FARM MAISrAGEMENT IN SUMTER COUNTY, GA. 



63 



but more than offset such increase by making for increased pro- 

 duction per man. Future changes in the organization and opera- 

 tion of these tenant farms for greater efficiency and larger returns 

 must undoubtedly be accomplished along similar lines. 



The interpretation of these cost data for owners and tenants, white 

 and colored, without ^the aid of the data regarding size of business, 

 distribution of crop area, yields, production per farm, and returns, 

 shown elsewhere in this bulletin, might lead to erroneous conclusions. 



SIZE OF FARM AND YIELD OF COTTON PER ACRE AS FACTORS AFFECTING COST 



OF PRODUCTION. 



One of the objects in showing cost of production data, along with 

 an analysis of the organization of these various farms and groups 

 of farms, was to set forth the fact that the fundamental principles 

 underlying efficiency in cost of production of a given crop are the 

 same as those bearing on the successful conduct of the farm as a 

 whole. Reduced costs of production and increased profits are ob- 

 tained through the efficient organization and operation of the busi- 

 ness. To set forth clearly the relation between good farm organiza- 

 tion and efficient operation in reducing the cost of producing cotton. 

 Table 36 is given. The same grouping of farms was used in this table 

 as in Tables 30 and 31, in which the organization of each group is 

 rather clearly portrayed and the profits shown. The effect of size 

 of farm upon cost of production is shown for the different size- 

 groups having similar yields per acre. The effect of yield per acre 

 may also be studied by comparing the groups of farms with different 

 yields per acre but of similar size. 



Table 35.- 



-Cost of producing cotton, Sumter County, Oa., 534 farms in 1913 

 and 550 in 1918. 





White- 



White-tenant farms. 



Colored- 



Colored-tenant farms. 





owner 

 farms. 



Farm 

 basis. 



Renter 

 basis. 



owner 

 farms. 



Farm 

 basis. 



Renter 

 basis. 





1913 



1918 



1913 



1918 



1913 



1918 



1913 



1918 



1913 



1918 



1913 



1918 



Number of farms 



268 

 227 

 102 



57 



279 

 $39. 04 

 SO. 122 



280 

 224 

 69 



38 



257 

 $76. 95 

 $0. 246 



49 

 85 

 54 



63 



227 

 $29. 38 

 $0.11 



56 

 108 

 45 



45 



211 



$55. 55 

 $0. 206 



49 

 85 

 54 



63 



227 

 $21. 84 

 $0. 103 



56 

 108 



45 



45 



211 



$42. 49 



31 

 145 

 67 



62 



192 



$25. 18 



48 

 125 

 53 



48 



189 

 $51.61 



186 

 59 

 39 



66 



211 



$25. 57 



166 

 73 

 38 



52 



191 



$46. 81 



186 

 59 

 39 



66 



211 



$19. 82 



166 



Acres tilled per farm 



Acres in cotton per farm 



Per cent of crop acreage in 



73 

 38 



52 



Yield per acre (pounds of 

 lint cotton). 



191 



Cost per acre 



$35. 43 

 $0. 209 



Cost per pound lint cotton. . 



$0. 200 



$0. 118 



$0. 223 



$0. 105 



$0. 192 



$0. 106 



Note.— See Table 12, p. 33, for the incomes of these same groups of farms. 



