76 Negro Migration 



is on the border of the Black Belt, were share tenants farm- 

 ing on "other than half share" basis. 10 



EFFICIENCY IN YIELD OBTAINED. 



As an index of efficiency the yield per acre is very re- 

 liable. The share tenant obtains a slightly higher yield, 

 both in cotton and in corn, than does the owner. The cash 

 tenant is inferior to both. The following table (11) indi- 

 cates that in 1909, for the State as a whole, the yield of 

 cotton in bales per acre was, for share tenants, .39, for 

 owners, .38, and for cash tenants, .36. The yield of corn 

 in bushels per acre was, for share tenants, 10.8, for owners, 

 10.5, and for cash tenants, 9.4. 



The difference between share tenants and owners in yield 

 obtained is certainly not sufficient to warrant any sweeping 

 statement as to difference in their efficiency. When the 

 individual counties are examined it will be noted that in 

 many sections the yield obtained by Negro owners was 

 larger than that obtained by share tenants. In fact, the 

 yield of cotton per acre for share tenants exceeded that 

 for owners only in the older farming counties where the 

 plantation system is still strongest. For example, there is a 

 notable difference in the group of counties embracing the old 

 Black Belt areas of Sumpter, Baldwin and Crawford and 

 the edges of the Black Belt, Paulding and Dodge, on the one 

 hand, and the group formed by the Piedmont, Wiregrass 

 and newer Black Belt counties on the other hand. The 

 yield obtained by cash tenants is, however, uniformly lower 

 than that obtained by the other classes. 



10 The inclusion of third and fourth as well as half share ten- 

 ants in the same class would tend to minimize such differences 

 as tend to exist between cash and share tenants so grouped. 

 Notwithstanding this fact, the tables which follow indicate some 

 differences which are sufficiently marked to serve as a basis of 

 definite contrast between these classes. 



