Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-10
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
M OULE
BY DR.. ANDREW M. SOULE

, lied truck farm where suitable soils
and facilities for marketing are
available.
When seven acres of peanuts are
grown in addition to the other gen
eral crops. a total of SS6-man days
and 290-mule days are required per
year. The heaviest demands for
man labor come in May. September
and October. The most mule labor
is required in June due to the neces.
sity for breaking land for sowing
cowpeas. The man labor is high in
September and October because
harvesting peanuts conflicts with
cotton picking, and because the
corn must be gathered early to per.
NIT the fields to be grazed by hogs.
Relatively little work is required in
November and December except sow.
ing grain and fall breaking.
Peanuts. compete for labor with
cotton, both planting and harvest
coming at about the same time for
the crops. This crop, therefore, does
not help in distributing the labor
on the cotton farm. 1t is introduced
as a substitute for cotton and &C.
cupies a portion of the land and time
formerly used for cotton. When
peanuts are low priced, and the
profits for cotton are favorable, the
tendency among farmers is to reduce
the peanut acreage and plant more
cotton.
When ten acres of watermelons
are grown instead Of peanuts, the
fall months are not quite so busy,
but in April, May and June the work
Is heavy. One advantage which wa
termelons give is that many of the
melons are marketed in July when
no other crop interferes.
Seven acres of sweet potatoes re-
quire total of eighty days Of man
labor and forty days of mule labor.
The two mules could probably handle
the work, but extra man labor would
have to be hired in April, May and
June. and again in September and
October. Much Of the hand labor
on sweet potatoes can be done by
children, and will provide profitable
employment for them. Both trans.
planting and digging, however, inter-
feEe with school work. The prin-
cipal advantage in growing sweet
potatoes, from the labor standpoint,
is that the transplanting can be
spread out over several months. and
can be done during wet weather or
while waiting for the fields to dry
after a shower. The digging can
also be delayed if necessary until
after the other crops are harvested.
Sugar cane fits in well with most
other crops. Although it requires
a large amount of both man and
mule labor, the heaviest demands
are at times when other crops are
not pressing for attention. It is
usually planted earlier than other
farm crops, while the syrup can be
made up during November and De-
cen1ber after all other crops are
harvested. When five acres of sug-
ar cane are grown in the suggested
cropping system, the total number
of days of man labor for all crops is
497, while 356 days of mule labor
are required. The man labor in o.
tober is excessive,
On a general farm where sugar
cane is more or less q, side line,
syrup making need not start so
early. The plans will keep the mules
fairly busy, except during July and
August, but without overlooking
them at any time. 4
The available mule labor is the
factor which limits the acreage that
can be handled on any farm. It is
usually possible to pick up extra
hands for special work at any time,
but mules cannot be hired during
the rush season. The1 efore, in
planning the cropping system it is
more important to watch the mule
labor than the man labor. More
over, it is important that the mules
be kept busy at productive work be-
cause they have to be fed every day
whether they work or not.
: A large portion. of the farms in
south Georgia do not have their
farms fenced and cross-fenced. 1t
is possible to produce hogs on such
farms, but for the greatest economy
in hog production, some of the fields
need to be fenced. With farmers
in their present financial condition,
this is difficult if not impossible at
been prepared to enable the farm.
ers to keep hogs by fencing small
areas. This system is recommended
in the present emergency, but every
farmer should plan to get his en-
tire farm under fence if he expects
to grow the maximum number of
live stock.
Cropping System for a Two-MuIe
South Georgia Farm in Sections
Where Fields Arc Not Fenced
Crops. Acres.
Cotton Is
Corn and velvet beans .......... %
Oats followed by peas ..........
Wheat on heavy soils followed
by peas
Additional cash crops ......... $40
Grazing Crops. Acres