FARM MANAGEMENT IN SUMTER COUNTY, GA. 11 
No striking change in this respect took place in the period between 
1913 and 1918. That fewer farms were operated by colored tenants 
in 1918 than in 1918, as shown in the table, should not be construed 
to mean that colored tenants are on the decrease; it happened that 
fewer of such operators were visited in 1918 than in 1912. For the 
same reason it should not be understood that the number of colored 
tenants operating farms of 50 tilled acres or under, is decreasing. 
CROPS GROWN. 
The long growing season, together with other favorable conditions, 
enables the farmers of this area to grow a large variety of crops, and 
in many cases to use the land for more than one crop during the year. 
Table 2 shows the relative importance of the many crops grown, in 
point of area occupied. Cotton and corn were the only crops grown 
occupying over 10 per cent of the crop area. Comparing 1913 and 
1918, the areas of cotton and oats were decreased, while those of corn 
and other crops of significance were increased. There was a big 
increase in 1918 over 1913 in the area used for second crops and for 
interplanted crops, especially on the white-owner farms, where the 
second crop was increased from 7 to about 10 per cent, and the inter- 
planted corn acreage from 5 per cent to 30. (See also Plate II.) 
From the standpoint of the utilization of labor it would seem that 
the change in organization that has been brought about is an im- 
portant advantage. The decreased acreage of cotton and the in- 
creased acreage of corn, small grains, peanuts, velvet beans, and hay 
allows a better distribution of labor through the summer months and 
the increase in live stock, especially hogs, aids materially in supply- 
ing productive labor for other periods of the year. The change, 
however, has not materially decreased the amount of labor necessary 
per farm, the average months of labor per farm on the white-owner 
farms in 1913 being 95 and in 1918, 91. 
COTTON. 
Cotton was, of course, the crop of greatest importance, occupying 
a larger acreage than any other crop, both in 1913 and in 1918, but 
with a large reduction in 1918 from 1913, namely 33 per cent by 
white owners and 20 per cent by colored tenants. This change is 
attributable to several influences, prominent among which were the 
invasion of the bollweevil, the increased cost of labor and materials 
in producing cotton with an uncertainty of price, and an improved 
outlook for the profitable production of corn, peanuts, and hogs. 
The bollweevil appeared in Sumter County in 1915, but up to and 
including 1918 the damage had been much less than had been suffered 
in many other cotton-growing sections. The farmers’ estimates in 
1918 as to the reduction in yields on account of bollweevil ranged 
