AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



45 and 60 per cent, of the total population, and 

 negro farmers between 35 and 60 per cent, of all 

 farmers. Collectively they contain almost one- 

 half (47.5) of the total negro population of the 

 United States/' 



"In states where negroes are relatively less nu- 

 merous the percentage of ownership is higher. 

 This suggests the inference that where the negroes 

 are massed, tenancy is the prevailing form of farm 

 tenure ; but it is not so clear that we have here a 

 direct relation of cause and effect. These states 

 are all cotton growing states. The massing of 

 negroes, tenant farming and cotton culture appear 

 to be correlated facts, the first resulting from the 

 last, and the second and the last acting as recipro- 

 cal cause and effect to the crop lien system. In 

 Florida, which has a percentage of negro popula- 

 tion (43.7) almost as high as that of Georgia 

 (46.7) the percentage of ownership among col- 

 ored farmers is high (48.4) because of the greater 

 ease of acquiring fertile land in a newly settled 

 state. For the same reason, in Texas, where nine- 

 tenths of the negro farmers make cotton their 

 principal crop, the percentage of ownership (30.7) 

 though not high, is above the average for the 

 country." 



In South Carolina the government lands were 



sold on favorable terms. In North Carolina 



there was a thrifty free negro element. Virginia 



"had developed slavery furthest and brought a 



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