The Results of Migration 153 



in the 10-year period 1906-1916 there was an average ex- 

 cess of deaths over births among the Negroes of New 

 York amounting to about 400 per year, the total excess for 

 the 10-year period being 3,964. In 1910 the death rate among 

 the Negroes of New York was 25.1 and the birth rate 

 22.2. This actual loss of about 3 per cent in ten 

 years is in startling contrast with the gain of over 

 15 per cent in Georgia between 1900 and 1910. In this 

 respect migration from the Cotton Belt bids fair to reduce 

 the rate of increase in the Negro population tremendously. 



This means that the increasing populations of these 

 Northern cities are maintained by constant additions of 

 migrants from the South. Unfortunately, no comparable 

 statistics are available for the Southern States. Only a 

 few large cities and two border States are included in the 

 Census vital statistics registration area. Such figures as are 

 available, however, seem to indicate that the differences 

 in rates of increases of native-born Negroes in the North 

 and in the South are due rather to a difference in birth 

 rate than in the death rate. In fact, the Negro death rate 

 for 24 Southern cities was 29.6 per thousand, and in 33 

 Northern cities was 25.1. The large rural population of the 

 South must then have a death rate of somewhere around 

 20 to 25 per thonsand (p. 315), and a very high birth rate, 

 for it is from these areas that the increases in the cities of 

 the South as well as the North are drawn. 



A much more detailed study of the refined death rate 

 (per 1,000 Negroes of different ages in the population), and 

 of the rates from different diseases is necessary before 

 exact conclusions are warranted as to what these figures 

 indicate in regard to the vitality of the Negro. In the 

 number of migrants in the population, however, we have 

 an explanation for much of this irregularity in birth and 

 death rates of different sections. It can be seen that in the 

 country districts where the number of migrants form only 

 a small proportion of the population, the ratio of sexes 



