Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-23
CORN CLUB WORK
To EXTEND To
NEGRO RACE
Statistics Show Its Members
Manage AZ Per Cent of Georgia
Farms-YieId Low.
BY WALTER G. COOPER.
Secretary Atlanta Chamber of Com
merce.)

merce.)
So far the Corn Club work hardly
has touched the negro.
There have been a few negro farm
ers trained by dcmonstra zion agents
who made fine records. but there has
been no extensive organization for
boys or men in the Corn Clubs or
farm demonstration work.
Negroes manage AZ per cent of the
farm sin Georgia, They cultivate 80
per cent of improved farm land and
make crops worth $4,000, 900 or $780,
100000 a year.
The number of negro farmers in
Georgia increased As per cent in the
laCt decade, while the number Of
white farmers increased only 10 per
cent.
The acreage of improved land Gull
tivated by negro farmers increased A
Per cent in the last decade, while that
cultivated by white farmers increased
only 8 per cent.
From this it would appear that the
proportion Of negro farmers Cultivat-
ing the land of Georgia is gaining
rapidly on the proportion of white
farmers.
Negroes Land Most Valuable.
1t Will surprise most people to know
that the value of land cultivated by
negro farmers is higher than that
cultivated by white farmers. The
census estimates the value of land
cultivated by negro farmers at Sab
an acre, and that cultivated by white
farmers at $13.32
This is a remarkable circumstance.
considering the fact that the white
farmer makes more on an acre of his
land than the negro This may be ac-
counted for by the fact that the ne
gro's equipment is inferior to the
white mans.
In cotton the white man makes
"A of a bale an acre, and the negro
81. In corn the white man made
1915, the negro 1913 bushels an acre
in 1910.
There has been a marked increase
| in the yield since 1910 but there are
no figures to show whether the negro
has kept up with the white man in
} that increase
Of oats the white man made 1871
bushels, the negro 1876 in 1910
OF sweet potatoes the white man
made 95.9 bushels the negro 1875.
Negroes Building More.
In the past decade buildings on ne
gro farms increased in value 23S per
cent, while buildings on white farms
/ increased 126 per cent.
In the same decade the value of
! implements and machinery on the
! land of negro farmers increase III per
cent and on the land of white farmers
/ 101 per cent.
The value of domestic animals,
/ poultry and bees increased 21S per
cent in the decade on negro farms
and 1913 per cent on white farms.
While the proportion OF negro farm
ers owning land is still small-only
I12.S per Cent-it has increased from
! 1875 in 1900 to 1898 in 1910, or IS
| per cent, while the increase of own
ership by white farmers has been
| from 77154 to $3.50, or IS per cent.
Negroes are in a majority in sc
Georgia counties, and these counties
contain nearly One-half the land OF
the State, or about 27,4O6 square miles
| in a total of S,725.
To Extend Club Work.
In view of these facts. it is very
! essential that something be done to
improve negro farming. II is inCon-
ceivable and would be ineXCusable II
the great benefits of the corn club
work and the farm demonstration
work were not extended to a race
which conducts AZ per cent of the
farms in Georgia.
Practically without touching this
race the improvement in agriculture
has increased the yield of corn about
/ IS, 900. 600 bushels, or about 60 per
cent in five years If the same kind
Of work had gone on among the ne
! groes the increase in the corn crop
would have been in proportion and
would have brought the total increase
! to something like 40000,000 bushels
| against 25,0OO,OOO.
For this reason the corn show com
mittee will give serious considera
| ton to this question. The matter
will be taken up with ]. Phil Camp
| bell, State agent of the corn clubs
MI Campbell is known to favor the
/ extension