Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-06-11

Corn Harvester In Operation-Wher
Binder Increases Efficiency of
prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture)
The relative efficiency Of plows of
different sizes. the value Of the tractor
compared with horses, the saving ef-
fected by corn binders, hay leaders,
and numerous other implements, and
other facts bearing on farm manage
ment are discussed by specialists Of
the Office of farm management, in a
bulletin recently issued. The publica-
tion discusses In detail the standard
days work In central Illinois; that is,
the amount of work that the 600 farm
ers included in the investigation ordi-
narily do In that part of the work day
devoted &C. a given farm operation,
such ns the number OF acres plowed
with a given equipment. In some in
stances tine rate of work Is given In
the bulletin In number of minutes per
load, as In loading and unloading hay,
or hauling and spreading manure.
From the figures published one may
get a good idea of the rate at which
different farm operations are done in
the parts Of the corn belt in question.
For example. 1t Is shown that one man
does from 20 to so per cent more with
the 2S-lneh horse-drawn gang plow
than with the one-bottom 16-lnch plow.
Figures are given for spring and fall
MI I,ts q
ing. harvesting, husl<ing. seeding, un-
loading ear corn, unloading oats, load
ing and unloading hay, and hauling
and spreading manure. The bulletin
Is entitled "The Standard Days Work
In Central Illinois," Copies may be
had by addressing the United States
department Of agriculture, Washing
ton. d. G.
The farms represented by this in
quiry are fairly typical Of those
throughout the middle western states,
since the average crop area is 1914
acres and an average Of 32.1 acres is
never planted to crops. Corn is the
principal product, at least one7half of
the crop area being devoted to it. and
the oat crop is second in Importance.
The ground cultivated In most in
stances is level, and so represents cas-
Ter working conditions than rolling off
rugged country.
The average time spent in the field.
exclusive of the time used In going
to and returning from the field, at
morning. noon, and night, is reported
by these men as ten hours and ten
minutes per day devoted to spring
field work and corn cultivation; nine
hours and 50 minutes for haying and
grain harvesting; nine hours and 30
minutes for fall plowing and preparing
ground; and nine hours and 20 min
utes for corn harvest.
important Facts Emphasized.
Among the significant facts brought
out by this inquiry may be mentioned
the following:
Under conditions where the use Of @
two-row corn cultivator is practicable
this machine enables one man on these
farms to cover nearly twice as much
ground per day as with n one-row cult
vator. Three horses are most com
monty used on the twO-row cultivation
and the addition Of a fourth horse ap
parently increases but little the amoun
of ground covered per day.
These farmers find that the use o.
a corn binder Increases the efficienc.
of man labor 80 per cent over tina
achieved when cutting and shocking b!
hand.
Eighty bushels was an average day
work on these farms for one man wheI
husking corn from the standing stall
by hand.
The. use Of portable elevator re
duces the time required to unload grail
into the bin by about 20 per cent.
The use of a hay loader reduces b,
about % per cent the time required I
put on a load Of hay. The amount o
labor required for unloading into tn
NOV Is only n little more than hal
as great when n hayfork is used q
when the work Is done by hand.
The men in this territory who MS
manure spreaders haul and spread
half the time required by men VIII
haul in wagons and spread by hant
A large majority Of the men repor
ing broadcast their small grain, usin
endgate seeders attached to II
box Of an ordinary wagon. Only abot
% per cent Of the farmers reportir
own grain drills.
The bulletin analyses each field o.
Grafton from the standpoint Of ma
labor requirements. horse-labor r
quIrements, size of machine, etc. tt
manner in which the data on plowir
have been summarized is typical Of Il
way in which several subjects n
treated. About so per cent Of d
farmers reported the use of sull
plows, about so per cent stated tn
they use horse-drawn gang plows, Al
IA per cent reported the use of tracto
for plowing.
16-Ineh SuIky PIows Popular.
A large majority of the farmers U
16-inch sulky plows, nearly all
them with three horses in the sprir
Three acres Is an average days wo
for this outfit. For the comparative
few farmers using 14-inch sulky plo
with three horses in spring, plowl
about three acres is an average da
work. While theoretically the 16-lr
plow should cover about IS Der C,
more ground IN the same length
Most Profitable Layers.
The age when hens are most Or