38 



BULLETIN 492, r. S. M'.i'AKTM KXT OF AGRICULTURE. 



tenants hires a mule. (See Table XIX, p. 14.) The smallest size 

 group averaged 1.2 head of work stock, the middle group 2.3, and 

 the largest size group 4 per farm. If all the men upon these farms 

 had owned their work mules instead of a part of them renting, the 

 proportion of this investment would have run practically normal 

 in all groups. The investment in other live stock was of very minor 

 importance. Three-fourths of these tenants owned cows, the average 

 value per head being $24. Eight out of every 10 of them kept a 

 few hogs for meat and most of them kept from 10 to 30 chickens. 



Table XIII. — Relation of size of ((inn to distribution of capital on 186 farms 

 operated by colored tenants, Sumter County, Ga. 



Distribution of capital." 



Farms grouped according to the number 

 of tilled acres per farm. 



50 acres, 

 and less. 



51 to 100 

 acres. 



Over 100 

 acres. 



Total. 





96 



35 



$2,021 



68 



68 



S3, 418 



22 

 136 



S7, 751 



1S6 





59 





S3, 210 







Percentage of total capital in — 



76.9 

 6.8 

 2.4 



75.8 

 5.3 

 2.2 



78.5 

 5.1 

 1.5 



77.0 





5.7 





2.0 









86.1 



S3. 3 



85.1 



84.7 









6.7 

 1.7 

 2.0 

 3.3 

 .2 



8.3 

 1.4 

 2.2 

 4.5 

 .3 



7.9 



.9 



1.6 



3.7 



.8 



7.6 





1.4 





2.0 





3.9 



Cash 



.4 







Total working capital 



13.9 



16.7 



14.9 



15.3 



" Landlord's and tenanfs capital combined. 



The fact that a large percentage of these colored tenants used for 

 the breaking, preparation of the land, covering of the seed, and the 

 cultivation of the intertilled crops, but one crude plow drawn by one 

 mule, explains why the working capital represents less than 15 per 

 cent of the total investment on these farms. The quality of the 

 buildings furnished these tenants is much below that used by the 

 owners. The climate here is such that cheap buildings are very com- 

 fortable during the greater part of the year. This, together with 

 self-interest, prompts landlords to build as cheaply as possible. 



RELATION OF SIZE OF FARM TO PROFITS. 



The size of the business is one of the most important factors af- 

 fecting farm profits. A farm must do a certain amount of business 

 in order to yield a satisfactory income. The small farm has rela- 

 tively much more of its capital in the form of unproductive invest- 

 ment than does the large farm. Labor, mules, and machinery cover 



