Page:The Scientific Monthly vol. 3.djvu/441

 MALARIA AND CROP PRODUCTION

��435

��The field operations and the man labor requirements for cotton, com and oats in north Louisiana are shown in the following table which has been prepared from figures which were also furnished by Mr. Oates.

FlKLD OPXBATIONS AND MaN LaBOE BSQUIRSMSNTS fob CbOP83

��Crop

�Operatlom

�Scaaon (ATOBge)

�Dayi labor per Acre

�Cotton

�Cut stalks

�Dec. 28 to Feb. 4 Jan. 14 to Mar. 16 Feb. 6 to Mar. 24 Mar. 31 to Apr. 19 Apr. 13 to Aug. 4 Aug. 20 to Dec. 7

�.13

� �Break and bed

Harrow or drag

Plant

�.68 .14 .13

� �Cultivate and hoe .... Pick and haul

�5.43 6.78

� � � � �Total for cotton

� �13.29

� � � � �Ck>m

�Cut stalks

�Deo. 26 to Feb. 3 Jan. 3 to Mar. 2 Feb. to Mar. 20 Feb. 21 to Mar. 19 Mar. 5 to Mar. 29 Mar. 26 to June 21 Mar. 24 to June 18 May 28 to June 18 Sept. 13 to Nov. 3

�.12

� �Break or bed

�.80

� �Harrow and drag

Lay off rows

�.16 .13

� �Plftnt

�.14

� �Cultivate

�1.21

� �Thin or hoe

�1.07

� �Plant peas

�.12

� �Harvest

�.84

� � � � �Total for com

� �4.59

� � � � �Oata (threshed)

�Break

�Sept. 21 to Nov. 8 Sept. 25 to Nov. 8 Oct. 11 to Nov. 16 May 28 to June 9 May 28 to June 9 June 20 to July 10 June 22 to July 15

�.64

�Harrow

�,22

� �Sow or drill

�.09

� �Cut

�.16

� �Shook

�.32

� �Haul and thresh

Haul grain

�.71 .19

� � � � �Total for oats

� �2.33

��As the Labor involved in the control of the cotton boll weevil must be considered in this study, the period for this operation and the labor required are necessary. These have been estimated for this region by Mr. W. D. Hunter. The period of the operation averages from May 1 to June 30. The labor required is equal to at least one third of the labor requirements for hoeing cotton. This amounts to 1.12 man days labor per acre for boll-weevil control work.

The accompanying chart shows the seasonal distribution of the labor, by crops, from the estimates of averages by Mr. Oates, including the operation for boll-weevil control in cotton furnished by Mr. Hunter. (See chart I.). No account has been taken of the 70 acres of cow-peas and the 60 acres of lespedeza hay in arriving at the labor requirements

sThe figures on cotton and com are determined from estimates by 72 planters of northwestern Louisiana. Those on threshed oats are from estimates of 9 planters in the same region. The region is in the same rain and frost belts as the one in which this study is located.

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