76 HUMAN FACTORS IN COTTON CULTURE 



vision being made to discourage corn growing on the part of 

 shiftless renters. Third and fourth renters were given ad- 

 vances, if they had need of them, and these advances were 

 withheld by the landlord from the tenant's share before set- 

 tlement was finally made. If the mules owned by these rent- 

 ers became sick or died, they were allowed to rent mules 

 owned by the landlord if unable to secure others when 

 needed. 66 



The account of a Negro cropper on a large corpora- 

 tion plantation during an exceptionally successful year is 

 here analyzed : 



In 1921 T. J. Weeks, Sr., cultivated on the halves thirty 

 acres in cotton and two in corn for the Eutaw unit of the great 

 Scott Plantation at Scott, Mississippi. The working force of 

 this family consisted of five males and three females. One 

 small child was classified as a non-worker. Weeks must have 

 been an exceptional farmer for he had saved enough from 

 his Christmas so that he did not begin to draw on the com- 

 missary until May 10. Between May the 10 and the date of 

 settlement, December 14, he "traded $367 worth." One hun- 

 dred and fifty-two dollars and seventy cents were for ex- 

 penses of the crop distributed as follows: 



For breaking and planting $60.00 



For three hoes 3.00 



For cotton sacking 7.70 



For boll weevil poison 60.00 



For fertilizer 22.00 



He bought a cow and a calf for $50.00, and spent $134.80 

 for merchandise and rations in addition to what he grew at 

 home. This included $5.40 in cash. In addition, there was 



66 H. A. Turner, "The Share Renting of Farms in the United 

 States," International Review of Agricultural Economics (Oct.-Dec., 

 1923), pp. 518-19. 



