UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA SEASONAL LABOR REQUIREMENTS tfw FOR CALIFORNIA CROPS R. L. ADAMS BULLETIN 623 JULY, 1938 CONTRIBUTION FROM THE GIANNINI FOUNDATION OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA CONTENTS PAGE Introduction 3 Object and method of present study 4 Crops, acreage, and production 5 Output per man-day for selected tasks 5 Total requirements for seasonal labor in man-days 11 Three major periods of demand 14 County variations in requirements 15 Seasonal labor requirements for specific crops and tasks in man-days 15 Seasonal labor requirements of carrots 15 Seasonal labor requirements of cotton 15 Seasonal labor requirements of hops 18 Seasonal labor requirements of lettuce 18 Seasonal labor requirements of lemons and oranges 18 Seasonal labor requirements of onions 19 Seasonal labor requirements of pears 19 Seasonal labor requirements of peas (green) 19 Seasonal labor requirements of prunes 19 Seasonal labor requirements of sugar beets 20 Seasonal labor requirements of tomatoes 20 Seasonal labor requirements of walnuts 20 Number of individual seasonal workers required 20 Factors involved in converting from man-days to number of workers 21 Total needs by counties and months 24 Summary and discussion 26 Acknowledgments 28 SEASONAL LABOR REQUIREMENTS FOR CALIFORNIA CROPS 1 2 R. L. ADAMS 3 INTRODUCTION California agriculture, as now organized and constituted, requires the services of large numbers of farm workers during relatively short, inter- mittent periods throughout the year. This situation is attributable in part to the relatively high degree of specialization in production on most farms and in most areas but more particularly to the large number and extensive acreages of staple and specialty crops, each possessing relatively high man-labor requirements, which constitute so large a part of the agricultural production of the state. Much of the labor used in producing these crops is highly seasonal, coming at more or less fixed times and extending over relatively short periods in any one area. Differences in climatic and other conditioning factors, however, provide for a succession of planting and harvesting dates in different parts of the state. This in turn provides for employ- ment opportunities successively occurring in widely separated geo- graphic areas. As a result of these conditions, there developed, early in the history of California farming, relatively large numbers of migratory workers who move from area to area where employment is available or where they expect or hope that work can be found. These people, for the most part, constitute a homeless and landless group, forced by circumstances to move with the seasons from one locality to another in search of employ- ment; earning possibly fair to good wages while work is available but, with the exception of the more able or more fortunate, unable to obtain sufficient employment over the course of the year to support themselves and families adequately. Thus, on the one hand, there is evidenced among large numbers in this unstabilized labor group, low incomes per family, instability in employ- ment and residence, bad housing and living conditions, unsatisfactory school and recreational facilities for the children, and other requisites of a satisfactory family life, all of which contribute to social conditions and attitudes that are both unwholesome for the group immediately con- cerned and to the stability and quality of the social life of communities 1 Received for publication February 1, 1938. 2 Paper No. 74, the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics. 3 Professor of Farm Management, Agricultural Economist in the Experiment Sta- tion, and Agricultural Economist on the Giannini Foundation. [3] 4 University of California — Experiment Station affected. On the other hand, farmers are faced with labor supplies un- certain both in numbers and in competency of workers, at critical periods in the production and harvesting of crops; with partial or total loss of incomes and of capital equipment during recurrent periods of unrest among workers with their usual accompaniment of strikes and sabotage ; and with employer-employee relations involving establishment of wage scales, working hours, housing, and other working conditions. During recent years the acute economic distress of large numbers of rural workers, resulting largely from conditions beyond the control of either farm operators or laborers, has served to focus attention upon the social disadvantage and plight of this part of the populace. Public agencies engaged in the administration of unemployment relief, in re- habilitation, and in other social functions of government are faced with a multiplicity of problems of far-reaching magnitude concerning which there is but little information of a definite nature at hand. To meet this situation, a comprehensive program of investigation into the conditions of farm labor in California has been outlined by the University of Cali- fornia College of Agriculture for prosecution as time and facilities per- mit. One aspect of the situation which was given immediate attention relates to the amounts, kinds, and time when seasonal labor is required in the production of California field, fruit, and truck crops under present- day conditions. This investigation, in effect an inventory of the demand aspect of seasonal labor, is reported here in summary form. Object and Method of Present Study. — During 1936 and early in 1937, data on seasonal labor for producing, harvesting, and preparing Cali- fornia crops for market were collected from all the counties requiring such labor. Original reports were issued as mimeographed separates by counties as rapidly as prepared/ This bulletin is a summary of the county findings for the state as a whole. The data relate to the 1935-36 crop year, unless otherwise specifically noted, and deal only with the labor require- ments for crop production, those for livestock not being included. The findings, furthermore, apply only to hired seasonal workers as distin- guished from labor employed on a more or less permanent basis or sup- plied by farm operators or the members of their families. They do not apply to teamsters, tractor drivers, or shed workers. Thus the data in- clude the migratory, transient, or roving workers, and the local residents as well, who are drawn upon to help out as occasion requires. 4 Data were collected from all California counties except Del Norte, Humboldt, Inyo, Mono, and Trinity. Of the various counties for which data were collected, mimeographed or typed reports were prepared for distribution to interested agencies. The supply of these reports is now exhausted but copies may be consulted at offices of county farm advisors. Bul. 623] Seasonal Labor Requirements 5 The procedure employed consisted in : (1) delimiting areas in the state within which methods and practices used and seasonality of production are generally similar; (2) determining the acreage and volume of pro- duction of each type of crop within each area ; (3) determining the tasks for which seasonal workers are employed, the total labor requirement for the performance of such tasks, and the time of need of such labor for each crop and task; and (4) from these data, the monthly and annual requirements for seasonal workers by crops and tasks in each county were computed and reported in terms of man-days of labor required. The object of this investigation was to determine the current require- ments for extra help in producing California crops and to provide basic information upon which estimates might be made of the requirements for such labor in other years or as occasion demanded. This publication presents a compilation of the several county studies to show the total state needs for seasonal crop laborers throughout the year. CROPS, ACREAGE, AND PRODUCTION The crops, acreage, and volume of production involved in determining the requirements for seasonal farm workers in California are listed in table 1. The figures in table 1 represent the total acreage and actual or estimated volume of production. Seasonal workers were not used in the production or harvesting of all crops in all counties. Hence these figures exceed, in some cases, the acreage and yield of product reported in later sections as using or requiring the use of seasonal labor. OUTPUT PER MAN-DAY FOR SELECTED TASKS The range and usual amount of work accomplished in a 9-hour day 5 by adult male workers in performing selected hand tasks are reported in table 2 for use in determining seasonal labor requirements. The usual rate of output for each task represents a general cross-section figure for the state. It varies with locality and with different farms in the same lo- cality, with differences in soil conditions, in prevalence of weeds, with types or varieties of crops, with heights of trees and spacing of annual plants, with the volume of product per acre, and with types and efficien- cies of workers. The range in rates of output is reported only for those tasks in which marked variation in work accomplishment was reported. The amount of w 7 ork performed per man is subject to considerable vari- ation. This is the result not only of varying work capacities of different individuals but also to variation in working conditions. Comfortable 5 The average amount of work accomplished by an experienced efficient adult male worker during a 9-hour workday, under the usual working conditions for each task in each area is known as a "man-day" of work. 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Apples. Apricots. Asparagus . Beans. Bush fruits. Cabbage . Carrots. Cauliflower . Celery. Cherries. Task Pruning Brush disposal . Knocking '. Hulling (hand). Pruning Brush disposal Thinning Picking (for shipping) . Picking (for drying) . . . Sorting and wiping. . . . Packing Pruning Brush disposal Thinning Picking (for shipping) . Picking (for drying). . . Cutting Cutting, hauling, trimming, sorting, and packing J Hoeing and weeding. \Piling vines {Picking (blackberres) . . Picking (raspberries) . . Picking (youngberries) Planting (hand) . Hoeing Dusting Cutting Packing (Weeding Hoeing Pulling and bunching. (Hand planting. I Hoeing Cutting Packing (Transplanting to field. Weeding Harvesting Pruning Picking (shipping) Picking (canning) Sorting and loose packing . Tight packing Output per man-day (9 hours) Range in rates 0.25-2.25 acres 0.17-0.33 acre 0.17-0.6 acre 2.0-4.0 acres 1,000-2,000 pounds 500-750 pounds 1.0-5.0 acres 0.7-3.0 acres Usual rate 1 .0 acre 4.5 acres 0.5 acre 275 pounds 0.25 acre 2.5 acres 0.25 acre 1.0 ton 1.25 tons 1.0 ton 75 boxes 0.2 acre 2.5 acres 0.25 acre 1,200 pounds 1,500 pounds 750 pounds 4 crates 2.5 acres 2.0 acres 300 pounds 150 pounds 300 pounds 0.33 acre 0.75 acre 1 .5 acres 90 crates 45 crates 0.33 acre 1 .0 acre 13.5 crates* 0.5 acre 1.25 acres 72 crates 45 crates 0.25 acre 0.5 acre 25 crates 0.75 acre 150 pounds 200 pounds 900 pounds 225 pounds * Crates of 6 dozen bunches. (Continued on next page) 8 University of California — Experiment Station TABLE 2 — (Continued) Range and Usual Output per Man-Day for Specified Crops and Tasks, 1935-36 Crop Corn (grain). Corn (sweet) , Cotton . Cucumbers. Currants . Dates . Figs. Grapefruit . Grapes (raisin) Grapes (table and wine) Hops. Lemons Picking Task Picking, husking, hauling, and cribbing Hoeing and suckering. Picking and packing. . (Chopping. \Picking. . . Hoeing and thinning. Hoeing (second time) . Picking (Pruning. Hoeing. . Picking. Picking. . Pruning (Kadotas) Pruning (others) Caprif ying Picking (Kadotas) Picking (others — shipping) . Picking up (for drying) — Picking . Pruning (trellis system) . Pruning (short system) . Tying and wrapping. . . Dusting Picking Turning trays Rolling paper trays Boxing and delivering. . Pruning Brush disposal Suckering Thinning and girdling. . . Girdling only Dusting Hoeing Picking (table varieties) . Picking (wine varieties) . Pruning, stringing, and training. Picking Output per man-day (9 hours) Range in rates 500-900 pounds 0.5-0.75 acre 2.0-5.0 acres 1,500-3,000 pounds 0.5-1.0 acre 200-250 pounds 10-30 boxes Usual rate 0.75 acre 1.0 acre 70 lugst 2.5 acres 200 pounds 0.5 acre 3.0 acres 800 pounds 0.25 acre 0.33 acre 9 crates t 250 pounds 0.3 acre 0.5 acres 1.0 acre 400 pounds 300 pounds 700 pounds 90 field boxes 0.5 acre 0.66 acre 1.5 acres 20 acres 1.5 tons 1,500 trays§ 1,500 trays§ 2.5 tons 0.75 acre 2.0 acres 1.5 acres 0.37 acre 1.0 acre 20.0 acres 2.0 acres 1,500 pounds 2,000 pounds 0.5 acre 250 pounds^ 20.0 field boxesll t Lugs of 3 dozen ears. % Crates of 18 pounds net weight. § 22 pounds green weight; 5.5 pounds dried weight. 1 Green weight. || Rate varies markedly at different times of the year, namely from 10 to 30 boxes (Continued on next page) Bul. 623] Seasonal Labor Requirements 9 TABLE 2— (Continued) Range and Usual Output per Man-Day for Specified Crops and Tasks, 1935-36 Crop Lettuce. Melons . Olives. Onions. Oranges . Peaches . Pears . Peas. Peppers . Persimmons Picking Task Thinning Hoeing Cutting Dry packing in field. Hoeing Thinning Turning vines Picking (cantaloupes) . Picking (Honey Balls). Picking (Honeydews) . (Pruning Picking (for oil) Picking (for pickling) . Transplanting to field Weeding Hand cultivating Hoeing (first time) Hoeing (second time) Pulling and windrowing Topping, sorting, and sacking. Pruning. Picking . Pruning Brush disposal Thinning Picking (freestones for shipping) . Picking (freestones for drying) . . . Picking (clingstones) Cutting to dry (freestones) Cutting to dry (clingstones) Pruning Brush disposal Hoeing and suckering . Picking Cutting for drying. . . . {Hoeing Picking (poled varieties) . Picking (bush varieties) . Thinning and resetting. . Hoeing Picking (for drying) Picking (for canning) Output per man-day (9 hours) Range in rates 300-500 pounds 275-400 pounds 0.33-1.0 acre 1,200-3,000 pounds 0.15-0.25 acre 1,200-2,000 pounds 1,500-3,000 pounds 1,000-2,000 pounds 1,200-2,000 pounds 1,000-1 ,350 pounds 210-420 pounds Usual rate 0.5 acre 1.0 acre 22.5 field crates 63 crates 1.0 acre 10 acres 2.0 acres 30 crates 30 crates 100 crates 0.2 acre 400 pounds 300 pounds 0.2 acre 1.0 acre 1.5 acres 0.5 acre 1.5 acres 1 .0 acre 2,000 pounds 0.25 acre 50 field boxes** 0.25 acre 2.5 acres 0.2 acre 1,500 pounds 2,000 pounds 2,000 pounds 1 ,500 pounds 1 ,000 pounds 0.25 acre 3.0 acres 2.0 acres 1,600 pounds 1,000 pounds 1 .0 acre 180 pounds 300 pounds 2.0 acres 1.5 acres 3,000 pounds^ 2,000 poundsl 1,800 pounds ** Three field boxes equal 2 packed boxes. 1 Green weight. (Concluded on next page) 10 University of California — Experiment Station TABLE 2— (Concluded) Eange and Usual Output per Man-Day fob Specified Crops and Tasks, 1935-36 Crop Plums. Potatoes . Prunes. Rice Sorghums. Spinach.. . Squash Strawberries . Sugar beets . Sweet potatoes. Tomatoes . Walnuts. Watermelons . Task {Pruning.. Thinning. Picking. . Cutting seed Hoeing Digging by hand, picking up, sorting, and sacking Picking up after digging and sacking {Pruning Brush disposal Picking up for drying Shocking bundles. f Hoeing \Cutting heads by hand. ( Hoeing and thinning. [Cutting for canning. . Picking . J Hoeing. \Picking. Thinning Hoeing (first time) Hoeing (second time) Pulling, topping, and loading. Planting Hoeing Harvesting Picking up Picking up and packing . Transplanting to field (hand) . Hoeing Dusting Picking (for market) Picking (for canning) {Thinning and hoeing Knocking and picking up ... . Picking up and hand hulling. Pruning Hoeing (second time) . Turning vines Picking Loading on trucks. . . . Output per man-day (9 hours) Range in rates 750-2,000 pounds 2,600-7,000 pounds 0.25-0.5 acre 1,400-2,500 pounds 0.75-1.0 acre 0.33-0.66 acre 1.5-4.0 tons 0.4-0.75 acre 1.0-2.5 acres 5.0-6.0 tons 0.66-1.0 acre 2,000-2,500 pounds 10.0-18.0 tons Usual rate 0.25 acre 0.2 acre 800 pounds 2,000 pounds 1.5 acres 2,500 pounds 6,000 pounds 0.5 acre 2.5 acres 2,000 pounds 3.0 acres 2.5 acres 0.75 acre 0.66 acre 2.0 tons 50 cratesft 0.05 acre 15 crates 0.5 acre 1.5 acres 2.5 acres 5 tons 0.6 acre 1 .5 acres 0.15 acre 65 lugs 30 lugs 0.75 acre 1.0 acre 5.0 acres 1,200 pounds 2,500 pounds 0.5 acre 200 pounds 150 pounds 1.5 acres 3.0 acres 4.0 acres 15.0 tons 6.0 tons ft Crates of 24 pounds. Source of data: Compiled from field collection of data. The data lished in mimeograph form for individual counties. for important agricultural areas were pub- Bul. 623] Seasonal Labor Requirements 11 working conditions — freedom from excessive heat, dust, rains, weed growths, and other adverse conditions — will tend to increase output. Un- favorable working conditions can materially reduce daily outputs per worker. Under actual conditions the workers may fall short of meeting outputs of adult and efficient workers, especially if the task be one in which women and children are employed. These data are assembled from the various county reports of seasonal Fig. 1. — Total man-days of seasonal labor required each month in California. (Data from table 3.) labor requirements issued previously as separates. All operations are not included. For other tasks and locality rates, reference may be made to the individual county reports. TOTAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SEASONAL LABOR IN MAN-DAYS The total annual requirements for seasonal labor for the planting, grow- ing, and harvesting of the various field, fruit, truck, and miscellaneous crops of California, as shown by the various county studies, amounts to 22,467,800 man-days (table 3) . This total is made up of varying require- ments by months, ranging from a minimum of a little more than 1,000,000 man-days in December and February to a peak, or maximum, of over 3,000,000 man-days in September. Table 3 indicates the requirements by months. 12 University of California — Experiment Station CO CO I CO Oi K"S CO ■3 55 CM © 1-H if cn b- . 15 CO CN os os os N OS U5 CD O IS IS CO CM CO OS CO N CO N t-» N CO ifl CN N 1(5 lO if © i-H 1 t>. 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Fresno c 3 "3 g 3 w T s p £ I-H c ■ > d 1— 1 - S SI C P a a o * B a X C P il S d 3 bH CU 01 c ~ c c p c > 3 O 1 03 a t: a . > Bul. 623] Seasonal Labor Requirements 13 i>- co © so ■*< -H CO o CO Tf OO 00 OO » N •*f 00 00 CO CO i—l 00 US CO eMi>-i-HCMi-.©t"©^- CO os OS CO ^ O N OO IO -HCO«OO^f- CO co os -l US US to UJ CO WON H W "O n h ^ us to I os us oo w eo n I - t> OS os ^i oo os © !D N rt N CO US CM ■*f OO l>- o CM 0O O ^ ■* M OO « M OO N O !>. t- Tt< t-~ CO O 00 co o> t-- •* US OS CO 00 OS CO 00 US i-H Tf Hf >*f US CO O US O0 CM N lO ■* O) » OS O 0O f * * M OS CO - CO 00 t^ N N O (O CO US 00 I-- CO 1 t"- o co «* t^ O co -H rH en r^ us o CO OB i— i CM 1 i"H o i— i o o us CO r^ J oi ^h OS r^ ~h an O t— o oo --3 TT OB CM OS -^ US CO 00 f- US ^< ■O oj ■a i>- 1 •>- to f CO t- 09 00 OS OB us ■O" CM o 1 1—1 as o T ~ l OO o — H !>-. t^- r~ caj co i>- ^< CO oo r~ IQ OB 1-H "0 V) OB r^ OS CM CO CM as CO CM If OO CM CO IQ Ol r^ CM t~ ~^ - CO r— SO co CI rr. t*. r-< us Ol IQ co 1>- t^ US ao ~H CO OO us CO 1-H CO O DO OS 00 -H US CO DO l> OS Hf OS US US CO co •f CO <* BO If CO OS OS CO IQ o Ol o o co Ol CS IQ co CO 1— ( -H ^r us cm CO us l-H "* t^ o o — H US OS CO' r^ CO CO OJ ^H ^r r- * co oo O O CM i-H 90 US 1-H l-H i— c >— i — « rH ^* CM CO ~H o o rH O CO y, CO CO r^ co ^H OB to O •o o »* e !■» CM CO OS o *— * r~ OS 1— 1 os l> o OS i — i BO CO i-H 00 t^ O o o ^r o DO r^ ^f •^f US 1-- CO r^ ^H CM OO os rH rH o T t^ cc BO o t^ CO 1^ •M -»- u; t^ CM co CO 'JO CO US CM 1 us OS CO y— ( CO — OB ** OS OB ■a OS US us <* a LO cr h- "* o ■*f •O r^ US o OS CO OS OO CM CO cm" © co CN SO 5N co CO OS ^H Ol ^r ■>* N O) IQ co CO — H CO Tt< CO us CO — r-H rH ^H rH i-H -* o O "* crj C^J *—i ^H 1 "» O ^1 on CO O 1 e* CM o CO i— < >* ■^ o 1 «© ■<* CM o © 5 z: IQ -r T> B0 os O us co rH r^ CM t^ r^ OB — 4 JO US o CM OS CM Tt< US OS r^ s. a CO CO CO us CM ^ f 00 r^ US US o r~ t^ co CO 1 oo ■^< ^H CO CM za CM Ol r^ r- US US ■<* t^- O CO us us OS CO Tf Ol CO CCS 00 o — ■* CM ^ OS —- 1 cm" OS co Ol B0 >o CM CO ^H 01 Ol r~ T-l CO' us ^r OS CM oo o O) ^^ rH 1—t CM I-- co o 00 CO CO us CO us o OS US i-H CO OS ■*»< CO US CM us US O ^ CM US O ■^< us tj< oo co us * N O 0O H N CO CO t^. •<*< OS t^ •f rt< O 00 CO O ■^1 OO CO t^ CO f t^- •**■ OS -h US CM ^H 1— i •*? co os us 00 CO OS CO oo o i-H CM f OS CM i-l -d- CO rH r^ o ■^< 1 © co US CTS ■* CO © O r^ so •rf r- i-H 1 © CO ~* •^ t-~ CO CO a> BO o ■-3 OS CO If us OS r- T us © f^ t^ 00 us © ■^< OS CO t~- CO C4 US ■f t^ co CO t^ oo US OS i— < us CO CM CO © r- ^H O) 00 1 CO us Tf CO oo US CO CO 'OS o-. o US CO JO; >— ( CO B0 CO CO Os r^ ^( ■* oo CM CO OS © o © CO CO ^< US US r~ ■<»< >— ( ^H TC T t>. ^r oa C^l CO OS T-H CO CO CM 1—1 1-H CM OS 1-H Ifl © O CM 0O ^ O) H N CM O OO *-t CO US i— c US O0 US CM CM -H OO CM CM I O0 CO CO O N IN I CO CO CO CO © © I t~ CO OS CM CM CM OS O CO US CO US CO US 00 US I N N ^ CO I CO t^ f CO I CO © -^l W N * ID H 00 CM CM CM ■* CO i-H OS OO CO CO © US to a © b- CO CO SO OS "* CO co o oo CO co 1-H OS © us CO us CO OJ US co oo ^^ on US an CO CO us TJ< OJ oo CO CM co CO ■f 1-H CO 00 t^ -* B0 1-H CO CM us t^. OS rH | 1 00 CO t^ 00 CO CO o © •«f CO CO CO © t» Tf CO o ^H CM T* BO CM © 1—1 OS US OS 1-H CM 1>~ t^ CM «# CO ■f CO US CM i-H OJ i-H f OJ CM CM CM 00 CO CO t~ ^ oo OB CO CO 1-H CM r-- o co 00 I CO 00 o CO CO CO CM CO ■^< l>- US OS CO CI oo ^H us OS CO CM oa co •* CO i-H GO o oo US i-H ao •f o oo t^ oo OS ■* co o i-H OS US 1— ) o CO 1 1 00 o OS co •>. oo © OS OS oo us oo © -— < 00 CO r^ oo f US CO r- oq Os us OS oo i-H r^ co CM •*« •O US «Q co 1-H CO CM US CM CO CO co l -1 CO CM 1~^ oo CO 1-H ao OS © -* CO CO CO CO US CO — H 1^ t~ 1 1 os •H* -H © Hf 1 »■ CM e CO ■*f CO US CO If OS US ^r o Hf o CO CO us »- CO CO co r^ CM CO us OS CM •o CO If 1^ ao l-H |S~ CO s 1-H ^f 00 OS | 1 oo CO CM o CM 1 CO CM l-H 1-H OS CM IS- i-H t^ © US ^H US o 00 0O CM r .r- 00 o CO 00 r^ 1^. «* CO OS »- ^ US CM CM CO CM l-H US CM CM co f CM OJ CM rH US 1-H CO 1-H CD s CD fi u CO > a C 01 C9 • o : a +1 co c '£ - 3 o C co c3 c3 1-. 3 el -S 3 a a c Q fa o "-> s c3 3 C (9 « o 6 *i d 7i o >s OfefHK!»Mco92cQcot»!B[acoo2!Baia302a3aiaiHHHH>! iH > 1 .2 .2 "o .S — 3 3 O 3 o c 3 O « "3 3 |> -3 ^5 a cj IH M O s hQ T3 cd O -u rd 00 CO — ^3 3 fi a c |H a» CO ^ « .2 oJ C3 3 03 3 O u 3 /. 3 03 O n 4-> §§ > be 03 3 03 S d si '3 o 1 00 O 3 OJ H-* Ih O a 00 P, IH -ZJ rn • -H d - rO 71 a O c3 <»H 1 ' c3 3 e« c3 s 1 n 2 a i-s d S3 S3 CD -3 H Ti c/J c3 - 03 •w n O +s> IT? - O "3 d T3 «*H d CD 3 03 5TJ S3 S L. './—"» bor man ours Oh « C -S -"H-- 1 OS 03 o a> O 03 3 H s o 0> Z 6 s- 3 -u O* o 5 O -^ c3 3 3 +j C a d s , , co o3 O -»-> 09 bC X 3 -tJ > 3 0> 3 o 0) a 0> c3 s CO 03 3 13 01 0) >s a 03 X 0> so +5 s o> s ft << Sh 3 C 0) 03 >> S 3 +s a o ,Q S 0) d 03 Ha ^ 8 EH 2,679 322 19.116 h 1-H CM* CM 49,356 5,923 352,143 CM CM h o 1-H OS OS h OO i-H CO 00 OS CO CO CO ©CO CO 1-H OS CO >C •»*" •«< i-H h m m CM ■*? hCM 1-H O IO00N CM t-i i-H O CO CO OO 1-H 00 CM h t-- CM Oh »— 1 "5 1-H 1—1 !» °! -2 OO 03 XI Ot-OO o t^h lO »c >o OO «5 CO o OOOOO CM -o 0> >> CO 03 CO o o o r^ 0> CM u CJ o3 CO OS oooo OS t~-T CO 3 O Tl 0> OS i t-OOO 00 X2 CM » & O OS w CM OOC CO o oooo o o oooo o bit c 3 03 (-. +s T3 3 03 bt 3 bfl 3 (H += CO i .5 B flfi 1 tX PC 03 D O H =: o — o r. 3 £ a a - — a ft NHHhM CO 1— t t^» Tj< OS CM OSOO OO-^i O CM >C •>»< OO N*CBCO(N OOO t— COOO CM ■*»" CO t>. CO ii CO •o CO ONNlOO y-t i— i \n o o CO "O CO 00 i-l "*< — 1 OSOO t-- CO O0 O t— CM OS OS CO CM !>. -H ^-c O0 CO CM ■ co 3 - — OsO oo ai co".2 d 3 OX\ ^> •f-J co to 3 « o'£ 3.2 33 t-i ft * "53 > 03 3 CO 00 •»* CM t^ OSOO OS CO t^co t»< oo CM O O0 CM vH CO »-H CO CO o cm" Oh CM 00 ooo »-H CM OJ CO OS 00 h •*»< 00 CO CO oo CM h coo 1-H •>* 00 oooo o O0 CM OS 1-H CM o 1-H OS OS o OS 1-H 00 H CM OS Oh 1-H CM OO Oh CM 90 CO c £ b c "3 c Ph I 5 p d s I bi C e ft ) "3 o Bul. 623] Seasonal Labor Requirements 17 CO OS t- -* lO t— 00 N CO 100©^ OSOOCO cm" OH«0 ~H CM ,3 •SP '3 is 0) u c .3 O Is © 03 CM co o 3 o T3 0) s O 3 O o "© c o s IB a © Ph HI 3 'J2 © BS cq -O c eg C '3 a o -— b£ a 3 - O O OOs O r^ 3 M-Xt- CO 00 00 -h •* OS o oo CO ON mSP o © S oo o O CO CO cm os ^* -H CM Tf OS CO IC CO •*!< »-c OO -+ CM OS »h OS CO CO 1— 1 Tf CO CO ■15C > t- CM 1-H lie > CO CM o r- t> »•» o OO 5 OS CC 5 ■* CO c O +s o CO o ©■* < t- O \ 1-1 s "i o © u o3 OC > © _^ as OS OS o «5 OC > 1 o c o © 3 o oc > o XJ CO © rt 3 tr^ COC i-i 00 OC «o CM ,_, r-*C CO CM 43 5 u, <*-. Q .5 C 3 15 o3 O t- .S Oh ~ 1 osoooo >o •^< t— t- o ©i-H CO CO CM i-i CM »0 -* o^f «c OS OSCM © o-^< «n ^H OS t— l>- ^< CO CO t— >o CM ~H CM 1 CO 1 1 » OOCM 1 O t^ O © ^< 1 i-l o OOCC > i-i o i i-i CO CO ooo > 1 »-l O +i o CO t^ OO t>. OCO>- < CO "5 c ) ^1 r- 1 <4-M o "3 >o oooc ) >o © >-. CO © IN S3 mac CM > r^ h- O l~- CO co co t^ c CO 3 ^h CO »-H O 'U © to t^. M OSCCC > 1-H •«»< ^H CM CO -|3 © © Xi T-H u 03 bfl CO CO C o CM 1-H 3 02 CM cooc CM o ooo o bi J B T ■ « C 73 s « h ■ B B E C .S tt bi 1 inn ein llin ^ O 2 H K & O0 t^ -H OS CO CO Tl< CO CO CO O CO CO CM hooi-ih -a* r~ i- < !>■" OS rtNtOOO® CO i—l lO CO 00 O0 t— i-H Irt N. <-h rt CM OO -H CO OWO®') 1 O0 >0 ■— i co >— i oo r^- >o »c t^ o ooooo ++ o T— t ooo O O -^ CO »c OOOOO CO !>• CO o 1-1 «4-l o U5 -d O -*-*-0 ■-« »— ' t> OO © c^ ■<»< fe*! co © co s. © OCNMNOi C S N c< i-l i# CN t^ 00 t--. o t^ 3 O O^OfH cf ) CM lO O0 CO i-l i— t -3 © CO 03 OS ^J OMNNO i- eo < CO CO © -*J rrt Fi CO o OCN ooo c > »-( OO OO OCOOOO c CM > o CM OCM ooo c o +3 © -* H 03 S T3 3 03 ■a-a be 3 © © -°« co' 3 H o O •- 1 -^ co 3 s3 o be M'3 CSC ■3 -•-» +> bo o C C c -O • c3 eS-H •■^-^ o3 ranspl ranspl eplant oeing. usting eking stock) o H 1 Eh H K X c Ph o "© a o -3 © OOOS CO CM o oco O0 .-l CO »c OO OOS "5 ooo CO ■"f o CO -a a 09 bC C c © Ph« 3 O © 55 55 • — . s3 t, u co _ o © © ^h 03 o3 g aoog ^ -3-'^ l< = c ©©©"'" ■£0.0.5 o --co a ^ t, oi ®T3 C cu • — ■ — — i-i a >. >, © c K CO CO 5 C 3 M * -3 O O 2 O O OOO-U ^-^CO^ O0 ^h iO 'J. ~ i- u, ■— © © © © PhPhPhPh a 03 b£ o © SS o X o o pfl OO t^ o 3 oo n —* ^-< +j u ~ (H © s o PhPhPh ■3 © J3 © co 03 © co s3 © —■ © 2 s3 p § 3 .© t- be -o 3 >s 3 - a C 3 o •- -^ t-, CO *•"' i S3 hth+sco S3 © n, © ^ -3 S3 © s s ■& 2 3 co 7; co "O ^^ ©^ ^ . C o 3 •- 3 3 . 3 O. g O 5 O C -3o^hO o _ O OS w coy, C-h " ^"^ s3«-, 5 O O-C O ts © £0 ** co -^ © co © 03 -G co -3 u o3 © 03 OPQhJPQ © o t- 3 O CC 18 University of California — Experiment Station this acreage and production, annual requirements totaling 1,578,714 man-days of labor is indicated, of which 1,387,538 man-days, or 87.9 per cent of the total, are for picking alone. The picking season in California extends generally from September through February with peak labor demands for this operation occurring in October and November. Seasonal Labor Requirements of Hops. — The seasonal labor require- ments for hops include pruning, stringing and training, picking, dry- ing, and baling. The total acreage reported as using seasonal labor was 7,916 with a production of 54,855 bales of 190 pounds. 6 For this acreage and volume of production the total annual labor requirement for per- forming the several operations mentioned above amounts to 293,685 man-days, or 37,100 man-days for each 1,000 acres. Although substantial amounts of labor are used during the late spring and summer months, the picking, drying, and baling operations in August and September account for approximately 67 per cent of the total seasonal labor require- ment. The peak, which normally occurs in August, is frequently accentu- ated in any one area by the general necessity for completing the picking operation within the space of two to three weeks. Seasonal Labor Requirements of Lettuce. — The seasonal labor require- ments in lettuce production include irrigating, thinning, hoeing, cutting, and field packing. The total acreage reported as using seasonal labor was 77,701 with a production of 10,638,767 crates. With this acreage and pro- duction a total of 651,809 man-days of labor are required to perform the specified operations. Table 4 shows that there exists a wide and fairly uniform distribution of labor by operations and in total by months dur- ing most of the year. This is due to the widespread distribution of lettuce production and the marked differences in climatic conditions in the vari- ous producing areas of the state. In any one area, pronounced peaks of labor demand, particularly for the thinning and harvesting operations, are usually encountered. Seasonal Labor Requirements of Lemons and Oranges. — In the pro- duction of lemons and oranges seasonal laborers are employed primarily for picking. The total acreage of lemons reported as using seasonal labor was 43,819 with a production of 19,180,125 boxes ; the acreage of oranges (navel varieties and Valencias combined) amounted to 266,634 and yielded a total of 42,894,036 boxes. The total annual labor requirement for picking these two citrus fruits was 2,033,137 man-days of which lemons required 824,799, or 43 man-days per 1,000 boxes, and oranges required 1,208,338, or 28 man-days per 1,000 boxes. By referring to Some growers reported bales at 200 pounds, but all were reduced to 190-pound average for purposes of comparison. Bul. 623] Seasonal Labor Requirements 19 table 4, it may be noted that the requirements, by months, are fairly uniform and continuous throughout the year. Seasonal Labor Requirements of Onions. — Seasonal labor is used in onion production for pulling, topping, sorting, and sacking. The total acreage reported as using seasonal labor was 9,062 with a production of 1,495,101 hundredweight. These operations, for the acreage and volume of production indicated, required a total of 78,372 man-days, which is at the rate of 1.05 man-days for each ton of onions harvested. The prin- cipal demand for this labor occurs during the 5-month period May to October ; it is very small in the preceding and following months. Seasonal Labor Requirements of Pears. — The seasonal labor require- ments for pears include pruning, blight control, spraying, and picking. The total acreage reported as using seasonal labor was 53,797 with a production of 169,902 tons. For this acreage and volume of production, total annual requirements for seasonal labor of 424,672 man-days are indicated. Of this amount, nearly one-half (48.4 per cent) is required during the period of July to September, inclusive. A secondary peak period occurs during the winter months, December to February, during which time approximately 33 per cent of the annual requirements occurs. For the remainder of the year the requirements are relatively low. Pear blight, always present and requiring annually a force of workers during the spring months to effect its control, occurs in highly virulent form during some years. In these years, the seasonal labor requirements for carrying on control measures are materially greater than the amount indicated in table 4. Seasonal Labor Requirements of Peas (Green). — The seasonal labor requirements for peas picked green for market include hoeing, cultivat- ing, and picking. The total acreage reported as using seasonal labor was 72,055 with a production of 5,829,188 hampers of 30 pounds each. The total annual labor requirement and the requirements per 1,000 acres and per 81,000 hampers (the approximate yield per 1,000 acres at the time of collecting the data) amounted to 676,861 man-days and 9,404 man-days, respectively. The peak labor requirement for these operations occurs during April and May and is occasioned primarily by the harvest of the main, or spring crop. The requirements for seasonal laborers are rela- tively small and fairly evenly distributed throughout the remaining months, except in July and September. Seasonal Labor Requirements of Prunes. — The seasonal labor require- ments for prunes include pruning and picking up fruit. The total acre- age reported using seasonal labor was 159,991 with a production of 232,103 tons. Total requirements for such labor of 661,115 man-days 20 University of California — Experiment Station are indicated for this acreage and volume of production, approximately two-thirds of which are used during August and September for harvest- ing the crop. The time limits within which the pruning operation may be performed satisfactorily are not so restricted as for many other opera- tions. This fact, combined with the differences in climatic conditions and prevailing practices in the various producing areas, makes possible the extension of this operation over a relatively long period and provides for a fairly constant demand for tree pruners from November through February. Seasonal Labor Requirements of Sugar Beets. — The seasonal labor re- quirements for sugar beets include thinning, hoeing, pulling, topping, and loading. The total acreage reported as using seasonal labor was 116,707 with a production of 1,577,760 tons. The total of 654,105 man- days required to perform these operations is widely and unequally dis- tributed by months throughout the year. Peak periods of demand occur during April and May, occasioned primarily by hoeing and thinning operations, and from August to October when harvesting is at its height. In comparison with most field crops, the annual seasonal labor require- ments for this crop are relatively high, requiring approximately 5,600 man-days of labor for each 1,000 acres. Seasonal Labor Requirements of Tomatoes. — The seasonal labor re- quirements for tomatoes include transplanting in beds, transplanting to field, replanting misses, hoeing, dusting, and picking of both canning and market stock. The total acreage reported as using seasonal labor was 77,817, with a production of 415,954 tons. For the operations, the acre- age, and the volume of production shown, a total of 755,351 man-days occurring largely during the period May through October is required. More than 50 per cent of the annual requirements, however, occurs nor- mally during the months of September and October, when harvesting operations are at their peak. Seasonal Labor Requirements of Walnuts. — Seasonal labor is required in walnut production for pruning, knocking, and picking up the nuts. The total acreage reported as using such labor was 116,212 with a pro- duction of 51,708 tons. A total of 123,893 man-days (table 4) is required primarily for the harvesting operations which are confined almost en- tirely to the months of September and October. NUMBER OF INDIVIDUAL SEASONAL WORKERS REQUIRED Data relating to seasonal labor requirements in connection with the pro- duction and preparation for market of various California crops have thus far been presented in terms of man-days. This is a fairly definite and reasonably accurate means of indicating labor requirements and Bul. 623] Seasonal Labor Requirements 21 will suffice for some purposes to which these data may be put; but for others it is conceivable that there will be need for knowing, approxi- mately, the number of individual workers required. An attempt has been made, therefore, to give some idea of seasonal labor requirements in terms of number of workers. Factors Involved in Converting from Man-Days to Number of Work- ers. — Although actual determination of the number of seasonal workers required each month to perform the hand tasks in producing California crops cannot be made from the present available data, estimates of the numbers involved were compiled. The following factors were used as a basis for converting the data of man-days into numbers of workers : (1) days available for different tasks; (2) the time limits within which certain tasks must be performed for effective results; (3) distances be- tween jobs of a similar nature; (4) the mobility of labor groups; and (5) the versatility of individual workers in performing various related and nonrelated tasks. Some quantitative measures, though inadequate, were available for the first three factors, but nothing tangible was at hand for the last two and therefore qualitative judgments had to be applied. The number of days available for a given task requiring use of seasonal labor is determined by (a) the nature of the work and (b) weather con- ditions. A few tasks permit considerable latitude, such as pruning or- chard trees, hoeing weeds, cultivating, and planting small grains. Most crops, however, have rather specific time limits within which the work should be completed if satisfactory performance is sought. Thus, spraying orchard trees, planting field and truck crops, thinning cotton and sugar beets, thinning peaches, picking various fruits, cutting alfalfa for hay, and numerous other tasks connected with the production of crops are best performed within rather narrow time limits. Weather conditions may limit the number of days when work can be performed, particularly during the rainy season when storms or wet conditions interfere with work programs. On the basis of a 26 workday month, the number of days available for field work, compiled as a simple average from the county records of the state, is as follows : Available Available Month days Month days January 19 August 26 February 21 September 26 March 22 October 24 April 23 November 23 May 24 December 19 June 25 July 26 Total 278 22 University of California — Experiment Station CO CO I 10 CO Oi CO w Eh -4 Eh CZ2 «f W Eh !Zi O co w 1-H Eh P O Q m co Ph o O O i— i iJ o a ■e o g g g O IO o cc 'C iO o ■Q o IO o o o> 5 CI o a I- *-H O) 5 CI T 5 -r 5 co 'T 1^ cc l> cc cc CO •o 4) CD 1 i 55 1 *-" 3 tl Ol iC co ^^ 5 a CO 1 CO i- 1 CO — 1 CO C) 05 ■=. i -c CM c» Q -^ co >o CO co ei i-H ^H •o ■a ■a o g e o g O e >o »fS o c: IC cc o cc cc g o cc •o g IO IO o > t^ Cl Cl cc c 5 ia 3 Si ■ - ■!0 r- 1^ ~ r>- 1-H no s_ C) ~r — . LO ■ c -" 1- o io I i -*< PH <33 BC t-H Ol ~r 00 CI oc 1-H 1 5: co CO t--. C) IC co cc. 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CO C) "CC _ iC 1-H co 0-1 o io IO O o io a g g »o »o a O •c O p IO IO U3 1 o — cc o c IO g ■t p" cc s IO r- 1 r~t BO 1- a 5 = -r CO X i — i •— ' CO — -c CO CC 1 -r ■c cc CO BE O) c »c 1 CO 'C Cl os CO 3 » o 1-H ro S IO e a = X 1 - e -c OC • c cc >: c CM 1 - cc CM CC cc cc s Cl oc cc o t^. 1 •f ■t co £ X >J0 CO o C-] ■^ l> cc OC pH 1 CO ^~ co CC c -T ■* CO 1— l> l> r~ 3 CJ «c • c OJ CN CO IC es »■ co -T IH 4 es io >c ifl o — g 1C g >fl a >o »C ■a IC cc • c c iC c ~ cc >o CC >c iC CC — ^ o a> 00 i-H CO i-H c c X lO es as to X *— OC c I- t ae iC -r 5 ■— CC oc I- 3 •c •c IO d CO 1 CO -i •-T c a € 'C C us a c iC 1 CC IC c c e cc C IC 1 CC g o >> ed lfl C 2 a 5 •w CM as SO X OC 1 1 — -t -r cc CC 1— CO i- — t- c X cc IO 1-H 1 5 CO cr co cc CO CO i B0 es 1 o: ■c C a i-O cc C 1 cc — 1 e cc cc •c cc iC c o lO = SB -r co 5 r^ ■-T T oc ■C co 1 X OC 1 BC es c Cl cc T t> IO (-C OC 1 1 CM CO C LO >fl r- a: ^* co OC ex 1 Cl iC 1 l> CC o cc ec L~ It C CM ■ o ifl cc g ■a IO CC Ifl 1 a. 10 c BJ ■a 1 BB •c o ■^ PH t- x ee CO --C «C >c i-O l> co ! cc t^ ~H CN l> IC OB Cl «> oc 1 Cl l> o 3 c 1 J CM 1 »— iC ex r- ee co ■H 1 es CO — 1— 1 PH Cl cc Cl 1 IO l> es S PH r- co •^ ec -— es ^— es — IO o 1 g a g LO iO a =; O IO IO a; g CC cc >c 1 cc CC e <=: cc s cc ■o cc 5 1 m c c CN eg ^^ cc CM c cc l> cc r^ CC C3 -r cc OB T Cl CC a es pQ 1-H | 1 ■O 1 pH ■<* w co oc w •* ^H y— co 1 oc t^ 1 •c iC 1 CJ iC Tf CO cc a> oj 1-5 — t^ CJ CM — co ^— 1— ^H P- ^H p- — >> a 3 O ej +! cc C N -t- = c +H • O a t: x £ < a = E 5 c 1 ■ c 3 r. 8 s- a > CC u CC c T C _c: cj 0) G c X OS Ih Q C E X Oj (h P C a 3 X cu e S 3 - (H C M a S c 5 1 8 ej c s i i 8 C hi 5 »a e X a CD Z X a! c 'c T B CD T 0) u - c c o > co - a +a 3 O S4 > at C cd 2 ej ej . > 9 <2 03 c c3 (H c 3 c a c E !! c B oc ' c 'I « i Bul. 623] Seasonal Labor Requirements 23 o © o © ■e © o i ■Q © © IQ cr © 1 "5 © ■a © lO C O i— I CM O CO iq © © -h OS lO "* £ co CO h X 00 1 CO i-h CM IQ 1 1 i CM IQ CO © — 1 CC I i-H OO co t- ~H (M CO ■** i-h •— < i-H l-H !«. l-H © IQ o o o o o o © io ! 1 "5 a © © >Q in © I © IQ © © © |Q © © CO © © CM CO 00 a r- co t^ © iq r^. iQ l-H © © IQ CO CM IQ co © 1 CM ■a co os c-q t^ 1 l-H »Q CO CD cm < OO 1 CM co re CO OO CO 5 OS CM l-H OO CO i-H OO CM CO i-H CM CO C7 CD ~H © CM l-H © © © © »q © © © IQ 1 © IC © o © © LQ IQ © © IQ © O O iQ iQ i-h Hi* © «9< CO © co -3- © © © t^ CM © iQ t^ CM O - CO i-h CO CM t^T i-T ^h X Tt< CD fH © 1— I CO CM ^H H»< T-l O O O O O "5 o iQ © iq US © © © © © IQ © © © O © © iq iq o © t^. O OO s CO OO © CO © © IQ CM i-H O iQ OS CO CM CO OS CO OO 00 t- »« i-H !>. ■a CD © co CD CD CO oo CO CO N H to i-l CO ~h cm IQ IQ 'Cfi i— i cc i-H CM —H © CO l-H O O O O O iQ © © 1 iq iq ■a Li © © |Q L"5 1 o © IQ 00 © «o o o i-H t» CO i"H CO CO iQ co © © t- C^ © IQ © CM T O OS iQ OS t-» © 00 1 i-H CO i* tN CM OS OP CO 1 i-H OS ~T< t^ N H H © l-H cm CO IQ ^H CO ^»< CO OS © iq © © iq © O IQ IQ 1 © o IQ © IQ tC C: 1 © © iQ © O CM © O CM i-H CO CM CM CO IQ t^ © »H C3 a ~- l-H CM 1—1 OS t— CO CO O CO t» © © 1 t» CC CO CO CO a © 1 CM CO co 00 tM ^h CO CM CM ■«*< CM IH CO CD i-H y-i CO CM -h CM © l-H o o o o o o u) O ifl 1 "3 ■a IQ IQ © a © 1 O © © © O O O O O »-i t>. © CM 1 l-H o CM CM CM a CO IQ ~H OS ■f N O C5 OO CO Ol CO CO CO 1 IQ © © ** IQ 1 'cf ^» cc CM CO CM IQ i-H «- l CO CO tN tN CO ■* ■Q l-H l-H CO © o © o © © © IQ © I © © © IQ IQ IQ I © © © IQ o iq CM o o o CO CM ■•r T © t^ co Ol © >Q X CO i-H IQ IQ CM i-H CM O 00 1 1 1 t- CO 00 t^ CO CB 1 CM t^ CM © hJi i-h *~t i— • CM CO i— < 1—1 1—1 CO l-H l-H CO o © o o o o O © 1 1 1 © >o © © © o I © IQ © CO © «5 © iQ O i-i IQ CO O © © t^ © IQ © CM CJ I>- ■* o> CO © t^ CO as © 1 1 1 i— 1 to CO ■«*< ^H t^ 1 CM CO l-H !-H CM i-H CM 1—1 l-H 00 © © »Q © iQ © © © I © © © IQ IQ © 1 © © IQ © © © t^- IQ i-h CN © i-i i— I IQ © CD t^ © IQ CD ~H © K) N 00 CO H UJ © © 1 1 1 IQ r~ f OS ^H i-H i iQ CO CO IQ CM l-H l-H l-H CM rt ^H i—l Hfl l-H © IQ O O O O «3 m CO O I iQ © © IQ © © | © IQ iQ OS © IQ © CM Hf( l>. © OS IQ ■Q IQ 00 cs © © CO 00 H*l t>- ^»< CO i-H CO O CO CO I 1 1 IQ ■CO H* t^ l-H © i © CM CM CO CM i-H i-H CM CM l-H 1—1 »"H ac CM l-H © C e c C i, cj (■ -fi a -q - d a" 6 "3 O o f 2 2 J5 2 oo co « Q h? j S « ^ S c "3 o o c +. - c- J8 | S 2 o cS ai -2 -w +-> or eg .,- 1 C c a E C 7s, t 4 3 3 H- "3 c £ - a a e c a c = C C cc fc "= B X « a 1 a 7 I a r 1 / • a c- DC a i a g 1 DC Q a 1 '/ ) C 1 * DC 1 DC E^ 3 4 • EH > ■> i s 8 -3 ■> T3 fl O «H -fi a u y 8 S rfj T) cd CO -u -fi m 71 -fi •*s fi fi ."- = CD u O CO HI •* > CO ot -c CO CP CO 03 rf fi ■ i 03 tit fi S-4 0) o CO fi Vj o fi sri cj o CJ s {H - be 0> £ CB C a T3 C cc oS C 03 to O c cS -4-S 1- O a - /. O Fl Ch ~Z r/> c fi i- — c3 ri o g l-H 1 — ' cj a (fl d c a cc? O fl OS -fi 00 -fi CO c3 H 0E) 'i eS ■»3 ~ O -*s C3 1 _fi c fi c CO S c3 ■— CO C3 CO eJ — O OJ CO s o 5 c CO 3 J fi o -13 CO CO i-H o fi H-> co o CO CO o CO o 2 "3 o CO go o a «3 i- fl cfi 6 - -w o o *a O (-. O s c 3 IH o CO c -fi fl) h a +a S 3 03 o '-3 i-i o -3 "3 o fi, O d ~ rn ol CD c CO oS P o _fi c l-H *4H O CO * ++ 3 o CO 24 University of California — Experiment Station These figures indicate the usual total number of daj r s available each month for performing field operations in general, but must be reduced for many individual tasks performed on behalf of specific crops. The principal centers of production of many of the crops requiring the use of seasonal labor are in widely separated geographic areas. Cit- rus-fruit production, for example, is concentrated mainly in the southern coastal plain and interior valleys, but there are also substantial acreages 200 miles north in Tulare and Fresno counties and lesser acreages in the northern Sacramento Valley. Concentrations of plantings of apricots, peaches, and other deciduous fruits occur in selected areas of the interior valleys from Tehama County in the north to San Bernardino County in the south, over a distance of more than 500 miles. Some of the field crops are also grown over a widespread area of the state, but others with nar- rower ranges of adaptation such, for example, as cotton, hops, and rice, are confined largely to more or less well-defined and frequently widely separated areas. Because the distances between plantings of similar crops and between tasks of a similar nature are frequently great, workers are often unable to move from one area to another in order to keep employed. The expense of moving these distances is sometimes too costly, and hence the mobility of the labor group is affected. Most farm workers are either trained or interested in farm work of a somewhat limited nature, and therefore the ability or desire to engage in a multiplicity of tasks is lacking. In other words, versatility may be low. Thus, cotton choppers and pickers may be available only for those tasks with perhaps a limited usefulness in connection with other field crops having similar tasks. Workers who thin and harvest sugar beets do not usually perform tasks in connection with the harvesting of hay and grain. Professional fruit pickers tend to restrict their activities to tasks centering in the orchards of the state. Total Needs by Counties and Months. — The numbers of seasonal work- ers by counties and months are presented in table 5. The figures reported in this table, as already pointed out, are based largely upon personal judgment. They may be considered, however, as approximations of mini- mum requirements for the acreages and yields of crops upon which the basic data were prefaced. Substitution of labor less efficient than the average would materially add to the numbers indicated in table 5. More- over, changing conditions from year to year affecting acreages and yields of crops, shifts in location of crops, and seasonal variation in climatic conditions with attendant differences in cultural practices, in pest-con- trol measures, and in harvesting periods would contribute to marked differences in labor requirements by months and in total for the year over Bul. 623] Seasonal Labor Requirements 25 those reported. All things considered, for equal acreages and yields, there is little likelihood that fewer numbers of workers would be required and it is entirely probable that a minimum of 15 to 20 per cent more than the numbers indicated in table 5 would be needed, particularly during years when certain harvest periods overlap more than during the year 1935-36 when the basic data were collected. In order to visualize better the requirements of agriculture for sea- Apr. Kay July Fig. 3. — Estimated number of seasonal workers required each month for California crops. (Data from table 5.) sonal labor, the total number of workers required each month, as reported in table 5, is presented in graphic form in figure 3. Table 5 and figure 3 reveal marked variations from month to month in the absolute and relative requirements for seasonal workers both by counties and for the state. Totals for the state by months, however, indi- cate the same division of the year into three major periods of low, inter- mediate, and high demands for seasonal labor as was evident in the data expressed in man-days (see p. 14). From November through April, the period of low demand, the requirements by months are estimated to range from the equivalent of 48,000 to 72,000 workers of average ability. For the period of intermediate demand, May through July, they range from 94,000 to 103,000 workers each month. And for the period of great- 26 University of California — Experiment Station est demand, August through October, they range from 127,000 to 145,000 workers each month. Thus, the estimated requirements by months for the state range from an equivalent of 48,000 workers of average efficiency in March to 145,000 workers in September. In estimating seasonal labor requirements of other years, all changes affecting them should be taken into account ; estimates may then be made of the requirements for labor under the conditions prevailing at that time, by proper use of the data presented in this paper and in the indi- vidual county reports comprising the basis of this presentation. SUMMAHY AND DISCUSSION The evidence resulting from the collection of field data and its subsequent compilation and analysis indicates total requirements of 22,467,800 man- days in 1935-36. The monthly requirements varied : from November through April, they ranged from 948,345 to 1,451,819 man-days ; from May through July, they ranged from 2,071,250 to 2,300,837 man-days; from August through September, they ranged from 2,762,691 to 3,100,- 383 man-days. Seasonal labor requirements for specific crops are variable. They are least for field crops and greatest for fruit and truck crops. For crops of high seasonal labor demand the man-day requirements were found to be : Man-day requirements Man-day requirements Crop (9-hour day) Crop (9-hour day) Carrots 22,117 per 1,000 acres Pears 7,896 per 1,000 acres Cotton 7,302 per 1,000 acres Peas (green).... 9,404 per 1,000 acres Hops 37,100 per 1,000 acres Prunes 4,130 per 1,000 acres Lettuce 8,389 per 1,000 acres Sugar beets 5,605 per 1,000 acres Lemons and Tomatoes 9,724 per 1,000 acres oranges 71 per 1,000 boxes Walnuts 1,067 per 1,000 acres Onions ^)5 per ton The requirements for seasonal workers throughout the state, when the total man-days were converted into number of workers, varied from a relatively low figure of 48,173 in March to a high figure of 144,720 in September. The data, however, are also presented in a way that will permit adjust- ments for predicting or determining seasonal labor requirements in terms of both man-days and minimum number of workers in future years, as long as technical operations and farming practices remain es- sentially as at present. These adjustments require taking into account changes in acreages of crops, in yields, in harvesting periods (because of climatic conditions), and in efficiency of workers as these may differ from the conditions prevailing at the time of collecting the basic data. Bul. 623] Seasonal Labor Requirements 27 The combination of available days, differences in nature of tasks, fluctuating demands, lack of versatility on the part of workers, and dis- tances between similar tasks, makes the conclusion obvious that the num- ber of workers required during the peak period of August through Octo- ber, cannot be provided with year-round work on California farms. Yet, if seasonal workers are not available to agriculture as and when required, California farmers cannot continue the production of many of the specialty crops at current volumes. In this event, both individuals and communities would be faced with the problem of effecting drastic and far-reaching reorganization of not only individual farms but also the entire agricultural industry. Another problem also arises in that many seasonal workers who rely solely upon agriculture as a source of employ- ment cannot obtain enough work to provide adequate yearly earnings. If emphasis continues to be placed upon specialized farming, it means that agriculture must be subsidized by maintaining workers outside of agriculture at times when farm employment is at low levels so that an adequate farm supply will be available for the few months of maximum requirements. There is no hope, at present, that merely raising wages will solve this problem because there is a limit to the amount that farmers can pay — a limit that falls short of insuring adequate yearly earnings to those work- ers who must be employed upon a seasonal basis. Raising wages to the fullest extent possible deserves every consideration, but the fluctuating seasonal requirements for workers is so great that under existing condi- tions increases in wages sufficient to protect the worker without placing an impossible load upon agriculture do not appear to be promising. The primary purpose of this publication is to indicate demand for seasonal workers. The various findings are in effect an inventory of the demand aspect of seasonal labor. Eventually the data should be supple- mented with a similar inventory of the supply side, data that shall show numbers of available workers segregated according to qualifications to perform specified tasks and by localities to which the labor of these work- ers is available. To suggest specific remedies in detail is beyond the scope of this paper. More data are needed, particularly on the available numbers of qualified workers classified according to tasks and localities. There is need for more information concerning the part that industries other than agri- culture can play or may be called upon to play in taking up the slack in agricultural employment. There is need to investigate what the state may and should do to provide employment during the slack seasons in agriculture. There is need for constructive thought and action designed 28 University of California — Experiment Station to evolve a program that will eventually tend in the direction of lessening peak labor loads, and in making more continuous work available to effi- cient workers. Seasonal workers require greater opportunity to market their services over longer periods in order to increase their yearly in- comes. The problem is admittedly one of magnitude and calls for solu- tions that are possible, practical, and humane. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The detailed field work and most of the county summaries comprising the background for this report are the contribution of George C. Wood, who was employed especially for the task. His unceasing effort and care- ful work in a large way are responsible for this report. Dr. L. A. Craw- ford assisted materially in the preparation of the manuscript. Donald F. McMillen and Robert H. Woolley deserve credit for their contributions of extensive compilations and substantial analyses. 10m-7,'38(2698)