The Life of the Tenant Classes 77 



SIZE OF FARMS. 



There is little indication that the size of farm has much 

 influence, except in special cases, in securing the larger 

 income of the owners and renters. The large majority of 

 Negro owners and renters, as well as of share tenants still 

 cultivate the farm of "one man," one or two horse size. 

 This is indicated by the average acreage tilled by each class. 

 For the State as a whole share tenant's farms average 34.6 

 improved acres, cash tenants, 43.4 acres, and owners, 41.3 

 acres. Owing to the plantation organization, the share ten- 

 ant is assigned land which is practically all in crops, the 

 pasture and woodland being in common. Improved acreage 

 of cash tenants and owners includes therefore much more 

 land not actually in crops. Nevertheless, some of the larger 

 income of cash tenants and owners is due to the fact that 

 they can cultivate more ground. The share tenant is vir- 

 tually bound to the one man farm. But the owner or renter 

 who has a large family and can save enough for additional 

 animal power and implements, can extend his operations 

 by merely renting or buying a slightly larger piece of 

 ground. In some cases Negro owners and renters cultivate 

 so extensively as to require several laborers working for 

 them. 



Inasm uch as nei ther the ef ficiency in pr oduction per acre, 

 nor difference in size of jarm cultivate d indi cates very sig- 

 ni ficant differences between the tena nEclasses we may turn 

 to the other side of the picture , namely the itfrng_nf cos t. 

 The questions of profit and efficiency involve not only the 

 yield obtained, but the costs incurred in obtaining it. 



VALUE OF LAND. 



It is surprising to note that the most valuable land in the 

 Cotton Belt is in the hands of share tenants. The plantation 

 inquiry of the Census of 1910 n finds that the cheapest land 



11 Plantation Farming in the United States, U. S. Bureau of 

 the Census Bulletin, 1916. 



