HOW THE COTTON FARMER LIVES 251 



dows, with sashes that can be raised and lowered, and 

 the doors and windows shall be screened. "There shall 

 also be built to said building a front porch at least 16 

 by 6 feet, which may be roofed with boards and batten." 

 The demands included a stable for at least three ani- 

 mals, a tool shed, and "a chicken coop not less than 10 

 by 12 feet and 6 feet high." 



On the whole it is a rather dreary picture and somber 

 group of facts that we have presented here. It is pos- 

 sibly true that we cannot speak of the average cotton 

 farmer. Conditions vary among the different areas. We 

 have found western cotton farmers making money, for 

 instance, during years in which eastern farmers lost. The 

 varying size of the farm is another factor for which we 

 need more data. The trends as regards the different levels 

 of tenure are unmistakable. It is undeniable that cotton 

 croppers live below what may be called the rural poverty 

 line. However unprepossessing the conclusions are as 

 to the cotton producer's standard of living they appear 

 in substantial agreement with findings of the Industrial 

 Conference Board: 



The average cotton farmer has hardly more than about 

 25 acres in cotton and as crop diversification is still very 

 rare among cotton farmers, it follows that the total gross 

 cash income of these farmers is often only $500 to $600 per 

 farm year. This means that after deduction of the operating 

 expenses as a rule there remains only an amount which is 

 entirely insufficient to maintain an American standard of 

 living. 80 



80 The Condition of Agriculture in the United States, p. 68. 



