114 ECONOMICS OF LAND TENURE IN GEORGIA [ II4 



argument in favor of the plantation-wages system in so 

 far as relates to the economic well-being of the laborer. 



In the first place, in addition to the $125 or $150 

 earned by the head of the family, whose labor under the 

 plantation-wages system will be needed throughout the 

 twelve months of the year, there are to be added the 

 earnings of the other members of the family during 

 special seasons of the year. For instance, in the case 

 of the wages farm described above, $64 were paid for 

 extra labor in cultivating the crop, such as chopping and 

 hoeing, and $111 were paid for extra labor employed 

 in "picking" the cotton. It thus appears that $175 

 were paid in wages in addition to the $150 paid the 

 regular laborer. A large percentage of this extra pay 

 would normally go into the pockets of the regular labor- 

 er's family. Granting that the extra wages vary with the 

 size of the crop, and granting also that the normal plan- 

 tation yield will be for many years far below a bale of 

 cotton per acre, as was almost the case in the example 

 farm, still the important fact remains that the system 

 promises the laborer a larger family income than the 

 cropping system gives. 



In the second place, the laborer will be out from under 

 the yoke of the credit system. At the present time the 

 cropper can get only a little more than $80 worth of 

 goods with his $100, or only about $100 worth of goods 

 with the $120 he receives under the cropping system. 

 Under the wages plan the laborer can buy for cash and 

 can therefore get one dollar's worth of goods for each 

 of his dollars. Even supposing the laborer got abso- 

 lutely the same money income in the plantation system 

 as in the cropping system the elimination of the credit 

 evil would of itself justify the laborer in welcoming the 

 change. 



