FARM OWNERSHIP AND TENANCY IN TEXAS. 7 



ship, but to break up their holdings and rent them, because of the 

 large returns from crop growing as compared with grazing. 



The inflow of immigrants during the decade from 1870 to 1880 

 greatly influenced the agriculture of the region, reducing stock rais- 

 ing to a secondary place in farm enterprises, decreasing the average 

 size of the farm to about one-fifth of the average for 1860, and de- 

 veloping tenancy until 41.8 per cent of all farms were operated by 

 tenants in 1880 (see Tables 1 and 2). 



The size of the farm continued to decrease during the two decades 

 following 1880, although this decrease was much less than the de- 

 crease prior to that date. Cotton growing had reached and con- 

 tinued to hold a dominant place among farm enterprises, though 

 checked in its development by the extremely low prices prevailing 

 during the decade from 1890 to 1900. 



Table 3. — Changes in the average size of farms and in system of farming since 

 1860, for black land farms. 1 



Census year. 



Acres 

 in farms. 



Im- 

 proved 

 acres in 

 farms. 



Acres 

 In crops. 



Per cent 

 of crop 

 acres in 

 cotton. 



Units 

 of live 

 stock on 

 farms. 2 



1860 



563.3 

 225.7 

 133.1 

 114.4 

 91.8 

 96.2 

 90.6 



65.8 

 47.0 

 62.1 

 78.4 

 59.1 

 66.0 

 69.2 



( 3 ) 



to 



36.4 

 45.1 

 49.7 

 54.5 

 59.3 



( 3 ) 



( 3 ) 

 40.9 

 48.7 

 47.8 

 61.7 

 59.7 



121 



1870 



51 



1880 



20 



1890 



18 



1900 



12 



1910 



10 



1920 



9 







1 County changes between 1860 and 1870 affect data somewhat, though not materially. 



* A live-stock unit as used here is equal to 1 grown horse, 1 grown cow, 7 hogs, or 7 sheep or goats. There 

 is some discrepancy in these figures for some dates, since some census figures do not distinguish between 

 young and mature stock. Number averaged by all farms. 



a Figures not available for these dates. 



With better cotton prices prevailing after 1900, cotton growing 

 rapidly encroached on all other farm enterprises, until, by 1920, 

 59.7 per cent of all crop land was in cotton. In fact, on many farms 

 practically all agricultural efforts were expended directly or in- 

 directly on cotton growing. During the decade from 1900 to 1910, 

 the average size of the farm showed the first increase since 1860, 

 although in the decade just past it has again shown a decrease. 7 



It is evident, therefore, that the most rapid growth of tenancy 

 has taken place when the greatest increase of operators occurred, 

 and that this has been closely associated with the breaking up of 

 took-raising industry and the larger farms. 



7 The limiting factor to the introduction of Improved machinery In cotton growing 1h 



the picking, do practical picking machine having been developed as yet. The average 

 farmer, without, the latest Improved tilling, planting, and cultivating machines, can grow 

 more cotton than he and hiH family can pick. The unusually inr^o cotton farms of the 

 black-land tanner are operated by using Improved machinery for growing the crop and )>y 

 Importing a picking force of negroes and Mexicans, the former coming from cities anl 

 the latter from Mexico and counties near the border. 



