Mudbound Poem by Keith Shorrocks Johnson

In Mississippi in 1800, each acre of cotton absorbed
185 worker hours per year and substantial capital -
Compared to 56 worker hours per year in upstate New York
For an acre of wheat (after an all-told investment of around $20) .
Setting aside considerations of climate,
Let's say a healthy young man could work 3,000 hours per year.
This means that a lone white settler could farm 18 acres near Natchez
And 60 acres near Syracuse.
So what was needed in the South
Was a populous peasant under-class
While an enterprising man could find
Liberty and independence in the North.
Clearly something had to give.