6 BULLETIN 337, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



METHODS OF RENTING LAND. 



Three general systems of renting land, with many variations, are 

 practiced in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta, each of the systems having 

 advocates among planters and among tenants. On large plantations 

 all three of the systems are sometimes found side by side. The main 

 points of the three systems are described in the f ollowing paragraphs : 



fHalf-and-half system (share croppers) . — Under this system the tenant 

 supplies the labor and one-half of the fertilizers, when any are used, 

 while the landlord furnishes the land, a cabin, a garden plot, all the 

 tools, the work animals and their feed, the seed, one-half of the f erti- 

 lizers used, and the tenant's fuel wood, which the tenant cuts from 

 the nearest available woodland, using the landlord's mules for 

 hauling. Each party under this system receives half the crop and 

 each pays for his half of the ginning, bagging, and ties. If, as hap- 

 pens occasionally, another crop besides corn and cotton is grown, it 

 is also divided equally between landlord and tenant. Cowpeas are 

 frequently planted in the corn at the last cultivation with the seed 

 usually furnished by the landlord. In this case all the hay, if cured, 

 goes to the landlord. The tenant is often allowed to pasture it if he 

 has a cow or other stock. The landlords exercise careful supervision 

 over the share croppers, who are locally not considered as tenants at 

 all, but as laborers hired to do the work in return for half the crop and 

 the use of a cabin. 



Sometimes under this system the tenant pays cash for the use of 

 the land not planted in cotton and for the use of the planter's equip- 

 ment in working it. In such cases the tenant receives all the crops 

 raised in this manner. 



Share renting system. — Under this system the tenant furnishes his 

 own work stock and feeds it, and also supplies tools, seeds, and all 

 labor, while the owner provides the land, the buildings, and the fuel. 

 If fertilizers are used under this system, they are paid for in the ratio 

 of each party's share of the crop. The tenant pays as rent a share of 

 the crop, one-fourth in some sections and one-third in others. The 

 use of the land in corn is sometimes paid for in cash and the tenant 

 then retains all the crop. Each party to this agreement pays for 

 ginning and bagging his part of the cotton. The landlord is interested 

 in the crop and oversees the tenant's operations, but is not so much 

 concerned about the economical use of mules and machinery, since 

 they belong to the tenant. 



Cash renting system. — This system is similar to the share renting 

 system, except that in lieu of a share of the crop the tenant pays a 

 fixed rent per acre in cash or in lint cotton. Since the cotton is sold 

 through the planter, he is sure of his rent provided a crop is raised, 

 but since he can not collect his rent if there is no crop, and since also 

 the tenant is usually indebted to him for supplies advanced, the 



