FARM MANAGEMENT IN SUMTER COUNTY, GA. 59 



occupied directly by the cotton crop was largely utilized for growing 

 crops to support the labor and mules used in growing cotton, and thus- 

 was largely used indirectly in the production of cotton. 



METHOD USED IN DETERMINING COST. 



The method used in determining the cost of producing cotton in- 

 volves six steps : 



1. Finding the percentages of total farm receipts represented by the 

 sale of cotton, including both lint and seed. 



2. Finding the total farm expense. This is the sum of such items as 

 labor, repairs, depreciation, feed, seed, fertilizer, insurance, taxes, etc. ; 

 the value of the farmer's own labor ; and the interest on the capital in 

 the business. 



3. Calculating the farm expense chargeable to cotton, in proportion 

 to the percentage of farm receipts derived from lint cotton and seed. 



4. Finding the farm expense chargeable to lint cotton by deducting 

 the amount received from the sale of cotton seed from the farm ex- 

 pense chargeable to cotton. 



' 5. Finding the cost per acre by dividing the farm expense charge- 

 able to cotton by the number of acres of cotton. 



6. Finding the cost per pound of lint by dividing the farm expense 

 chargeable to lint cotton by the number of pounds of lint produced. 



The several steps are illustrated in Table 32. 



Table 32. — Illustration of method used in determining cost of producing cot- 

 ton — Cost for a selected loMte-oicner farm, Sumter County, Oa. 1918. 



Number of acres in cotton ^ 63 



Number of pounds of lint cotton produced 15, 510 



Total farm receipts $7, 057 



Receipts from sale of lint cotton $4, 560 



Receipts ifrom sale of cotton seed 781 



Receipts from sale of lint and seed 5, 341 



Per cent lint and cotton seed sales are of farm receipts 75. 68 



General expenses (labor, seed, fertilizer, insurance, taxes, etc.) $4,389 



Value of farmer's own labor 420 



Interest on capital at 7 per cent 1, 138 



Total farm expenses 5, 947 



Farm expense chargeable to cotton 4, 501 



Receipts from sale of cotton seed , 781 



Farm expense chargeable to lint cotton 3, 720 



Cost per acre of cotton 71.44 



Cost per pound of lint . 24 



COST OF PRODUCTION ON DIFFERENT FARMS. 



There was wide variation in the cost of production per pound of 

 lint cotton for the different farms each year. _ (See Tables 33 and 34.) 

 In 1913 (534 farms) the extreme range in cost was from 4 to 50 cents 

 per pound, and in 1918 (550 farms) from 7 to 71 cents. A discussion 



