to an end, resulting in the completion of something tangible in one of his enterprises and leaving him free to divert his attention to some other line of work. The scope of the job and the time required for completing it may vary, since a job may be performed under different situations. The activities in doing certain jobs may be wholly mental, but in most jobs the mental and physical must be combined in the use of tools and equipment. A job should result in a conclusive determination by mental processes or in a finished operation in the course of producing and marketing a farm product. The cycle of jobs performed in producing and marketing a farm commodity constitutes an agricultural enterprise, the unit of organization on the farm. In general, farmers are engaged in producing more than one commodity—that is, a farming occupation usually consists of coordinating two or more enterprises in such proportions as is consistent with securing the greatest average annual net returns from the farm as a whole for a long period of time. There are several economic factors influencing the proper selection of animal and crop enterprises for a given farm, also the systematic organization of the enterprise jobs, which give rise to general problems in farm management. The larger problems relating to the operation of the farm as a whole are given only minor consideration here in dealing with the producing and marketing of a single farm commodity. In analyzing an enterprise it is found that there are certain jobs which are strongly managerial in nature, requiring little or no manipulative skill on the part of the farmer, but it can be said that all of the work on the farm is related in some measure to the general system of management on that farm. Operative skill alone. however highly developed, will not bring satisfactory ultimate results in a farming occupation. The man who is responsible for securing the largest net returns for his commodities will need to exercise his managerial ability all through the process of production and marketing. Managerial activities are usually coupled with ownership responsibility whether the individual farmer does all the work himself or simply directs employed help. Training for agricultural efficiency should be such as will develop managerial ability as well as manipulative skill. The farmer's success depends largely upon how well he can do the jobs necessary to produce and market his commodities. If efficiency in doing the jobs on the farm is the basis for success. then the farm jobs should be made the basis for vocational training for the agricultural industry; in other words, the job should be taken as the teaching unit. With the above considerations in mind the writer conferred with specialists in various bureaus of the United States Department of Agriculture and also with practical potato growers. The jobs as determined are the jobs which are connected directly with potato raising as practiced in the potatogrowing sections of the United States in accordance with approved methods, and not the jobs of any particular local group of potato growers. In organizing instruction in the potato enterprise for a given community teachers should stress those jobs which are found to be praticed in the locality. JOB GROUPS. Certain of the jobs in a potato raising enterprise are so related with reference to the season in which they must be done, the equipment used, stages in the development of the crop, and the kind of skill and knowledge needed for their performance, that they readily fall into groups. Based upon the above relations the jobs in the enterprise have been grouped as follows: Job Group I. Determining where a potato-raising enterprise may be successfully conducted. Job 1. Determining the adaptability of the locality for potato production. Job 2. Determining the adaptability of the individual's farm for production. Job 3. Selecting the land on the farm for the potato crop. Job 4. Determining what improvement the land needs for potatoes. Job Group II. Records and accounts for the potato enterprise. Job 1. Determining what records to keep. Job 2. Taking the inventory. Job 3. Keeping the records. Job 4. Summarizing the records. Job Group III. Potato seed and soil-enriching materials. Job 1. Choosing the variety to grow. Job 2. Procuring seed potatoes. Job 3. Procuring materials for enriching the land for the potato crop. Job Group IV. Preparing the land for potatoes. Job 1. Applying manure for potatoes. Job 2. Plowing the land for potatoes. Job 3. Pulverizing the plowed land for potatoes. Job Group V. Preparing and planting the seed. Job 1. Treating seed as a disease preventive measure. Job 2. Cutting the tubers. Job 3. Handling the cut tubers. Job 4. Planting the seed by hand. Job 5. Planting with a potato planter. Job Group VI. Care of the growing crop. Job 1. Cultivating before plants are above the soil. Job 2. Cultivating after the plants are above the soil. Job 4. Irrigating the crop. Job 5. Spraying for diseases and insect pests. Job 6. Roguing the area intended for seed selection. Job 7. Securing potato seed crop certification. 95598-22-2 Job Group VII. Harvesting and storing potatoes. Job 1. Digging potatoes for seed. Job 2. Storing seed potatoes. Job 3. Digging the main crop. Job 4. Determining where to store potatoes. Job 5. Storing in pits. Job 6. Building a potato-storage cellar on the farm. Job Group VIII. Marketing potatoes. Job 1. Marketing seed potatoes. Job 2. Exhibiting potatoes. Job 3. Finding a market for southern new 66 potatoes. Job 4. Sorting and packing southern new" potatoes. Job 5. Shipping southern " new potatoes. Job 6. Finding a market outlet for the main northern potato crop. Job 8. Shipping the northern main crop of potatoes. The related jobs have been grouped merely to make it possible to suggest laboratory exercises, to list materials and supplies, and to classify the publications of the United States Department of Agriculture under each job group rather than under each job. It is not intended that the job group be taken as a unit when giving instruction for the various jobs. The job forms a more favorable unit for instruction. The suggested aids for teaching, consisting of exercises, materials and supplies, and United States Department of Agriculture reference material, will be found following the jobs under each job group. THE TRAINING CONTENT. The man who raises potatoes successfully must possess knowledge and skill which relates directly to his jobs in the enterprise to enable him to perform them in the best possible way. After the jobs have been set up, the next step in the training process is to determine the technical knowledge and manipulative content of the jobs. The proportion of manipulative skills to technical knowledge needed for doing a job varies with the nature of the job. Some jobs require a large amount of manipulative skill and a comparatively small amount of technical knowledge; others require a large accumulation of technical knowledge and little ability in manipulation. Between these two extremes may be found jobs requiring various ratios between the manipulative procedure and technical knowledge in a man's training. Certain other jobs in the enterprise require no manipulative action and may be called mental jobs or managerial jobs. However, such a classification of jobs is unnecessary and confusing and has not been made in this bulletin. Under each job in the enterprise is listed what has been determined to be guides to the essential training content. Under those jobs which require little or no manipulative skill are listed points calling merely for technical knowledge which is thought essential for the respective jobs. Under those jobs which require manipulative skill are listed the manipulative activities in which skill must be acquired and the points calling for technical knowledge which is thought to function in making possible a more intelligent application of skill. In addition to the manipulative skills and technical knowledge necessary for doing a job, related information which will contribute better understanding and appreciation of the work to be done should be regarded as an important part of the training content. SUGGESTIONS FOR ANALYZING AND TEACHING A POTATO ENTERPRISE. Job Group I. Determining where a potato raising-enterprise may be successfully conducted. Job 1. Determining the adaptability of the locality for potato production. Guides to technical knowledge content 1. Are the soil types of the locality suitable? 2. Is the present fertility of the soil suitable for profitable production? 3. Is the seasonal distribution of the annual rainfall suitable? 4. Are the dates of killing frosts in spring and fall and the mean annual temperature suitable? 5. Is the altitude favorable (air drainage, humidity)? 6. Are potato market centers accessible? 7. Are transportation facilities for the locality adequate for shipping potatoes? 8. How to evaluate the local conditions for potato production. Job 2. Determining the adaptability of the individual's farm for potato production. Guides to technical knowledge content 1. Is the farm devoted to special enterprises or to general farming? 2. Will potato raising fit into the cropping system or will a readjustment need to be made? 3. How does the probable net profit from a potato crop compare with that from other crops which may be grown in the locality? 4. Are enough potatoes produced in the locality to attract the 5. What is the capacity of the farm for growing potatoes? 8. How much additional capital will be required for the potato enterprise? 9. From what source can the capital be secured? 10. At what rate and time may a loan be secured? 11. What will be acceptable as collateral for a loan? 12. How to evaluate the factors in potato production on the given farm (land, labor, and equipment). Job 3. Selecting the land on the farm for the potato crop. Guides to technical knowledge content 1. How much land to devote to the potato crop. 2. Where on the farm is the type of the soil best suited to grow ing potatoes? 3. What fields are drained satisfactorily for potatoes? 4. Where has the preceding crop left the land in suitable condition for growing potatoes? 5. How many successive crops of potatoes may be grown on the same area without giving poor results? 6. Where to plant the seed plot. Job 4. Determining what improvement the land needs for potatoes. 1. Is tile drainage needed? 2. Advisability of using stable manure, commercial fertilizer of both. 3. Advisability of using lime. 4. How to improve the structure of the soil if needed, by fall plowing, by plowing under organic material, or by applying lime. Related information Commercial geography-Natural conditions affecting the produ tion of potatoes; potatoes as a commercial commodity. Geology-Soil forming rocks. Mathematics-Problems relating to the economy of applying manure and commercial fertilizer; land improvement; credit and interest. Physiography-Climatic conditions of specific localities. Exercises 1. Make a potato survey of the local districts. 2. Designate on an outline map of the United States the important potato producing districts. 2. Make a crop rotation plan for the home farm including potatoes. 4. Calculate the amount of capital needed for the potato enterprise on the home farm. Materials and supplies Outline maps of the United States; survey forms. Farmers' Bulletin 654, Improvement of the Farmer's Personal |