LAND TENURE AND PLANTATION ORGANIZATION 39 
and fertilizers (where fertilizers are used) in proportion to the share 
of the crop received, except that in some sections of third and half 
share renting, the landlord contributes all the fertilizers used and in 
some cases all the planting seed. The tenant contributes ever} r thing 
else. 36 
There is no difference in principle between the several forms of 
share renting. The difference is in the relative contributions by 
landlord and tenant, or in the difference in productiveness of the land. 
In the case of half-share renting the landlord usually contributes all 
the fertilizers up to a certain limit, and in many cases all the cost of 
ginning. The heavy expense of furnishing fertilizer by the landlord 
accounts for the occurrence of the half-share system of renting in 
certain localities instead of the more common forms of a combination 
third and fourth or a straight third share. Frequently cash rent is 
paid for corn land in connection with the fourth, third, and half share 
renting, which is said to be due to the poor farming ability of planta- 
tion tenants in connection with crops other than cotton, and to the 
possible destruction or consumption of such crops before harvest time 
or before the rent is paid. 37 Meadow land is usually rented for half 
the crop, the landlord furnishing the implements and the tenant the 
labor for harvest. 
Of croppers . — In the case of half -share croppers, the landlord con- 
tributes everything to the farm business except labor, and a half of 
planting seed, fertilizer, ginning, bagging, and ties. Only in excep- 
tional cases are all these, except the labor, provided by the landlord. 
However, where the landlord retains two-thirds of the crop (which is 
frequent in South Carolina and parts of Georgia) the landlord 
usually contributes everything except the labor and one-third of the 
cost of ginning, bagging, and ties. In the cropper system, the land- 
lord receives a half -share of all crops in most areas, and in many cases 
all the cottonseed, but in the South Atlantic States he may receive 
two- thirds of all crops and all the cottonseed. Under the cropper 
contract, cash rent is sometimes paid for crop land other than cotton. 
Of cash and standing renters. — Cash and standing renters con- 
tribute everything to the farm enterprise except land and buildings, 
and pay a required rental in cash or in product. On plantations where 
the tenant is unable through crop failure or other misfortune to pay 
the rent, the rent is usually reduced to correspond with his ability to 
pay. This practice of reducing rents is considered advisable only in 
exceptional cases, because the practice might lead to the setting of 
excessive rates of rent in good years with the expectation of reducing 
the rent in normal or bad years. It is particularly applicable to cash 
and standing renting. 
Because of the peculiarities of the case, it is necessary to consider 
separately the systems of renting on sugar-cane and rice plantations. 
On sugar-cane plantations. — The methods of renting sugar-cane land 
fall into two main classes — share and cash. Croppers are seldom used 
except as subtenants. Share renting also consists of two classes — 
one, where the landlord receives a straight share of all crops; and the 
36 Contributions by the tenant consist of labor, teams, and tools, share of ginning and bagging and ties, 
planting seed, and fertilizers according to the share paid as rental, except in cases where the landlord con- 
tributes all fertilizers. 
37 It is thought by some that an excessive cash rent is sometimes charged plantation tenants for crops 
other than cotton, in order to discourage the production of other crops and thereby increase the cotton 
acreage worked by tenants. 
