Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-11-23

600 a year. She Is very popular, and
is rated as one Of the most efficient
clerks in the Departmental. M. Car
penter.
RENTING COTTON LANDS
Official lnvestis alton az to Profit OF
Various Systems.
In renting land in the cotton states
the system which offers the greatest
opportunities for profit will also in
volve the greatest risk Of loss. This
is true for both landlord and tenant,
but the system which is the safest for
the tenant Is the most risky for the
landlord, and vice versa.
In this bulletin q comparison Is
made between share croppers, who
supply nothing but their labor and re-
ceive one-haf Of the crop; share rent
ers. who supply their own implements
and livestock and receive two-thirds
or three-fourths Of the crop and cash
renters, who supply the same items as
share renters but pay fixed rent In
cash or in cotton.
Briefly summarized, the most salient
conclusions Of the Investigations are:
The share cropping system is the
safest for the tenant. The share
cropper is practically assured Of av-
erage wages for his work, but he
rarely makes large income.
The share renter fails more fire.
quently to make even bare living, but
has a better chance to make a good
income than has the share cropper.
The cash renter runs still greater
risk Of failure, but has the greatest
opportunity Of making a labor income
Of not less than $1,000.
The average labor income for share
croppers during the year the investi-
cation was made was 1888, for share
renters 1898, and for cash renters $47S.
From the point Of view Of the land
lord the situation Is reversed. He Is
assured Of a return Of between 6 and
per cent on his investment where
the land is operated by cash renters,
no matter what the yield or the ten
ants labor income may be.
Where the land Is worked by share
croppers or share renters the land
lords rate Of interest often falls below
per cent, but when the yield Is good
and the tenant makes a good return,
the rate Of interest rises to more than
three times that amount
1t appears on the whole that the
landlord can make better money on the
average, when he rents his land on
some system Of shares. The average
rate Of interest received by the land
lord from share croppers was 1876 per
cent from share renters Ills per cent,
and from cash renters Sc per cent.
The holdings Of share croppers are
considerably smaller, on the average,
than those Of share renters or cash
renters, and there are few share crop
pers having as much as rs acres in
cotton, while about one-third Of the
share renters and Of the cash renters
have at least that acreage. The labor
income Of tenants increases directly
with the increase in cotton acreage,
but the rate Of interest on the land
lords investment appears to be but
little affected by the size Of the hold
ings.
The principal factor in determining
the amount Of the tenants labor in
come and the rate Of the landlords
profits in this region is the yield Of
cotton per acre. The effect Of the
yield Of cotton upon labor income, how
ever, is much more marked on cash
renters farms than on those Of share
croppers, while with the landlord the
reverse is true. The effect is more
apparent under the share cropping
than under the share renting or the
cash renting system. The tenants in
centive for securing a good crop is
consequently greater with cash rent,
but on the other hand, the landlord is
more directly interested in the yield
per acre on the land Of his share crop
pers.
or the share croppers whose business
was studied, only one reported de
ficit and very few had a labor income
Of less than 500. Two-thirds Of them
made between 5000 and s4OO, but very
few made over $500. Among share
renters 2.9 per cent reported deficits
and 81 per cent incomes Of less than
500. Two thirds made between 500
and $499, and one-fourth $500 and
over In the case Of cash renters, "A
per cent lost money and 5.4 per cent
made less than 800. Fifty-three per
cent had labor incomes between 500
and s499, and 81 per cent made $500
or more. OF the latter. 25, or S.4 per
cent, made $1,000 or more.
Thus it appears that a renters
chances Of making a large labor in
come in this section are somewhat in
proportion to the risk he assumes
Weekly News Letter Of Department Of
Agriculture.