo See en er 9 4 ELS. SL SR eS St ee ee 32 18 LEST S. oe oe oe 100 88 WLS sp 2ec Rete Ee ce re ee ee 12 6 LRT) ins 5 ie eee becds i tee cece ecs-4 ae Cee oe eee ees os 2 Texas, Oklahoma, Kansasand NebrasKa (or 2 or 3 ofthese 4 States)......_.. 51 50 Oklahoma and Missouri; Arkansas, Colorado or Southern States outside the |

OWES) Ld ote ige Soe s SOe es 8 ee e e e -6 4 Kansasand Missouri; Missouri, Arkansas or other Southern States, exclud-

(22 Lim TP 2 Soyn oh ee ee eee 17 7 Kansasand Iowa: Nebraska or Colorado or 2 of these 4 States........------- 32 13

USL 222 t conte eesa jet oe Se ee ee ee ee ee ee 263 192

In spring-wheat States only: STEED twin 2 Se se ee ee ee 21 | 19 LolT RR 2 La i at eS eg eer ee et ee eee ee ee ee 125 258 SPELLS aE) 7 eae ee ee ee ee ee ee ee 2 30 EET"! 2 le theo 5 eee 2 2 LL Ls 2 ee See ee = is eee Fy el 2 2 se a a ee el eee TRE? UDSLSTHT S27 A Pees ee Sg ee ee en as 33 66 The Dakotasand States outside the Wheat Belt.-.....-.---.---.-----------| 2 | 7 hE ES Ea er a sal 7 TEE TL STE S Ge Cee Pe ee 15 | 88 Done ook SU ee a ae eee 242 AT7

In both winter and spring wheat States:

Texas, Oklahoma, or Kansas to Nebraska or Iowa or Colorado and the

aes a esa ict aR a OE Ee ee ee 52 202 Texas, Oklahoma, or Kansas to the Dakotas and Canada.................-- 11 41 Texas, Oklahoma, or Kansas to the Dakotas or Minnesota (jumping Ne-

EEE ee cae ES ge Be rier 41 | 3 Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, or Arkansas to the Dakotas or Minnesota......-- 29 19 Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, or lowa to the Dakotas and Montana

CTRL null Sin Rete a Bere Ae ee ee eet nae he ee 5 2

SUE on es 2 PR ae ee a a ee ge 138 267

SOE APE RNNR EERO SS Sep ne ae nee fe ee eke sa eee 679 936

ean eae Cs Har vesL in 1919. or 1920 -_ sb ese eee eee 340 Pe aes

Pi PVeSICH WP SGaLes HOt In Wheat-Belt-_ 2.2.0...) =.) eee ene. -- ee 36.2.2 Summary of harvesters’ work:

Susmo ae WW Hem Belt... .. -..- 2.2 v5 22 ex. apg: oe aes ee 36. Sa See

oe beer ED EDEL Ee a ee ee ee 643 936

7 2 es DSi Se ee Soe en ae ae a Oe 679 936

2 WRITE TULLE AGUS ae Sea eS ee ee 263 192

UE Le eS ee ee 242 477

Embobaowiiper and Spring wheat. ....._..........-...--:-.-.--------2---e--- 138 267

SE RS ES oe a ee a 340

22 BULLETIN 1211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

The migrations of 936 men in the 1921 harvest, and of 679 of the same men in the 1919 and 1920 harvests, are shown in Table 15. Eighty-three of the men who did not know what routes they would follow during the remainder of the 1921 harvest were not included in the table. Added to the 936, these bring the total number of men interviewed on this subject to 1,019. Of these, 376 did not work in the wheat harvest of the central Wheat Belt in 1919 or 1920. Of the other 643, 263, or 40.9 per cent, worked only in the winter wheat; and 138, or 21.5 per cent, worked in both the winter and the spring wheat. One out of five of these transient harvest hands “followed the harvest’? northward. In 1921, 192, or over 20.5 per cent of the groups, worked only in the winter wheat; 477, or 51 per cent, worked only in the spring wheat, and 267, or 28.5 per cent, nearly one in three, made the trip from south to north. In considering the figures cited, it must be borne in mind that the entire group studied consisted of transient harvest hands. The tens of thousands of harvest hands whose homes are in the wheat States are entirely omitted from consideration. Of the entire harvest force working for wages, but a small percentage work in the harvests of several States. Of the group studied in the table, 49.5 per cent worked in but a single State in 1919 and 1920 and 42.4 per cent in 1921.

CONCLUSIONS.

The facts presented in this bulletin suggest that advertising for harvest labor should be confined to the Wheat Belt and the Missis- sippl Valley. The bulk of the harvest-labor supply comes from States west of central Ohio. The portion that comes from the East is an insignificant fraction of the total harvest-labor supply. <A har- vest hand can not come from points farther east than Ohio and earn enough in the harvest to pay him for coming. Industrial workers in the East, such as factory hands and construction workers, should not be attracted to the harvest by official advertising. If they wish to come without solicitation, as some will always do, it is their own affair. But Federal and State officials should not attract them by advertising, in view of the heavy expense for travel to and within the harvest territory and the probable loss of half of their working time while in the harvest area.

Special harvest excursions at reduced rates should be provided by the railroads, with round-trip rates, tickets to be good for return within 90 days of date of sale. In Canada a harvest hand can go from Quebec to Saskatchewan for the fare that it costs an American harvest hand to go from St. Louis or Chicago to harvest work in Kansas.

A more comprehensive machinery should be provided by co- operation of Federal-State employment officials and the State and county agricultural officials for the redistribution of harvest hands. It is necessary to provide better facilities for helping the men to move on from one harvest job to another. The employment offices at

resent functioning get the men out quickly to their first harvest job. 3ut when the men complete their first jobs they are far from the

8 It has been demonstrated that the labor supply available in the Mississippi Valley will care for the crop. See ‘‘ Sources of Supply and Conditions of Employment of Harvest Labor in the Wheat Belt,” U.S. Dept. of Agri., Dept. Bull. 1230.

EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. 23

employment offices, frequently have no one to give them accurate information concerning the next places that need their services, and are forced to depend upon their own judgment or chance information or else go back to the relatively small number of cities within the ter- ritory where employment offices are located, and be sent out again by the employment offices. As this would mean a journey of a couple of hundred miles, many harvesters dispense with the services of the employment officials after getting their first jobs.

The citizens of each county are very active as long as they need labor, but when their own crop is cared for, naturally settle back with a complacent feeling that all is well and the harvest is over. They do not realize that they have any further responsibility to the men who have worked in their fields. Some one in each county, generally the county agent or farm bureau if there is one, should be given definite instructions, guidance, and responsibility for forward- ing the labor of that county, as soon as set free, to the next area

where it is needed. If this were done systematically, the harvest

could be handled with at least a 25 per cent smaller number of laborers and with much better earnings per man for the harvest hands. The failure to meet this situation is to-day the most serious shortcoming of the agencies distributing harvest labor.

a

APPENDIX.

TaBLE I.—Relative earnings and expenses of 32 harvesters in 1921 harvest whose earnings had been less than $100 and expenses $50 or over at time of interview.

State in which

man began : .

ean fate x, | interviewed. 1 | Oklahoma..... | Kansas. ....<.- 2} ies "6 La pegs a, (OL GOLA aes 3 || GOs 22 se) 6 VOWS 552.4 AMSANSAS oko. Kansas... <)> - Fra ee dol %22. =. Vowsa-< 5. oon Dae ee coe es North Dakota 7(0| NOC. 2. shies Towa.-........ ‘4a (ee OE oe eh North Dakota Qiizs.. Gh ease aes Goon8.. 2.3 10022. * 22 eo | Towa.* =... a ees | North Dakota 117A Re ere GOD eS Or 2S! 1133) Baars (6 (ee es ee NGS oS s3. ates. 2 do.. {1s That eee Goa. 2 $2 Kansas... 2.22. ip lows... .2..- North Dakota. i741 Nebraska == su). CLO sen See Ue ee GO. ) eare c EP (5) 0 epee aoe 19 | Missouri....... eee GO. ace Oi} Liingis. 2< 2. oe G0... 2ise! 21 | South Dakota.|-..... Of Se ae 22 |----* MOssce eeaeee = OSES 8 DIA Oz es 5e pets doris. 24 | Wisconsin....- [yhehe dos ys. 25 | Minnesota.....|..-.- O32 Bee i as GOFF lees doze .4 5 eee OO: te alee dG2> Bess 7.28 ean Gee: Fee Gp. =e 29 | North Dakota.|....- Gow. eons 310) eee 2 ew toes Reser d0sss. cae 1h | eee O=- 3 2 ee cae (3 (6 ei ied 3 ))q | ee Cle 2 Aaa (ee does GAs ales ok, eee eee AN CROCE ssinba. Bese shee el

| |

|

an re) Total number of S days— > Po dg = : a8 A) > =<§ r-) a oF > : Be 1S AS2 ei) ers oe x ofa | [-s] B 2 D 5 RS | Pel en) se 28 a 21 1 42. 5 aise) | 229 3 37 17 20 1 40.5} 20.5) 20 2 32 12 20 1 52 17 35 1 50 20 30 1 44 15 29 ell 44 16 >. a ae 7 le) \ ee es a ee, 44 7A 23 5 40/51 49325) 9 #27 3 46 14 32 1 56 20 36 3 OD a| keene a (eats 54 14 40 3 47 10 37 3 46 23 23 3 65 5 60 1 56: 52414; 5) “42 2 41 20 21 1 43.5|2 41625) 25 1 207 it 20 eer 47 14 33 1 46 21 25 2 38 15 23 1 39 id 32 1 39 7 32 1 57 16 41 1 31 85) 2b} A 20.0 So) 27 | 2 35 10 25 1 1,357} 416.5) 940.5) 52 42.4 13] 29.4) 1.6

Earnings.

esurzsent SSsSSSssss

S101 00

ar Sesh

SSUSszszs

Z Pet ee or eficit of earn- Expenses for— ings compared with expenses. 86 Ea 83 | 4 dj ‘ ae = = 3 Om S ree 2 ao] 2 the He a nD A $52. 50) +$10.00)..-...- $27. 50 12250) 30200)! 2S 44. 50 50.00). 40. 00).....-. 5. 00 50. 00 3. 00) $40. 00)......-- DOO cos sas 10.00. 87.50} 40.00j....... 42. 50 79./00} * 50:00). 2=3 22 75. 00 72.50) “Auto. |...2...|200esoee 70.00)" Auto:)|S 552) See Gi. 50) 22. see lees 67. 50 Di. 50!” 16:00)~ «7.7525 6755014 22 oo Abate 9. 00 50; 00H... 2 ata eee 10. 00 90.00) ss /2iSc1 oe 22. 00 Si DUI. oe ee 87. 50 OOOO poeta eee 41.50 92.50) 45. 00)....... | 80.50 5700) 16:60) 6. 50laesosee 1EQIO0F M.5 Soe te oe | 130.00 19500). 5h 20.50 oy | eee 17. Sassen PRS 1) Se oe Fey ee 4. 50 DU O02 eee oe |----+-. 50. 00 82550|22 °° > - Rae eee 61. 50 (Ae |) meena amrents tees 5. 00 5 || eee neds, 27. 50 80::00).. 2. clic Ske 63. 50 80.00} 13. 82)....... 72. 82 102. 50 S00 Sea 51. 50 56.50) 12.00)....... 35. 00 AS, || eee eee 40. 50 §2..50) =) 56.00) °.- =. 2 83. 50 2,361.50] 336.82) 81. 75/1, 158. 32 73.80) 10. 53} 116.35] 2 46.33

1 Obtained by subtracting average earnings from average subsistence cost plus average railroad expenses for five harvesters reporting surplus. 3 for 25 harvesters reporting deficit

24

~

EMPLOYMENT OF HARVEST LABOR IN THE WHEAT BELT. 25

ings had been $100 or more vp to time of interview.

Zn | ie ae = Hig do or ~ Totalnumber o Pana i ec for. | deficit of earn- days— les | Expenses for— | ines compared _ \2 | with expenses. __- | State in which i which | a © | z ese aeyed. | es | i ate) ow ae | | : | harvesting. oh) Ma baton a ss fe Sig | ob nn | pe reeelee lec} & | gs | 8) | foe S| Beeperep es 2 | 2 | Be | @ | ae | a 6S see! aay a E 2 E = = as | = lac = = <a | i = 5) ; | eee ae = ae al Z A | a = —— . i Texas... 2385 .. North Dakota.} 95 50 45 2) $500.00 $112.50 .......- $997. 5015... | 7 eee o.. sere |.-2=- doz-=sce 2 (69 39 30 2 436.00) 75.00 $36.00! 325.00).......- ae do=- ts-.|..--- a 69 45 24 6 288.50} 60.00 75.00) 153.50|.......- me 4) ..22d0:. -Saes- - Wansas-- s5_ <2 3 27 6 otto. 00) 45500|-5_. ==. |) 220500|225 =e [see do: . -223.. North Dakota.| 72 27 45 ar L425 00 112) 500i 222. 50). _ 6. Oklahoma..- Oklahoma..... 28 21 7 1}, 120.00; 17.50) 16.00) 86.50|.....-.. =a 7h ahead Kansas........ 36 35 1 re ae) een 172;50) 2 8 7 ee ee eee ae 40 | 20 | 2 = 75-00! — 50: 00|-..-.22- 25. 00! : SRT ee te GEE ee SS - Oklahoma..... 6 23 3 2 125.00) (if) eee 1750 Se = 10}..... Tee aid Eee de. 2 22 35 at | $4 2 110.00! 10.00).......- 100. 00}... .-.--- 2 ee “Ee eo ees da 3-3 ae ORS ae See 2} 110.00{ 10.00).-...... 100: 00]... -.- = i= coe eee Meisas. 222. 5s 72 al ae | A a | 2 120.00 DON ss 117.50 13) -_.. oe ere ee : ee Be 6 20 3 1} 100.00] 7.50).......- 92:50) 2 2 ae Mt igs | ale PO eo7 =) 128 7 3; 113.00} 17.50, 10.00] 85.50|........ Retest. | aOR Toes apes ae Ades 4 Icio || 20 3 | 2 113.00/ 7.50] 5.00] 100.50|..... ... _ ER eS eee 19 | 15 4 1 120.00, 10.00 = 15.00} 95.00)... -...- 7. ae Oklahoma..... | 19 | b 4 1, 120.00; = 10.00; — 15.00) 95.00|.......- ig -5-: * eeeee peg eed ee a: 55 | 27 28 3| 135.00] 70. 00|.......- 65500]. ses m19\ | da: pees 7 eee | 98.5) 18.5, 10 2} 140. 09 25.00' 83.00} 32.00/...._... = ane eee eens | 41 | 22 | 19 | 2 108.00; 47.50; 30.00] 30.501........ 4 ee: Kansas........ im io? 18 3 1; 106.00] 7.50| 17.00] 81.50|........ jE ee dap et #3 | 30 23 7 2 141.00) -17.50|:.--.... 93.50|......-- “4 oe : ee (tet a ae Weer 32 5 31 153.00} 12.50|-......- 140. 50)... ...-- me 24 |... 1 eee eee Go. 5 se... 37.5| 22.5; 15 4, 164.00, 9 37.50)......-- P6502 9 oe i ae ae ee ok dome |0 (37 bir 325|-~ -5 4). 170.00) 12.50}........ 157. 59|. 2 = =.) eae ee North Dakota. 69 26 43 Dees 114200), 107250) 5.22 5.2; 6:50|. =e "a See [ SS aS db ers. |." 38 35 3 1 HAG. OOF -- °7-50i- =e. 132. 501: 2 ee i [ae do. toe 60 40 20 1} 160.00} 50.00........ 110:00r es Be des |<. oS aed 52 | 2 | 2 | 3, 120.00} 70.00........ 50: 00/25 2 a “$13 eae eee ples o> 7. 35.5} 31.5, 4 | 2 155.00} 10.00| 26.00) 119.00]......-- 31 | Kansas __._...- Kansas.......- 19 i ees ch oe (128.08 “750 5. | 12). 50-222. ae Res eC ER Fe tea 1) 28 3 i) 20) - '7.50)\-=.-.---| 22.50. = iit ees TIS Deke See 7 aren 31 By ve eit 1} 100.00} 27.50) 11.75) 60.75)........ 2 es Te Ue teg a eae oh Seen 27.5, 18.5| 9 2} 109.00} 22.50} 31.00} 55.50)......-- 208 She 7c gS ae ze date 2. ea) es en Hh -125. 001. 410.00).-...... | 115. 00)........ oS aa eae | Nebraska....., 28 | 25 a) 9S)? 100 7.50)..-.2.-| | ee Sy gi ea Sin SRE ae South Dakota. 40 28 12 | 3} 140.00) 30.00)......-- fee US ere 2) eee ge Phe | fowge o Seer 23 9 | 21 103.00) 22.50) 25.00) 55.50|........ fee | do. do. 37 30 7 | n° 1220. 00) > 17-50). - -. - -2- 102. 50)......-- | Sl ae es do. 39 22 17 | 2) 102.00} 42.50) 54.00| 5.50}.. .....- er Sees |... do. 39 | 22 | 17 | 9 102.00| 42.50! 54.00 5.50)........ Be ss pee ee Gang | 3 3 17 6 1} 102.00} 15.00} 20.00) 67.00|........ | oe do: 5-252: North Dakota. 5d 20 35 ifr 100-001. (S050)... 1250 _ oe eee ry cage a ap peek des} 348 35 14 2} 175.00} 35.00) 50.00) 90.00|.......- Sl eee ae eee aes ee Gee | 38 31 5| 169.50| 77.50|..-.---- 92. 00|......-- | anaes eeeda! S25). (130 18 21 | 2} 108.00) 52.50)... 55. 50|..--.-.- LE il Nope Ge = he se fe ae : do. . -|. 6 43 Daeey a 4h 2c. 00l) 5%. DOA ULOW-| 22-0 | ee a5 SES do=2.... [eae doo. 4 65 26 39 | 2! 130.00} 97.50|........ 32: 50) ee ees er ae |.....do Pee 8 | 4! 100.00] 20.00)........ | 80.00|........ 2 ieee i eee ee do he 44 37 7 Sit tSt- 00) 47250) =. -—=- | 163. 50)......-- = 3 ee dat ok: fs tes dps. 2)" 52 22 | 30 | 1) 132.00] 75.00)... =..| at OO a eee 4 ee (a ean Rect ia? oe 55 34 21 | 3) 154.00) 52.50; 25.00) 76.50)........ m 53|__... aes. ee do. . 54 0 | 14 | 5} 192.50) 35.00)..-.-.-. 157.50|.....-.- i i a pSee: do. . 30 20 10 | 2} 100.00] 25.00|-.....-. 75.00): ees 2 ae gigs sic: ae doe = ae. 47 21 FF TIS-O0l" 52-50). 2 = 60. 50). ..---.- _ 56 | Missouri. -----. [peeido. 2. .4.| 49° 2h 27.5| 3; 112.50} 27.50) 26.00) 59.00).-...--- me 571... dane hE: it Ee | 30 28 2 3; 110.00] 5.00]........ | 105. 00|...-.--- = ee UST Toes Se y Sepa reas 30 Bet og 3; 110.00}: 5.00)......-- | 105. 00|......-- Bot henisas et. ete a 2 doe. 56 | 20 36 2) 200.00} 90.00} 177.00!....... | $67.00 60 |._ 7 aed ee cae 69 | 47 | 22 | 3 354.00 55.00| 51.00) 248.00)... ..... LS ae Teas A See do. 69 23 46 2 128.00} 115.00] 30.00....... 17.00 me G2 |... _. Gee tas - do. 71 48 | 23 2) 250.00) 57.50) Auto..|.......|--2-..<- 63 | Nebraska..-...|-...- do 46 | 29.51 16.5) 3| 102.50) 42.50/........ 60. Djs 25.22 64 | Wisconson....-|-.--- Osa) AE BO oles 10:5," 2260.00) 27250). .-2- - - - 241. 50 65 | Minnesota. ....|..... do--.--.-| 25} 22 | 3 1ppeis6.00), 7.50) Auto, -|... --.}.~--<-n 66 |... Seas Eee hoes 43 36.5, 6.5). 2} 113.50] 16.50|........ i ae ee gee Basen ics ||: Eda: ty, 60 ese: iit e o) Saeeeae 12.00} 118.00)........ Se eee das sk.| 56 30 26 2} 135.00| 65.00|........| 70,001 <2 2.-e m 69|..--do.........|..- sedo.2i11:-:| 36 | 17 | 19 | 4 0200) 47.50) 9.40) 45.10 2222220, ©. 70' South Dakota.. ---.. dose =e 2S 16 7 1' 160.00° 17.50 9. 00° 133. 50':.. .. 4

Taste II.—Relative earnings and expenses of 83 harvesters in 1921 harvest whose earn- -

—

.

26

TaBLe I[1.—Relative earnings and expenses of 83 harvesters in 1921 harvest whose earn- ings had been $100 or more up to time of inter:iew—Continued.

Total number of

days— pa ae State in which |— 2 interviewed. = harvesting. 3 ae is] tb) Oo Se “4 ' ig S 4g = 71 | North Dakota.|..-... do. . 35 | = 33 Mea evs. ated Gok=<ccks sue eres do. . 35 33 i pas GO. ere eet do.. 29 8 (CS ae Os .25 a ae do. . 15 11 itt 75 Ko eee ea ne We [ees el dors Ai: 30 28 MO Ace io? :. jd a oP do. . 25 21 TN cs a GQes..--..2.).22ee do. . 23 22. o (63 ee dott... | ae do. . 66 28 (hl ee G2. 25. ele ae do. . 49 31. 5) SO ieee One fee ast lol; 3 ares 53 28. 5} "cL eee (lo Saar ol eee, do! <4 = 55 33 82 Alek pe eee oan e doe. 22 1255 3 eae dost =. os eet do. . 32 28 Totaly s-— J|Soche sensor eae 3, 412. 5/2, 258. 5 ISVOLAECS |e eee hae 41.1) 27.2

1 Average for 76 cases reporting surplus. 2 Average for 4 cases reporting deficit.

jobs”

eling. Number of harvest

Idle or trav-

bo mm OO BONEIS, He DO eS OO ott

or

or RO ND Re ND ND tt

obtained,

arnings.

E

RRSRERERSEE: eeseesesssss

S Sou S

1, 154. 0} 181| 12,163.60

13. 9] 2.2

146. 54

BULLETIN 1211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

Expenses for—

Subsistence while idle.

PA

TEAR mS orS wor

—

2, 864. 75/1, 238.

34, 52

_ Surplus or deficit of earn- ings compared — with expenses.

Traveling. Surplus. Deficit

: | od ; $16, 00$145.00........

16. 00} 145.00|.....-.. 20. 00} 103. 50|.-...-.. 16. 00) 106.00|........ 24.00} 83.00]........ 45. 00| 191. 00|........ 10.00] 93. 75|....-.-. 60. 00]... .--. $44, 00 5.00] 53. 00|....--.. 70.00|...-2-.| 300m 20.00} 28. 00!.....-.. 10.00} 87.00|........ 13. 00] 105. 00|.......-

15|7,697.60| 158. 00 14. 92/1 101 28) 2 39.50

eS

ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

FEBRUARY 7, 1924.

Rem, AOTICUILUTE.- <2. -- 222-2 -2-2--4- Henry C. WALLACE. RCE ESEELELOTY --— = 2.22.25, Wx 2 -)------- Howarp M. Gore. Pieammopscienttjic Work:..2--...:2.-.-+---- f. D: Bax.

ireaon oy tequiatory Work. .......-..-----:: WALTER G. CAMPBELL. Wonca of Fixiension- Work: ...-..--..-.---+-- C. W. WARBURTON. MRP 2 282 ee ee we eee R. W. WILLIAMS.

re ae OMNES et 2 ee eo CuaRLEs F. Marvin, Chief. Bureau of Agricultural Economics.......------ Henry C. Taytor, Chief. Burcaw op Animal Industry....-....---.------ JOHN R. Mower, Chief. Burcupop Plant Industry:.......2.-.<-.-.-=-- Wuu1am A. Taytor, Chief. i peagt) Cu i a AS en re W. B. GREELEY, Chief. ere PaO M Me VOMISITY = feo 2 2 ee C. A. Browne, Chief.

Br MUREOOS 22. 22 88S 2. ee ge een Mitton Wuitney, Chief. Bureau of Entomology..-.-------- ean) eee L. O. Howarp, Chief. areas a Biological: Survey... .- 2. =---+-> E. W. NEutson, Chief. ieee MOperewliCd) OG0Sta2. 22-22-2522 se Tuomas H. MacDonatp Chief. Bureau of Home Economics...-.. -- Bee ee oe LovuiIsE STANLEY, Chief. Cece eperiment Siasions. .. 2 2-2-2. + ie 2 E. W. ALLEN, Chief.

Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory....-.------ F. G. Cortre.., Director. PURO TTR 2 ee ne a ed L. J. HaAYNEs, in Charge. Le OP 3 oe ae CLARIBEL R. BAarNert, Librarian. Pederal Horteuliurat Board............2....-- C. L. Maruarr, Chairman. Insecticide and Fungiade Board..........---- . J. K. Haywoop, Chairman.

Packers and Stockyards Administration ...--- Grain Futures Administration.............-

CHESTER MorriLL, Assistant to the Secretary.

This bulletin is a contribution from

Bureau of Agricultural Economics ........--

Division of Land Economics ......

Henry C. Taytor, Chief.

------- L.C. Gray, Economist in Charge.

27

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