48 BULLETIN 1034, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



In all comparisons of farms with low and high percentages of the 

 crop area in cotton higher earnings are indicated in favor of the 

 farms with the higher percentages in cotton. This would seem to 

 indicate that while other enterprises are undoubtedly profitable when 

 occupying a minor place in the organization of these farms, in all 

 probability they would not be as profitable as cotton if made the 

 major sources of income. Generally speaking, the data for both 1913 

 and 1918 indicate that the larger proportion of crop area that can 

 be devoted to cotton, after growing most of the feed, rations, and 

 products for family use, the greater the farm earnings. 



Diversity is sometimes indicated by the percentage of receipts 

 derived from the various enterprises. When the farms are grouped 

 in this respect, the indications are the same as when they are classi- 

 fied according to percentage of crop area in cotton. Fewer of the 

 farms with low percentage of receipts from cotton had relatively 

 high earnings than of the farms with high percentage of receipts 

 from cotton. However, there seems to be a place in the agriculture 

 of Sumter County for a few fairly highly diversified farms. Some 

 such farms were included in this study each year, and some of these 

 were as successful as the better cotton farms. 



The character of the diversity may be indicated by the enterprises 

 other than cotton, which returned 10 per cent or more of the farm 

 receipts. Of the enterprises so reporting in 1913 hogs (on 8 per cent 

 of the farms) and corn (on 5 per cent) were the leading enterprises. 

 These were followed by oats, poultry, and outside labor, each return- 

 ing over 10 per cent on 2 per cent of the farms ; hay, cattle, woodlot 

 products, and machine work on 1.5 per cent, and sweet potatoes and 

 cane sirup each on one farm. 



In 1918 hogs returned 10 per cent or more of the farm receipts 

 on 33 per cent of the farms; peanuts on 17 per cent, corn on 8 per 

 cent ; outside labor, cattle, and tobacco on 2 per cent ; and hay, sweet 

 potatoes, cane sirup, truck, wheat, woodland products, and machine 

 work each on one farm. 



It is of interest in connection with a study of the changes in Sum- 

 ter County toward a greater diversity of income to study also some 

 of the changes in crop acreage and amount of live stock in the whole of 

 Georgia for the past ten years. (See Table 26 and Plate III.) Over 

 this 10-year period the lowest acreages in cotton were for the j^ears 

 1915 and 1920. For the other eight j^ears the cotton area shows onl}^ a 

 slight variation from year to year. The acreage of corn shows a 

 marked increase over the 10-year period. Oats increased to 1915, 

 and since that time the acreage has been considerably reduced. The 

 hay acreage has been greatly increased. Peanuts occupy about the 

 same area as wheat, and sweet potatoes show a marked increase in 

 acreage. 



