A FARM MANAGEMENT SURVEY IN BROOKS CO., GA. 
37 
secured when enterprises are combined in different proportions will 
help to show the proportions that are best adapted to the local con- 
ditions. Such a study has been made for the important crops found 
on the farms surveyed, and the results are presented in Table XVI. 
The index of earnings and the per cent returns on investment are 
the measures of efficiency used. 
Table XVI. — Relation of per cent of the crop area in specified crops to gross 
labor income and returns on investment (Brooks County, Ga.). 
Crop. 
Cotton . 
Corn. 
Oats and rye. 
Cowpeas (for hay). 
Watermelons 
Per cent of crop land in 
specified crop. 

OtolO 
10 to 20 
20 to 30 
30 to 40 
40 and over. 
[Under 30... 
|30to40 
1 40 to 50 
50 and over. 
fUnder 5 
5 to 10 , 
10 to 20 , 
20 to 30 , 
30 and over. 
f Under 5 
|5tol0 , 
10 to 15 
1 15 and over. 
f Under 5 
|5 to 10 
10 to 20 
20 and over. 
Number 
of farms. 
Average 
per cent 
crop land 
in speci- 
fied crop. 
.5 
7.0 
14.0 
29.0 
Farmers' 
earnings. 
$372 
553 
753 
1,112 
801 
724 
852 
1.077 
756 
474 
635 
664 
872 
1,032 
815 
638 
907 
904 
963 
749 
999 
854 
797 
Index of 
earnings. 
170 
90 
128 
97 
113 
92 
92 
92 
97 
112 
1J2 
77 
90 
104 
103 
111 
97 
103 
111 
91 
Per cent 
return on 
invest- 
ment. 
2.0 
3.2 
5.7 
7.7 
7.2 
5.6 
6.4 
7.5 
5.9 
4.8 
7.9 
6.5 
6.9 
6.8 
5.0 
5.3 
5.5 
6.8 
7.8 
5.7 
6.8 
7.4 
6.3 
Reference to Table XVI will show that the farms with from 20 to 
30 per cent, or an average of 25 per cent, of the crop land planted 
to cotton, gave higher returns than did those with either a larger or 
smaller proportion than this. Thus, the farms with no cotton planted 
returned farmers' earnings amounting to $372. As the percentage 
of the crop land in cotton increased, up to 25 per cent, the farmers' 
earnings increased to $1,112. But a further increase in the propor- 
tion of land in cotton resulted in lower earnings, amounting to $724 
for the group of farms with the largest proportion, or over 40 per 
cent of the land in cotton. 
Expressed in another way, the farms with no cotton returned 
farmers' earnings amounting to but 70 per cent of the average of 
farms of a similar size. With increasing proportions of cotton 
planted, up to 25 per cent of the crop area, the returns increased to 
28 per cent above the average, but decreased to 86 per cent with a 
still further increase in the proportion of cotton. 
