20 BULLETIN 402, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ported the sale of meat above that needed for home use, 10 sold eggs, 

 and 7 sold butter or other milk products. When we consider that 

 these families have an abundance of these products for home use, 

 besides house rent and fuel, the family income of $551 they receive 

 means much more than that sum earned by a city day laborer means 

 to his family. 



The white tenants used 17 acres for the growing of crops for home 

 and farm use. Of these family farms, over 60 per cent sold crops 

 besides cotton, including corn, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, peanuts, 

 sirup, oats, watermelons, and garden vegetables, but the sales 

 amounted to only $27 per farm reporting. 



The colored owners used an average of 28 acres in growing crops 

 for farm and home use. Only two reported sales from crops other 

 than cotton, and this sale was for sirup and amounted to only $5 

 in each case. Two families sold eggs to the amount of $5 each. 



The colored tenants used 17 acres for growing corn and other crops 

 for farm and home use, but the yields most of these men received 

 were very low. Of the 140 colored tenant family farms, 50 re- 

 ported sales from crops other than cotton, but on 20 of the farms 

 returns from these sales were less than $10. The average was $31 

 per farm reporting, the sales being mostly of watermelons, sirup, 

 and sweet potatoes, with an occasional sale of corn, cowpeas, and 

 other miscellaneous crops. It was observed during this study that 

 many of the tenants evinced no pride whatever in keeping the house 

 and surroundings neat and attractive. Few had a well-kept garden. 

 Twenty-one of these family farms did not raise pork for home use. 

 Land is always available for truck gardens, and it would be an easy 

 matter for these tenants to raise most of their food products if they 

 had the inclination, but it often happens that this land is either de- 

 voted to cotton and corn or left idle. The family income of these ten- 

 ants is indeed very good. Where a tenant and his family with this 

 small amount of capital can make $421 for their year's work, besides 

 house rent and fuel and farm products, they are doing exceedingly 

 well. But the part of this income these men should be able to save 

 will be determined largely by the advantage they take of the oppor- 

 tunity of raising home products for family use. As the case is now, 

 many farmers do a regular business of selling these tenants meat, 

 grain crops, vegetables, and fruit. 



LANDLORDS' PROFITS. 



The profits of the landlords in this region vary considerably from 

 year to year. With but two exceptions, the landlords rented their 

 farms in this region for a specified amount of the cotton, and the 

 profits they received depended directly upon the price they received 



