84 Negro Migration 



more scattered among a majority white population, have 

 more chance to observe progressive farming methods than 

 they do in solid Negro Black Belt communities. As to own- 

 ers, their individual interest in the land in which they have 

 invested, plus such supervision as they can be given by 

 county farm demonstration agents must be relied on to 

 prompt them to take the necessary precautions against de- 

 preciation. 



As a class, however, owners must be almost equally as ef- 

 ficient in this respect as are share tenants, otherwise, start- 

 ing with inferior land, the owners could hardly continue to 

 so nearly equal the production per acre attained by share 



tenants. That rash tenants as a Hass are inferior in this 



respect is indicated by the fact that their yield per acre is 

 not only less than that of share tenahls'^wKo oc cupy more 

 valuable land, but ajso less than that o f owners who occupy 

 les s valuable lan d. 



This very general survey of the factors of production and 

 yield obtained, indicates the futility, purely from an eco- 

 nomic standpoint of attempting a sweeping general state- 

 ment as to which system is "better for the tenant" or "better 

 for the landlord." Too much depends upon the individual 

 tenant or landlord. The foregoing facts do, however, make 

 it possible from the standpoint of the yield obtained and the 

 factors of production used to give the following categorical 

 statements : 



(1) If the tenant is young and without either capital, or 

 sufficient experience to invest borrowed money wisely in 

 animals and implements which will be efficiently used, there 

 is but one place for him on the farm, outside the status of 

 laborer, and that is share tenancy. 



(2) If the tenant has slightly more experience and has 

 sufficient capital to buy animals, implements and machinery, 

 he is better off as a cash tenant. From the landlord's point 

 of view the existence of this class is not so desirable. Un- 

 scrupulous landlords who enforce the share system rigor- 



