CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 



PAGB 

 THE TENURE OF LAND BEFORE i860 



1. Two important institutions developed in the colonial period . . ir 



2. The early land policy of the state 14 



3. The lottery grants 16 



4. Statistical view of tendencies in landownership up to i860 ... 20 



5. Explanation of the tendencies 25 



CHAPTER II 



TENDENCIES IN THE OWNERSHIP OF LAND AMONG THE WHITES SINCE 



THE WAR 



1. Purpose of the chapter 30 



2. Improved and wild land distinguished 30 



3. Inadequacy of the United States census figures touching land- 



ownership 33 



4. Statistics compiled from the tax returns of 31 typical counties . 34 



5. Group tendencies based on these figures 35 



6. Percentage view of these tendencies 37 



7. White landownership in each of the 137 counties in 1903 .... 41 



8. Localization of holdings with regard to size 42 



9. Significance of tendencies as compared with the white population. 43 



CHAPTER III 



THE INFLUENCE OF THE CREDIT SYSTEM ON LANDOWNERSHIP 



1. Conditions giving rise to the agricultural credit system .... 45 



2. Lien laws of 1866, 1873 and 1874 46 



3. Significance of these laws and the law of 1890 47 



4. Mortgages to secure debts 49 



5. Extent to which farms were mortgaged SO 



6. Significance of these mortgages 50 



7. Hardship due to difference between cash and credit prices . . 52 



8. The Farmers' Alliance as a relief movement 56 / 



7] 7 



