STUDY OF FARMING IN SUMTER COUNTY, GKORGJA. 



45 



RELATION OF SIZE OF FARM TO DISTRIBUTION OF EXPENSES. 



Table XX shows the relation of size of farm to the distribution 

 of expenses on the farms operated by white owners. The larger 

 the size of business, the greater becomes the expense for different 

 things, even though the proportion may be constant. The average 

 expense for labor outside that performed by the operator was $196 

 per farm in the smallest-size group and $5,412 in the largest-size 

 group. About one-half of the labor expense on the largest farms 

 was for share croppers. In all the size-groups, except the first, the 

 expense for labor was over 50 per cent of the total farm expendi- 

 tures. This low labor cost, so noticeable in the smallest-size group, 

 and also showing to some extent in the 51 to 100 acre group, is due 

 to these farms being of such size that the operator did all or a part 

 of the work of a laborer. After these farms become of such size 

 (about 100 tilled acres) that the operator's time is mostly taken up 

 in the general supervision of the business, the expense for labor is 

 higher and quite uniform. The small farms furnish a greater 

 amount of family labor than the large farms, but this difference is 

 offset by the fact that the larger farms hire more wage hands. 



The machinery-repair charge is considerably higher on the larger 

 farms, chiefly because these farms maintain more numerous and more 

 expensive implements than do the smaller farms. The building- 

 repair expense runs quite uniform in all the groups, but repairs of 

 fences are relatively higher upon the smaller farms. 



Table XX. — The relation of size of farm to distribution of farm expenses on 160 

 farms operated by white owners, Sumter Comity, Ga. 



Item of expense. 



Percentage of farm expenses in each specified tilled acreage 

 group. 



50 acres 



51 to 100 



101 to 150 



151 to 250 



251 to 450 



Over 



and less 



acres 



acres 



acres 



acres 



450 acres 



(25 



(41 



(40 



(31 



(12 



(11 



farms). 



farms). 



farms). 



farms). 



farms). 



farms) . 



6.4 



8.6 



7.9 



12.2 



15.9 



15.4 



2.6 



6.5 



4.2 



5.7 



8.0 



9.7 



21.4 



31.8 



42.7 



37.8 



29.7 



30.5 



15.2 



4.7 



3.0 



1.9 



.5 









45.6 



51.6 



57.8 



57.6 



54.1 



55.6 



.5 



.9 



.6 



1.0 



1.3 



2. 7 



2.6 



3.6 



1.8 



2.0 



3.0 



2.2 



4.3 



.9 

 .3 



.4 

 .3 



.6 



.4 



.4 

 00 





.7 



.2 



.9 



*.6 



.4 



.7 



.6 



2 



6.4 



2.1 



2.9 



1.7 



1.3 



1.1 



.3 



.4 



.2 



.2 



.3 



.1 



(a) 



.2 



.2 



.2 



.2 



.1 



2.2 



1.1 



.8 



1.1 



.4 



.8 



5.7 



10.3 



15.9 



12.6 



11.2 



14.8 



20.3 



17.1 



9.0 



12.4 



17.6 



14.5 



.1 



.2 



.4 



.4 



.3 



.2 



4.7 



5.1 



5.0 



4.6 



5.1 



3.9 



.1 



.1 



.2 



.1 



.2 



.6 



.5 



.3 



.3 



.5 



.5 



.1 



3.5 



3.1 



2.5 



2.5 



2.4 



1.6 



.8 



1.2 



1.0 



1.1 



.4 



.6 



L .8 



.9 



.3 



.3 



.7 



.7 



Wage hands 



Cotton picking and chopping (extra labor) . 



Share croppers 



Family labor 



Total labor. 



Repairs: 



Machinery 



Buildings 



Fences 



Terracing 



Feed: 



Hay, etc 



Grain, etc 



Horseshoeing 



Breeding fees and veterinary . 



Seeds and plants 



Fertilizer: 



Croppers 



Wage land 



Thrashing and twine 



Ginning, bags, ties, etc 



Machine hire, fuel, and oil 



Insurance 



Taxes 



Interest on loan 



Miscellaneous 



a Less than one-tenth of 1 per cent. 



