98 UNITED STATES - MISCELLANEOUS 



less than that of the coloured, the contrary is the case in the West South 

 Central States. But in spite of these differences, the general increase of 

 negro tenant farmers is evident and common to all the divisions of the South. 



§ 4. Negroes as rural landholders. 



While in i860 the few free negroes only possessed an insignificant 

 portion of the agricultural land of the United States, the census of 1909 

 shows the value of the land held by negro farmers at about 230,000,000 

 dollars and the census of 1910 shows the value of the agricultural property 

 (land and buildings) belonging to coloured farmers (i) in the South alone 

 as 272,992,238 dollars (106,619,328 dollars in 1900). 



The conditions that occasioned the rise and increase of landed property 

 among the American negroes are as a whole the same as those we have 

 already mentioned when speaking of share tenancies and leases. Indeed, 

 the latter forms of agricultural economy to a large extent give rise to the 

 former. The necessity of giving the emancipated negroes an interest in the 

 farm had led to their education for other forms of economic independence. 

 But, it had at the same time gradually caused that subdivision of the large 

 plantations which rendered it possible for the negroes to advance to the 

 position of landed proprietors. In fact, the average area of Southern farms 

 is being more and more reduced simultaneously with the increase in the 

 number of negro farms. 



Table V. — Average Area of all the Farms in the Southern States : 

 1860-1910 {in acres). 



Year. 



i860 



1870 



1880 



1890 



1900 



1910 



There is a notable difference between the figures for i860 and 1870. 

 At present the average area of holdings in the Southern States is less 

 than the in the Northern States, for the former average is 114.43 acres 

 and the latter is 143 acres. The contrary was the case in the past, especi- 

 ally before the war, when large holdings almost absolutely predominated 

 in the South. Now, on the other hand, while the area of the South is a 

 little less than a third of the total area of the United States and belongs to 

 a third of the States, the number of holdings is 49 % of the total number 

 in the Union. 



(i) See what we have said on this subject on page 95. 



