SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROGRESS OF THE NEGRO FARMERS lOI 



The increase has been continuous : this is shown by the following figures 

 for all the States of the Union. 



Tabi^e VI, — Rural Landholders, White {American or Immigrants) 

 and Coloured, working their own Farms (1910). 



Geographical Distribution 



New England .... 

 Middle Atlantic States 

 East North Central b 

 West North Central » 

 South Atlantic » 

 East South Central » 

 West South Central » 

 Mountain States. . . . 

 Pacific States 



Total for the Union 



3,162,584 



544,917 



241,221 



6,361,502 



As well as the other more characteristic figures for the Southern 

 vStates in Table VII. 



As we see the increase in the number of farms owned by negroes is 

 undeniably considerable, although not so great as that in the number they 

 lease. The increase in the case of farms held by negroes was 17 % as against 

 12 % in that of those held by whites. Yet still more considerable has been 

 the progress in the matter of the improvement and enlargement of the exist- 

 ing farms. Although the average of the holdings of the negroes in the South 

 is smaller than that of those of the whites (162. i acres for the whites and 

 71.8 acres for the negroes in 1910 as compared with 177.2 acres and 

 71.6 acres respectively in 1900), they have shown a decided tendency to 

 increase to a far greater extent than those of the whites (increase in the 

 land held by the blacks in the period 1900-1910 : 17.5 % as against 2.5 % 

 for that held by the whites). 



There has been a similar increase observable in the improved lands 

 (25 % in comparison with the previous decade) and the value of the land 

 and buildings (136 % since 1900) : while in 1900 the average value of the 

 negroes' agricultural holdings was 571 dollars, in 1910 it had become 1,250 

 dollars; so also the average value per acre increased from 7.98 dollars 

 to 17.40 dollars. 



As we see, therefore, the advance has been more in quality than in 

 quantity and so is the more promising for the future. 



