4 BULLETIN 896, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
YIELD OF COTTON IN THE SOUTH. 
A cost study of this character is designed to give a true picture 
of representative areas, so that the conclusions drawn may be ap- 
plicable, not only to the areas in question, but also to contiguous 
districts where climatic and soil conditions are similar and methods 
of production are identical or nearly so. The farm costs reported 
in this bulletin are based upon the actual yields obtained on each 
farm. It is of interest to compare the yields of lint cotton reported 
by States in 1918 with the average yields obtained in the districts 
included in this survey. 7 
The average yield of lint cotton for the 842 farms was 227 pounds 
per acre. The average yield for all cotton produced in the United 
States during the year 1918 was 155.9 pounds of lint per acre. The 
latter average was approximately 20 pounds below the 10-year 
average 1909 to 1918. It will be seen, therefore, that in 1918 the 
farms used in connection with this cost study had a higher average 
return than the normal, and even higher than the 10-year average 
for the Cotton Belt as a whole. (See p. 16 for discussion of relation 
of average and yield to production costs.) 
TasLE III.— Yveld of cotton per acre, by States.! 
Ten- 
year © 
State. average,| 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 
1909 to 
1918 | 
Wincimiare ns es 247 \y 100 (22202) | 330) 2500) 2408! 6 265c 225. S10 SO 270 
North Carolina......- 248| 210 227 315 |- 267 239 290 260 215 194 265 
South Carolina. ...... 222 210 216 280 209 235 255 215 160 208 235 
Georgi acne ata eae 192 184 173 240 159 208 239 189 165 173 188 
WOT Ga eee 119 110 110 130 113 150 175 120 105 100 78 
PA aa epee Nye ee 159 142 160 204 172 190 209 146 79 125 160 
IMASSISSHDDISeaa seen nee 172 157 182 172 173 204 195 167 125 155 185 
WOUISIaAN ae 165 130 120 170 193 170 165 165 170 210 161 
IMOKAGS St ees nyees ese ae 154 125 145 186 206 150 184 147 157 135 110 
ATKANISAS eae eee 182 153 175 190 190 205 196 180 209 170 155 
Menmnesseesegear a2 oe se 189 158 207 257 169 210 200 188 206 130 168 
MOSSOURIE eee eee 260 271 285 360 260 286 270 240 225 190 215 
Oklahoma 160 147 200 160 183 132 212 162 154 165 85 
Californias see ee Rel leases ae 335 390 450 500 500 380 400 242 265 
Nah A 0) a, Yee eee em et Sor fa ON oe |b A Ue ot ns ae ee gk liter Ibo Set ener, nes 285 280 
United States..| 175.7 | 154.3 | 170.7 | 207.7 | 190.9 | 182.0 | 209.2 | 170.3 | 156.6 | 159.7 | 155.9 
842 farms: StU GPS ig e212 we eit | he as pe ee | i | eee oe Lp oe | ee | eae see 227 
1 Yearbook U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1918. 
METHOD OF STUDY AND DESCRIPTION OF AREAS. 
A special cotton enterprise schedule was prepared and each grower 
who was visited gave a detailed report of the man and mule labor 
required in preparing the land, planting the seed, cultivating and 
harvesting the cotton. Each operator also estimated the cash 
expenses and other costs chargeable to cotton. Fairly complete 
data were obtained with reference to the acreage devoted to crops 
other than cotton. A comparison of the receipts from cotton lint 
