TENANCY IN THE SOUTHERN STATES 



527. 



extremely high in price ; withal it does not lend itself especially 

 well to a landlord-tenant system. It is to the south of these states 

 that tenancy is high. Between Virginia and the great cotton- 

 growing states lie North Carolina and Tennessee, both of which 

 have, for the South, but a moderate amount of tenancy. Beyond, 

 there are four with upwards of 60 per cent of their farms in the 

 hands of tenants, and four more, all to the west of the Mississippi, 

 with over half of their farms rented. Taking this row of states 

 from South Carolina to Texas, with Arkansas and Oklahoma to 

 the north, about three farms out of every five are operated by 

 tenants, a proportion far beyond that of any other group of 

 states in the country. 



In the same group of states is to be found the great propor- 

 tion of the colored farmers. That the negro farmers are, in the 

 majority of cases, tenants, is a matter of common information. 

 That they are gaining in landownership, while the white farmers 

 are losing, may not be so generally known. Such, however, is the 

 case. Unfortunately the Census Bureau did not collect farm data 

 concerning the colored race as such until 1900, thus giving but 

 one decade on which to base comparisons. The fact, nevertheless, 

 of so much landownership by the negroes in 1900 is conclusive 

 proof of great, even rapid, advancement in this respect, since but 

 thirty-five years earlier they had owned substantially no land. 



The main facts of ownership and tenancy of both white and 

 colored farmers for 1900 and 19 10 are as follows : 



NUMBER OF OWNED AND OF RENTED FARMS IN THE SOUTH 



1910 AND 1900 



