Labor and Material Reffuirements for Crops and Livestock 13

 SWEET POTATOES
 Sweet potato records were secured from 16 farmers who pro-
 duced 25 acres, an average of 1.6 acres per farm (Table 9). The
 only variety produced on these farms was the Improved Porto
 Rican. Early planting is generally done from a plant bed and
 later plantings are made from cuttings. Many plantings of an
 acre or less are made for home use and hog feed. After enough
 are dug for home use the hogs are turned in on the field. More
 attention is given sweet potatoes which are being produced
 commercially and seed requirements for such plantings are much
 less.

 TABLE 9.-SWEET POTATOES: LABOR AND MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS.
 Usual Period Man Mule
 Operation of Hours Hours
 Performance per Acre per Acre
Preparation and care of seedbed .... Feb. 16 Apr. 30 13.8 2.1
Break land ........................................ Feb. 1 Apr. 30 10.2 10.2
Prepare and plant ....................... Mar. 1 June 30 45.6 11.6
Cultivate ........................................ Apr. 16 July 15 19.5 19.5
Hoe .............................................. Apr. 1 July 15 16.2
Harvest and bank ............................. Oct. 16 Nov. 30 72.7 30.1

 178.0 73.5

Material requirements per acre: Seed 5/2 bushels; fertilizer 450 pounds;
 plant bed manure 470 pounds
Yield per acre: 102 bushels


 All 16 farmers used over 200 pounds of commercial fertilizer
per acre. The most common mixture was 3-8-5. Stable manure
was used under all seedbeds planted.

 FLUE-CURED TOBACCO
 Flue-cured tobacco records were obtained from 22 farmers
who produced a total of 47.6 acres or 2.2 acres per farm (Table
10). There is little variation between farms in the method of
producing tobacco. Also there is little variation in the time of
year when specific operations are performed. The fertilizing
practice is very uniform, the usual application being 1,000 pounds
to the acre. The most common mixes of fertilizer used are
3-8-5 and 3-8-8. Nearly all farmers hired tobacco trucked to
market at a flat price per 100 pounds.