18 



BULLETIN 1034, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



Table 4. — Yield per acre of the principal crops, Sumter County, Georg^ia, 53^ 

 farms in 1913 and 550 in 1918. 





White 

 owners. 



White 

 tenants. 



All white 

 farmers. 



Colored 

 owners. 



Colored 

 tenants. 



All colored 

 farmers. 





1913 



1918 



1913 



1918 



1913 



1918 



1913 



1918 



1913 



1918 



1913 1918 



Cotton grown by wage 

 labor pounds Knt. . 



Cotton grown by share-crop- 

 per labor. . .pounds lint. . 



302 

 264 



284 

 244 



225 

 231 



209 

 213 



291 

 262 



270 

 242 



195 

 186 



203 

 166 



212 

 206 



193 

 176 



! 



209 196 

 196 i 171 



All cotton do 



279 



256 



227 



211 



274 



251 



192 



189 



211 



191 



207 I 190 



Corn grown by wage labor, 

 bushels 



17 

 12 



16 

 13 



12 

 13 



12 



12 



16 

 12 



16 

 13 



9 



8 



9 



7 



9 



7 



10 



8 



9 



8 



10 



Corn grown by share-crop- 

 per labor bushels. . 



8 



All corn do 



15 



15 



12 



12 



15 



14 



9 



9 



8 



10 



9 



9 



Oats do 



Wheat do 



Cowpea hay tons. . 



Peanuts do 



Tobacco pounds.. 



25 



11 



.73 



.20 



21 

 9 

 .54 

 .30 

 703 

 161 

 112 



28 



18 



.64 



.20 



15 



7 



.60 



.30 



25 



15 



.72 



.20 



21 

 8 

 .55 

 .30 

 703 

 159 

 113 



14 



8 



.57 



.12 



10 



7 



.53 



.20 



12 



.58 

 .13 



12 



6 



.50 



.11 



13 



8 

 .58 

 .13 



11 



7 



.51 



.14 



Cane sirup gallons. . 



Sweet potatoes — bushels . . 



184 ■ 

 91 



166 

 76 



133 

 122 



183 

 90 



123 



74 



102 

 107 



128 



76 



102 

 102 



127 



75 



102 

 104 



In considering the wide difference in yield when comparing the 

 various classes of farms show^n in the table or when comparing the 

 wide range on individual farms within any one class, many factors 

 should be taken into account, some of which, because of lack of data, 

 can not yet be properly weighed. While there is no great difference 

 in the quality of soil of the various farms throughout this area, 

 there has long been wide variation in the farm practice followed for 

 soil improvement. Some farms have been operated year after year 

 wath little or no attention to fertility maintenance and are at this 

 time in a very low state of productivity. Keeping up the produc- 

 tiveness of these farms is a problem of much importance and one 

 which is obviously receiving increased attention. The farmers of 

 this area have to depend mainly upon growing crops for supplying 

 organic matter, which is vitally important in maintaining the pro- 

 ductiveness of these lands. With the long growing season a large 

 quantity of organic matter is required each year. Many of the soils 

 also lose considerable from erosion unless they are protected. By 

 plowing under cotton stalks and cornstalks and leguminous crops, 

 together with the aid of fertilizer, the more progressive farmers are 

 keeping their land in a comparatively high state of fertility. The 

 farmers that were found conserving manure, plowing under legu- 

 minous crops to supply vegetable matter, using a good application of 

 fertilizer, and practicing the best tillage methods were the ones 

 realizing the better yields and the higher returns. 



Both white owners and colored renters used less fertilizer per crop 

 acre in 1918 than in 1913 on cotton as well as on other crops, and. 



