14 



BULLETIN 1070, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



farm, but with a yield above the average, made an average labor 

 income of SI, 488, which is over twice as large as the average of the 

 group of farms with 20.2 acres of cotton per farm but with a yield 

 below the average. Table 9 shows that the maximum profits, both 

 in 1912 and in 1918, were made by the farmer who had an acreage 

 of cotton above the average and yielding above the average. 



The sweet potato crop occupied 2 per cent of the crop area in 1912 

 and 2.5 per cent of the crop area in 1918. As shown in Table 5, 

 7 per cent of the receipts were from sweet potatoes in 1912 and 10 

 per cent in 1918. The amount sold per farm averaged 103 bushels 

 in 1912 and 113 bushels in 1918. In 1912 the average price received 

 per bushel was 60 cents and in 1918 it was $1.48. 



More farmers raised sweet potatoes in 1918 than in 1912. In 1912 

 31 per cent of the farmers did not raise sweet potatoes, while only 

 22 per cent did not raise them in 1918. The number of farmers 

 depending upon sweet potatoes as a source of cash receipts is in- 

 creasing. In 1912 169 farmers, or 57 per cent of the total, reported 

 sales of sweet potatoes, and in 1918 195 farmers out of 304, or 64 

 per cent, reported receipts from sweet potatoes. 



Table 10. — Relation between yield per acre of sweet potatoes and farm income and labor 

 income on farms having over 5 per cent of their crop acreage in sweet potatoes — 4~ farms 

 for 1912 and 59 farms for 1918, Catawba County, N. C. 



Item. 



1912 



1918 



152 bush- 

 els or less 

 per acre. 



Over 152 ! 142 bush- 

 bushels els or less 

 per acre, per acre. 



Over 142 

 bushels 

 per acre. 



Number of farms 



Average acreage in sweet potatoes 



Average yield bushels 



Farm income 



Labor income 



31 

 3.6 

 113 



$327 



16 

 3.4 

 204 



25 

 3.4 



108 



34 



3.2 



177 



$1,166 



801 



In 1912 the farmers who secured an average yield of 113 bushels 

 per acre made an average labor income of $48, while those who 

 averaged 204 bushels per acre made a labor income of $162 (Table 10). 



In 1918 farmers who secured an average yield of 108 bushels per 

 acre made labor incomes of $467, while those who averaged 177 

 bushels per acre made an average labor income of $801 per farm. 

 Of course, not all this difference in income can be directly attributed 

 to difference in yield of sweet potatoes, but certainly some of it can. 



Some important factors that are favorable for raising sweet 

 potatoes in this region are a climate and soil well adapted to the crop 

 so that good yields are the rule, successful cooperative marketing 

 associations, and a community of farmers who are experienced in 

 raising the crop. The unfavorable factors are those common to 

 nearly all sweet potato growing areas, namely, plant diseases, difn- 



