These families are typical so far as known. In comparing their incomes
with those in other districts it must be borne in mind that they have no
rent to pay and their only necessary expenses are for food and clothes
and incidentals. Certainly both of the families should have money to
their credit at the end of the year. The total wages depends not only on
the willingness to work, but also on weather conditions. One gets the
impression that in some places conditions are pretty bad and even by
some white residents of the state it is claimed that a state of
servitude almost prevails on many plantations. In any case the Negroes
do not seem satisfied. The labor is rather heavy. For this or other
reasons there has been quite an exodus to the cotton country in recent
years, which has caused the cane planters much trouble and they will
make many concessions to keep their tenants. To meet this emigration for
some time efforts have been made to import Italian labor but the results
have not been wholly satisfactory. The Italians are more reliable and
this is a great argument in their favor, but with this exception they
are not considered much better workers than the blacks. The storekeepers
much prefer the Negroes, who spend their money more freely.

The planters claim that the labor is unreliable and say they never know
on Saturday how many workers they will have on Monday. They also say it
is hard to get extra labor done. In 1900 on one plantation the women
were offered ten cents a day extra for some hoeing, but only four held
out. Higher wages were offered if some cane were cut by the ton instead
of by the day, but after a week the hands asked to return to the gang at
the lower wage.

In the rice fields along the river about the same wages prevail as for
the field hands in the cane plantations. The rice crop, however, is but
a six months crop, so other employment must be found for part of the
year if nothing but rice is raised. It is usual in this region to raise
rice as a side crop.

CHAPTER V. SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT.

=COUNTRY CHURCH AND SCHOOL.=

Hitherto we have had to do chiefly with the economic situation of the
Negro farmer. There is, however, another set of forces which may not be
ignored if we are to understand the situation which confronts us. These
are, of course, the social forces. In discussing these it is more than
ever essential to remember that a differentiation has been taking place
among the Negroes