The progressive farmer and the cotton plant., 1905-02-21
THE TENANT SYSTEM.
Failure of Landlords TO Direct the Work is Ruin
ing Land, Landlord and Tenant Alike.

1850
year I want to say an earnest word about the ten
ant system. Next to the washing away of our
Southern fields, this tenant system has been the
most destructive. Because you rent out a field
to a man to tend is no reason why you should not
give him explicit directions as to how it should
be managed. Right here comes In the greatest
fault of the system, and this has not come by the
tenant, but by the careless and unbusiness-like
methods of the landowner.
When you rent a farm to any one, white or
black, you should be business-like in your con-
tracts and specify everything which you want
done ON the farm and be very particular to have
everything done as you see it should be done.
Everything should be done for the salvation of the
land and the Improvement of same, and the crops
will be all the better for tenant and yourself.
What I mean by this is that you should be the
over-seer of this tenant and the farm all the year.
You should tell him when and how deep to pillow,
how ide to run the rows, and which direction
they should be run, etc. All the terracing should
be done by our own personal direction and the
rows the same. Just because you have rented this
man your land is no reason you should allow him
to destroy your land and close up your bank.
There are so very few men who know or think
about saving the land. All they think of is how
to plant and make the crop with the least work
and trouble to themselves. Here is the worst
fault and most destructive phase of the tenant
system; the lack of the landowner directing ev-
erything done by the tenant. This lack of duty
and self-interest ON the part of the landowner has
produced a class of tenants in the South who have
ruined themselves and the landowner as well. I
am aware that the landowner, to make and carry
out such a contract as indicated above, would
have some trouble; but, my friends. you must do
this if you would save yourselves and the tenant.
/ know a man who rented a two-horse farm to a
good man, as he seemed to be and his friends said.
The tenant was told how the terraces were to be
kept up and all about how the work was to be
done. This tenant agreed to all this and said he
would do as requested, and would leave the land
in as good, or better, condition than when he took
charge of it. The landowner did not see the land
In some years, and, only saw the tenant once a
year at renting time. At each of these times he
stated in glowing terms how he was keeping the
land in fine condition. After awhile the land
owner went and looked over the land and found
that this tenant had plowed down the terraces Che
cause the land was better there), and had made a
few hillside bitches with plenty of fall so as to
conduct all the water that fell out of the fields,
and had run his rows straight up and down the
hill and across his hill bitches. He utterly
ruined the farm, and left it because he could not
make some $500 clear for himself as he had been
doing when the farm was in fine fix by virtue of
the terraces. Seel Ruined himself and the land
from which he could have increased his income
every year.
Now, friends, you must look after your own
lands either by hired labor (Which is by far the
best) or through the tenants you have. You must
do this yourself or it will not be done. 1 say
this boldly, and it is true: I cannot trust any