FARM MANAGEMENT IN SUMTER COUNTY, GA. 11 



No striking change in this respect took place in the period between 

 1913 and 1918. That fewer farms were operated by colored tenants 

 in 1918 than in 1913, as shown in the table, should not be construed 

 to mean that colored tenants are on the decrease ; it happened that 

 fewer of such operators were visited in 1918 than in 1913. For the 

 same reason it should not be understood that the number of colored 

 tenants operating farms of 50 tilled acres or under, is decreasing. 



CROPS GROWN. 



The long growing season, together with other favorable conditions, 

 enables the farmers of this area to grow a large variety of crops, and 

 in many cases to use the land for more than one crop during the year. 

 Table 2 shows the relative importance of the many crops grown, in 

 point of area occupied. Cotton and corn were the only crops grown 

 occupying over 10 per cent of the crop area. Comparing 1913 and 

 1918, the areas of cotton and oats were decreased, while those of corn 

 and other crops of significance were increased. There was a big 

 increase in 1918 over 1913 in the area used for second crops and for 

 interplanted crops, especially on the white-owner farms, where the 

 second crop was increased from 7 to about 10 per cent, and the inter- 

 planted corn acreage from 5 per cent to 30. ( See also Plate II. ) 



From the standpoint of the utilization of labor it would seem that 

 the change in organization that has been brought about is an im- 

 portant advantage. The decreased acreage of cotton and the in- 

 creased acreage of corn, small grains, peanuts, velvet beans, and hay 

 allows a better distribution of labor through the summer months and 

 the increase in live stock, especially hogs, aids materially in supply- 

 ing productive labor for other periods of the year. The change, 

 however, has not materially decreased the amount of labor necessary 

 per farm, the average months of labor per farm on the white-owner 

 farms in 1913 being 95 and in 1918, 91. 



Cotton was, of course, the crop of greatest importance, occupying 

 a larger acreage than any other crop, both in 1913 and in 1918, but 

 with a large reduction in 1918 from 1913, namely 33 per cent by 

 white owners and 20 per cent by colored tenants. This change is 

 attributable to several influences, prominent among which were the 

 invasion of the boUweevil, the increased cost of labor and materials 

 in producing cotton with an uncertainty of price, and an improved 

 outlook for the profitable production of corn, peanuts, and hogs. 



The boll weevil appeared in Sumter County in 1915, but up to and 

 including 1918 the damage had been much less than had been suffered 

 in many other cotton-growing sections. The farmers' estimates in 

 1918 as to the reduction in yields on account of bollweevil ranged 



