PAiElM MANAGEMENT IN SUMTEK COUNTY, GA. 7 



The topography of the county varies from very rolling in the 

 northern part of the county to gently rolling or flat in the southern 

 part. 



CLIMATE, 



The climate is characterized by short, mild winters and long sum- 

 mers with rather high humidity, but not extremely hot. The rainfall 

 as recorded at Americus by the United States Weather Bureau was 

 45.06 inches in 1913 and 48.86 inches in 1918, with an average of 47.88 

 inches for the 35-year period from 1884 to 1918, inclusive. The 

 length of growing season from last killing frost in spring to first 



UTILIZATION OF THE FARM LAND 



ON 



FARMS OPERATED BY WHITE OWNERS 



SUI^TER CO., GEORGiA; 1913 AND 1918 



CROP LAND ^t.-COTTON, 2.-CORN, 3.-SMALL GRAINS, 4.-0THER CROPS ) 

 PASTURE LAND. | 



IDLE CROP LAND. ^^^^^^ WOODLAND. |'!v»!.| WASTELAND 



YEAR 



1913 



10 



20 30 



PERCENT 



40 50 60 70 



1913 



Fig. 3. — Over 50 per cent of the ifarm land was used for growing crops each year. The 

 greater part of the remainder lay as woodland. The acreage in cotton was reduced 

 about one-third in 1918 and that of corn increased about one-third. The acreage in 

 pasture in 1918 was about twice that of 1913. Thus more land was used for growing 

 feed crops and for pasture for the increased amount of live stock in 1918. 



killing frost in fall and the distribution of rainfall by months are 

 shown in figure 2. 



UTILIZATION OF THE LAND. 



The way the land on the Sumter County owner farms is utilized 

 is shown in figure 3. Here are given the proportions of the farm 

 land that were used for crops, for pasture, that lay as idle land, as 

 woodland, and as waste land for the farms operated by white owners 

 in 1913 and 1918. This figure also shows the proportions of the crop 

 land that were used each year for growing cotton, corn, small grains, 

 and other crops. Over 50 per cent of the total land area was used for 



