BULLETIN 650, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



sum for the whole farm or a certain cash rent per acre. Cash rent 

 varies according to local conditions from $2 to $30 per acre, being 

 commonly $4 to $10 per acre in the north central States. Under the 

 cash renting system the landlord furnishes simply the real estate 

 while the tenant furnishes all working capital, bears all operating ex- 

 penses, and receives all proceeds. A modified form of this system 

 consists in paying a specified number of bushels of grain or bales of 

 cotton, etc., in lieu of cash. 



A great many methods of share leasing are to be noted. Under 

 this system much variation exists in the methods of sharing equip- 

 ment and expenses, the proceeds being divided accordingly half-and- 

 half, one-third and two-thirds, one-fourth and three-fourths, two- 

 fifths and three-fifths, two-sevenths and five-sevenths, or by some 

 other fraction. For example, " share croppers " on cotton farms fur- 

 nish nothing but labor and receive one-half of the cotton. " Share 

 renters " furnish labor, tools, and mules and receive two-thirds of 

 the cotton on very fertile land or three-fourths on poorer land. On 

 some share-rented general farms the tenant may supply all live stock 

 and receive a share of the crops and all animal products, or pro- 

 ductive stock may be jointly owned and the products shared. 



In many cases the chief crop areas of the farm are rented on 

 shares, while the tenant pays cash for the farmstead, pasture, hay 

 land, corn land, or some other specified area. This method of leas- 

 ing is commonly called the share-cash system. 



Lease forms. — Printed lease forms seem to be of little avail except 

 on large estates where the whole system has been thoroughly worked 

 out by the manager, and where a uniform set of conditions is pre- 

 scribed for all tenants on the estate. For the most part, however, 

 printed lease forms contain only generalities. Usually it is neces- 

 sary for landlord and tenant to agree by consultation on the features 

 of the contract and then write a lease embodying these stipulations. 

 Very often no written contract is made, the agreement being merely 

 verbal. A written lease is more satisfactory, however, especially 

 in the event of some subsequent disagreement or misunderstanding. 



Basis of discussion. — The following discussion of the various fea- 

 tures of leases is based partly on a study of lease contracts in actual 

 operation and partly on surveys of tenant farms throughout the 

 country. These leases and survey records not only show the great 

 variation in lease contracts under different conditions, but also indi- 

 cate a basis for a rational lease form providing a reasonably just 

 and fair sharing of equipment, expenses, and proceeds. The number 

 of lease contracts examined was 258, every State being represented. 

 The number of tenant farm survey records studied with regard to 



