16 BULLETIN 1269, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
farm manager. The overseer is part assistant manager and part 
labor boss. 
Some of the large plantations employ agricultural specialists for 
the plantation as a whole. The specialist's function is to experiment 
with such factors as soil, seed, fertilizers, and extermination of pests, 
and to advise with the farm managers on methods of cultivation. 
Table 4. — Classification of plantations according to the system of operation 
Plantations considered 
All plantations in 9 States 1 
All plantations in 75 selected counties 
Plantations selected for special study.. 
Plan- 
tations 
22, 002 
6,453 
206 
Operated 
by 
owners 
Per cent 
Operated' L «£J d . 
by gen- tne 
~ii, ~«~ J owner 
eral man- 
agers or 
agents 
Per cen t 
14 
17 
20 
retaining 
no 
control 
Per cent 
7 
10 

1 Florida and Virginia (a total of 3 counties) are excepted for lack of complete data. 
The general management was handled by owners on 79 per cent of 
plantations in 1910, as shown by Table 4. The 14 per cent operated 
by general managers were in the majority of cases, it is thought, 
estates and corporation farms. This does not mean, however, that 
the owner-operators or general managers live on the plantations they 
operate. Some live on the farms and others live in neighboring towns 
and cities. 
Of the 206 plantations selected in 1920 for special study, the follow- 
ing facts were found: Of the 165 owner-operators, 59 per cent lived 
on the farm, nearly 41 per cent lived in near-by towns, and 1 lived 
elsewhere. For the 41 manager-operated farms, practically the same 
percentages hold, with 24 general managers living on the farm, 16 
living in near-by towns, and 1 elsewhere. The residence of the owners 
of these manager-farms was as follows: One lived on the farm, 22 
lived in near-by towns, and 10 were nonresidents of the community. 
As to the nature of ownership of the 41 manager-operated planta- 
tions, 4 had individual owners, 12 were undivided estates, 9 were 
partnerships, and 16 were owned by companies or corporations. 
Of 1,063 plantations studied by special agents of the Bureau of the 
Census in 1910, 84.7 per cent of the owners lived in the county, 12.7 
per cent lived outside the county but within the State, and 2.6 per 
cent lived outside the State. The plantation figures show less 
absenteeism than was shown by the census of 1900 for rented farms 
in the United States as a whole, these figures for rented farms being : 
Residence in the county 75.2 per cent, residence in the State but 
outside the county 15.2 per cent, and residence outside the State 5.1 
per cent (4.5 per cent were not ascertained). Plantation owners 
Jiving in neighboring towns could scarcely be classed as absentee 
owners, except in a strict sense, as the details of management in any 
case are usually handled by a farm manager. 
Cost of managi rra nt and supervision. — The average annual salary of 
167 farm managers in 1920, including such perquisites as free house 
rent, board, or family Living, and pasture privileges for livestock, was 
$2,100. (See Appendix F.) The salary of assistant managers and 
