2 BULLETIN 650, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
~ sum for the whole farm or a certain cash rent per acre. Cash rent 
varies according to local conditions from $2 to $30 per acre, being 
commonly $4 to $10 per acre in the north central States. Under the 
cash renting system the landlord furnishes simply the real estate 
while the tenant furnishes all working capital, bears all operating ex- 
penses, and receives all proceeds. A modified form of this system 
consists in paying a specified number of bushels of grain or bales of 
cotton, etc., in lieu of cash. 
A great many methods of share leasing are to be noted. Under 
this system much variation exists in the methods of sharing equip- 
ment and expenses, the proceeds being divided accordingly half-and- 
half, one-third and two-thirds, one-fourth and three-fourths, two- 
fifths and three-fifths, two-sevenths and five-sevenths, or by some 
other fraction. For example, “share croppers” on cotton farms fur- 
nish nothing but labor and receive one-half of the cotton. ‘“ Share 
renters ” furnish labor, tools, and mules and receive two-thirds of 
the cotton on very fertile land or three-fourths on poorer land. On 
some share-rented general farms the tenant may supply all live stock 
and receive a share of the crops and all animal products, or pro- 
ductive stock may be jointly owned and the products shared. 
In many cases the chief crop areas of the farm are rented on 
shares, while the tenant pays cash for the farmstead, pasture, hay 
land, corn land, or some other specified area. This method of leas- 
ing is commonly called the share-cash system. 
Lease forms.—Printed lease forms seem to be of little avail except 
on large estates where the whole system has been thoroughly worked 
out by the manager, and where a uniform set of conditions is pre- 
scribed for all tenants on the estate. For the most part, however, 
printed lease forms contain only generalities. Usually it is neces- 
sary for landlord and tenant to agree by consultation on the features 
of the contract and then write a lease embodying these stipulations. 
Very often no written contract is made, the agreement being merely 
verbal. A written lease is more satisfactory, however, especially 
in the event of some subsequent disagreement or misunderstanding. 
Basis of discussion—The following discussion of the various fea- 
cures of leases is based partly on a study of lease contracts in actual 
vperation and partly on surveys of tenant farms throughout the 
country. These leases and survey records not only show the great 
variation in lease contracts under different conditions, but also indi- 
cate a basis for a rational lease form providing a reasonably just 
and fair sharing of equipment, expenses, and proceeds. The number 
of lease contracts examined was 258, every: State being represented. 
The number of tenant farm survey records studied with regard to 
