FARM MANAGEMENT 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, Ga., 534 farms in 1913 
and 550 in 1918. 
White-tenant farms. | Colored-tenant farms. 
White- Colored- 
owner owner 
farms. Farm Renter farms. Farm Renter 
basis. basis. basis. basis. 
1913 | 1918 | 1913 | 1918 | 1913 | 1918 | 1913 | 1918 | 1913 | 1918 | 1913 | 1918 
Number of farms..........- 268 280 49 56 49 56 31 48 186 166 186 166 
Acres tilled per farm....... 227 224) 85 108 85! 108 145} -125 59) 73 59 73 
Acres in cotton per farm.... 102} ~ 69 54 45 54 45 67 53 39) 38 39 38 
Per cent of crop acreage in | 
POLEODSE! Lee = 8 as Ce 57 38 63 45 63 45 62) 48 66 52 66 52 
Yield per acre (pounds of | 
Hn cotten)22233- 2... =-2 279 257 227 211 227 211 192} 189 211 191 211 191 
Cost per acre........-..--:-| $39. 04/$76. 95 $29. 38/$55. 55/$21. 84/$42. 49/$25. 18 $51. 61/$25. 57/$46. 81 $19. 82'$35. 43 
Cost per pound lint cotton.. a 122|$0. 246! $0. te 1a AL 200 $0. 118 $0. 223'$0. 105 $0. 192 $0. 106 $0. 209 
Note.—See Table 12, p. 33, for the incomes of these same groups of farms. 
