SLAVS ON SOUTHERN FARMS. 15 



here and there, particularly in Surry and Sussex Counties, and a few 

 scattering families of Lithuanians and Slovenians. All of these 

 people are engaged in agriculture. 



The Slavs in this colony have taken up land in many instances 

 long neglected and regarded as "worn-out land" and have turned 

 the places into valuable producing farms. They follow practically 

 the same crop scheme as practiced by the native farmers, their prin- 

 cipal crops being peanuts, corn, and tobacco. Over 90 per cent are 

 proprietors and operate their own farms. Although they compose 

 less than 3 per cent of the total rural population of the south-side 

 counties, and not more than 15 per cent of that of Prince George 

 County, their presence is easily noticed. 



SLAVS IN PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY. 



In Prince George County, which alone has about 1,200 Slavs, 

 of which possibly 40 per cent are Bohemians and the rest Slovaks, 

 the largest foreign population of any of the counties in the group, 

 is found the highest percentage of improved land. This is true 

 in face of the fact that no more than 69 per cent of the total 

 land area of the county is in farm lands. For instance, the im- 

 proved farm lands compose just a little over 48 per cent of the 

 county's total farm area, while in none of the other south-side counties 

 does the proportion exceed 38 per cent. It is also interesting to note in 

 this connection that the population per square mile is only 27, the 

 total population in 1910 being less than 8,000, of which 58 per cent 

 were negroes. 



In this same county more than half of the Slavish males of voting 

 age are fully naturalized, while a large percentage of the other half 

 hold first papers. No record of a criminal prosecution having been 

 brought against a Slav exists in Prince George County, and only one 

 or two minor judgments have been docketed against members of the 

 colony. 



Illiteracy among males of voting age in the county was reported 

 by the Thirteenth Census of the United States to be higher among 

 the native-born whites than among the Slavish foreign born, the 

 percentage being 7.1 for the former and only 5 for the foreign- 

 born Slavs. This is significant in view of the predominancy of Slo- 

 vaks in the county. Illiteracy among the negroes was reported at 

 higher than 46 per cent. 



This same report shows that of the total number of children in the 

 county 6 to 14 years old, inclusive, only about 65 per cent attend 

 school. Of the Slavish children, however, 74 per cent attend the 

 public schools as compared with 73 per cent of the native white chil- 

 dren of native parentage. Only 60 per cent of the negro children are 

 in school. In addition to this, the public-school teachers in the 

 county report that the Slavish children exhibit a more marked ten- 

 dency to advance than any other group of children in the schools. 



Another unusual feature found among the Slavs in Prince George 

 County is the predominancy of protestantism. Considering the large 

 number of Slovaks this is extremely interesting. There are three 

 Protestant congregations in the county and only one Roman Catholic. 

 The latter has possibly no more than 250 adherents, while the com- 

 bined Protestant congregations include about S00 persons. Among 



