ey have greater or less moral and physical stamina, than the blacks.
The lack of definite knowledge should at least stop the prevalent
practice of taking the progress of a band of mulattoes and attempting to
estimate that of the Negroes thereby. It may be that some day the
mulatto will entirely supplant the black, but there is no immediate
probability of this. Until we know the facts, our prophecies are but
wild guesses. It should be remembered that a crossing of white and black
may show itself in the yellow negro or the changed head and features,
either, or both, as the case may be. A dark skin is, therefore, no sure
indication of purity and blood.[1]

It is often taken for granted that the Negro has practically equal
opportunities in the various parts of the South, and that a fairly
uniform rate of progress may be expected. This assumption rests on an
ignorance of the geographical location of the mass of blacks. It will be
shown that they are living in several distinct agricultural zones in
which success must be sought according to local possibilities.
Development always depends upon the environment, and we should expect,
therefore, unequal progress for the Negroes. Even the highest fruits of
civilization fail if the bases of life are suddenly changed. The
Congregational Church has not flourished among the Negroes as have some
other denominations, in spite of its great activity in educational work.
The American mode of government is being greatly modified to make it fit
conditions in Porto Rico. The manufacturers of Pennsylvania and the
farmers of Iowa do not agree as to the articles on which duties should
be levied, and it is a question if the two have the same interpretation
of the principle of protection. Different environments produce different
types. So it will be in the case of the Negro. If we are to understand
the conditions on which his progress depends, we must pay some attention
to economic geography. That this will result in a recognition of the
need for shaping plans and methods according to local needs is obvious.
The present thesis does not pretend to be a completed study, much less
an attempt to solve the Negro problem. It is written in the hope of
calling attention to some of the results of this geographic location as
illustrated in the situation of the Negro farmer in various parts of the
South.

The attempt is made to describe the situation of the average man. It is
fully recognized that there are