37] TENDENCIES IN LANDOWNERSHIP 37 



It appears, therefore, that 500 acres may be regarded 

 as a dividing line between tendencies. The explanation 

 of the large increase from 1873 to 1880 on one side of 

 this dividing line, while there was only a slight decrease 

 on the other, lies in the fact that a considerable acreage 

 passed over during the period from the category of 

 "wild" to that of "improved" land. This increase is 

 indicated in the number-of-acres-owned column given 

 above, 1 where it is shown that from 1873 to 1880 there 

 was an increase of over 300,000 acres in the thirty-one 

 counties. This increased acreage of improved land made 

 possible the increased number of holdings in the smaller 

 groups, even while the larger holdings suffered only a 

 slight diminution in numbers. This must not be taken 

 to mean that the new land was itself diffused among the 

 people, and that, therefore, the large plantations re- 

 mained intact. Instead of this the correct view is that 

 many of the large plantations were cut up into smaller 

 holdings for others and the new lands became the large 

 holdings. This conclusion is not only warranted by the 

 logic of the situation, but also indicated by studying the 

 changes in the number of holdings in individual counties 

 between the two dates. 2 



The following table 3 shows the percentage of increase 

 (-(-) or decrease ( — ) in the number of white holdings by 

 groups from 1873 to 1902 : 



1 Supra, p. 35. % Cf. Table in Appendix, infra. 



8 Based upon the figures given on page 36. 



