EEPORT OF THE STATISTICIAN. 



129 



The decrease of farms of 1,000 acres or more was from 3,G34 to 1,573 ; 

 of farms of 500 to 1,000, 12,187 to G,537 ; of 100 to 500, 113,625 to 92,910, 

 distributed as follows : 



states. 



Alabama 



ArlcaDsas 



rioiida 



Georcia 



Louisiana 



Mississippi 



Nortli Carolina 

 South. Carolina, 



Tennessee 



Tejcas 



606 



69 



77 



902 



371 



481 



311 



482 



158 



87 



The iucreasc of small farnis is tlius indicated : 



Alabama.. 

 Arkansas . . 



Iloiida 



Georgia 



Louisiana . . 

 Mississippi 



States. 



Nortb Carolina 

 South Carolina 

 Tennessee .... 

 Texas 



Total.... 



Farms beloTT 100 

 acres. 



1870. 



78, 741 

 44, 183 

 98, 873 

 54, 480 



517, 178 



1860. 



54, 438 

 19, 961 

 59, 386 

 35, 505 



333, 058 



44 



121 

 66 

 53 



The number of farms of 3 to 10 acres v/as enormously increased in 

 South Carolina, from 352 to 10,280 ; the increase in Mississippi was from 

 663 to 11,003 J Louisiana from 620 to 3,010 -, in several others the ratio is 

 less, about 1 to 3. 



The reduction in average size still continues. Eeports from Korth 

 Carolina indicate a decreasing average, ranging from 20 to 50 per 

 cent, decrease in the several counties. Nearly all counties in South 

 Carolina and three-fourths of those in Georgia return decreased size. 

 In Florida there is an increase in about one-third and a decrease in two- 

 thirds of the counties reported. There are few exceptions to the rule of 

 decrease in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. It is not quite so 

 marked in Arkansas, and in Texas and Tennessee indications of decrease 

 are given in only about half the returns. It is stated of De Soto, Mis- 

 sissippi, that " there are five times as many farms as existed before 

 the war." Many of the large plantations in the Mississippi Valley are 

 growing up in broom-sedge. In Dallas, Arkansas, " there are four acres 

 in sedge to one cultivated " on certain i)lantations. In some instances, as 

 in Conecuh, Alabama, an apparent increase of several hundred per cent, 

 in the number of farms comes from the renting on shares to squads of 

 laborers, and not from a permanent division of farms. In Alcorn, Mis- 

 sissippi, farms in 1860 ranged from 160 to 2,000 acres, where one of the 

 latter size is now rare, it being " common to see farms of 40, 60, and 100 

 acres, though there are a few of 610 acres." In Ferry, Mississippi, they 

 are smaller by 50 per cent., and '• some of the best have gone to waste, 

 9a 



