FARM OWNERSHIP AXD TENANCY IN TEXAS. 



37 



fortuitous sources before attaining tenancy or as much as $500 be- 

 fore becoming; owners. 



Table 20. — Time required during different decades to attain the share tenant 

 and owner stages, and the amounts of wealth used on beginning each stage, 

 for operators who have received no fortuitous assistance. 1 



Decade, 



Conditions under which operators who 

 are now tenants or owners attained 

 tenancy. 



Number : Years to 



of I attain 

 operators. | tenancy. 



Before 1889. 

 1889-1899. . . . 

 1899-1909.... 

 1909-1919.... 



7.1 

 4.9 

 2.2 

 1.3 



Average 



wealth 



used 



when 



beginning 



as a 



tenant. 



S424 

 564 

 794 



Per cent 

 of wealth 

 borrowed. 



52.6 

 46.2 

 58.1 

 52.9 



Conditions under which operators who 

 are now owners attained owner- 

 ship. 



Number 



of 

 operators. 



Years to 

 attain 

 owner- 

 ship. 



16.1 

 13.0 

 9.4 

 4.3 



Average 



wealth 



used 



when 



beginning 



as 



owner. 



S6 141 

 5,463 

 6,804 

 6, 317 



Per cent 

 of wealth 

 borrowed. 



49.2 

 59.7 

 62.8 

 72.8 



1 Any value of $200 or more received by gift, inheritance, or marriage, before or at the time of becoming 

 a share tenant was considered fortuitous assistance to tenancy, and any amount received thus, of $500 value 

 or more, before or at the time of becoming an owner, was considered fortuitous assistance to oivnership. 



These data on share tenants are for men whose sole reliance in 

 financial advance has been their earnings, and since they attained 

 tenancy each decade in a shorter time and owned more wealth at the 

 time of becoming tenants, it follows that ability to accumulate wealth 

 had increased each decade, this increase, no doubt, being primarily 

 due to an increased earning power. 



The data on owners are not based on sufficient numbers to be 

 conclusive, but the fact that they show the same tendency that is 

 shown in the case of tenants is presumptive evidence of reliability. 



With each decade, from the time prior to 1889, the total value of the 

 farm ha:- changed but little, which means that the size of the pur- 

 chased farm has been reduced each decade. But there was a tendency 

 to borrow a greater proportion of the wealth used with each sue- 

 ceeding decade, which would itself tend to shorten the time required 

 to attain the owner stage. However, there is a difference of 0.7 

 years in the time required to attain the owner stage prior to 1889, 

 ompared with the decade between L899 and L909, while the in- 

 creased amount borrowed is only $1,251, which could not account for 

 the entire decrease of 6.7 years. Therefore, these data would indi- 

 cate that in these groups, also, increased ability to accumulate wealth 

 hortened the time required t«> attain the owner stage. 



-I'M im 00 DITXONC \i i i.' mm, I in j M)i\ I iii AL'S TEN1 BE si \ i 



Oni of the most important pecial conditions affecting the indi- 

 vidual's tenure tatu is the receipt of wealth from fortuitous 

 .source- inheritance, gift, or marriage. There were- in all 50 owners 

 who had received $500 or more from fortuitous sources either at the 



