14 BULLETIN 1269, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Discussion of details of administration of auxiliary enterprises on 
the plantation is clearly outside the scope of this bulletin, except for 
the purpose of pointing out briefly the place and function of each in 
the organization as a whole. The plantation cotton gin is almost 
purely a plantation enterprise, but operated for convenience rather 
than profit. In some instances, a reasonable margin of profit is 
expected from the purchase of tenants' cottonseed. Occasionally 
a small percentage of outside cotton is ginned to accommodate 
neighboring small farmers, and in a few instances neighboring 
planters own the gin plant in partnership. A mechanic is employed 
a few months in the year to operate the gin plant, but the business 
management is in the hands 01 the owner or manager. 
The plantation sugar refinery is more commercial than the cotton 
gin. In some cases the refinery operates the year round, refining 
Cuban raw sugar between harvest seasons. As a general rule, how- 
ever, the plantation refinery manufactures the sugar produced on 
the plantation and on the neighboring small farms, and then remains 
idle the rest of the year. Owners of refineries think it advisable to 
control on their own account at least 50 per cent of the total product 
milled. The management of the refinery is similar to that of any 
other factory with which it is comparable. The tobacco-packing 
plant is purely a plantation convenience, directed by the owner or 
manager. Rice is threshed, but not milled, on the plantation. 
The equipment on the plantation is occasionally modern, as shown 
by Figure 6, although in many cases it is not so good. 
The managerial system. — The combination of physical equipment — 
lands, mills, gins, stores, labor — practically constitutes a manufac- 
turing plant producing a specialized commodity. From the land- 
lord's point of view, there is no particular difference in his aim from 
that of any other manufacturer. The importance of this point of 
view in relation to the methods of management and supervision 
employed can not be overemphasized in connection with plantation 
management. 
Individuals constituting the managerial force of the plantation, 
outside of employees conducting auxiliary enterprises, are classified 
as owners or general managers, farm managers, assistant managers, 
and overseers, as shown by the chart in Figure 4. 
There is no well-defined distinction between the duties of farm 
managers and assistant managers, and between assistant managers 
and overseers. The principal difference in the former case is that 
the manager ranks first in authority. In the latter, in most cases, 
the overseer has the direct supervision of wage labor. For this 
reason, in southern Louisiana and other places where it is largely 
wage labor that is employed, practically all field managers are called 
overseers. Custom varies. 
The owner or general manager determines the policy of the plan- 
tation business as a whole. He directs all enterprises through the 
various managers. Details of management are left to department 
heads. The farm manager, next to him in rank, is both agriculturist 
and labor supervisor, llis duties are miscellaneous, since he has 
charge of the labor and the agricultural operations. The farm man- 
ager must ])c the first up in the morning and the last to bed at night. 
The assistanl manager, found on only the large plantations, aids the 
