ECON 4130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Sea Islands, Robert Fogel, Cotton Gin
23 Apr 2018
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Lecture 6: regional differences in agriculture and slavery. The two systems of american agriculture: farm size (see table 9. 3) South large plantations median size 70. 6 acres mean size 135. 9 acres. North small family farms median size 49. 3 acres mean size. Farms of over 1,000 acres accounted for 21% of improved land in cotton. In illinois, only 1. 3% of improved land was in farms greater than 1,000 acres: labor inputs. Of all farms had slaves by 1960: crops. Cotton is king but food crops as well. Production for own needs, sold surplus on markets: farm wealth: value of capital, land, implements, buildings, and slaves (form of capital) The capital costs of farming in the midwest: clearing the land- major cost of establishing a farm. Pioneers initially avoided the prairies- which turned out to be very fertile land- and settled near forests and timberland where there was abundant wood for building and fires.
