HUMAN ELEMENTS IN COTTON 273 



Racial inferiority, sometimes assigned by popular 

 opinion, is no blanket cause for failure to rise in the 

 tenure ladder. The story of the following Negro tenant 

 shows the alterations of crop yields and price. His 

 expenditures in years of prosperity indicate a desire for 

 a higher standard of living: 



The following is the history of Harrison White, a renter 

 of Tysonville, Macon County, Alabama, and his ten year 

 struggle to get money to start buying land. In 1901 he farmed 

 with one plow, paid himself out of debt, and cleared $200; 

 in 1902 he continued farming with one plow and came out 

 $175 behind; in 1903 he came out $388 behind; in 1904 he 

 ran one plow, made 13% bales of cotton, paid up back debts 

 and made 250 bushels of corn; in 1905, to make a crop he 

 bought an ox to supplement his over-worked horse. He paid 

 his debts and cleared $380. He paid $35 for a wagon, $60 

 for a buggy, $55 for a sewing machine and $45 for fur- 

 niture; in 1906 he bought a mule on time for $225 and came 

 out $190 behind; in 1907 he paid off $190 with interest, 

 bought another mule and saved $200; in 1908 he saved 3 

 bales of cotton and much corn; in 1909 he paid out and 

 cleared one bale of cotton; and in 1910 he paid all debts 

 and banked $300 to invest in buying land. 14 



When needed personal qualities in tenants meet with 

 integrity, fair dealing, and cooperation from landlords, 

 the rise to ownership may be rapid. In the following case 

 social advancement accompanied economic advancement: 



Possibly it will be helpful to relate what was done for 

 three tenants down in Franklin County, whose cases came 

 under my personal observation. These three "Smith Boys," 



14 J. T. Edwards in Southern Workman 1917, cited in Journal 

 American Statistical Association, XIII, 68-9. 



