46 



BULLETIN" 1068, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



group have spent on an average only 2.1 years, or 8.6 per cent of the 

 total time since they began for themselves in other occupations and 

 as farm hands, while the latter group (the poorest cropper accu- 

 mulators) have spent on an average 9.9 years, or 51 per cent of their 

 total time, in other occupations and as farm hands. Put in another 

 way, the best owner accumulators have applied themselves to op- 

 erating a farm 91.4 per cent of the time since they began for them- 

 selves, while the poorest cropper accumulators have applied them- 

 selves only 49 per cent of their time. 



The data showing the value of the labor done on the farm and off 

 the farm show that in each tenure group the best accumulators did 

 more work on the farm they operated and less work off the farm 

 than the poorest accumulators. In other words, the best accumulators 

 confined their efforts to their own farms more than did the poorest 

 accumulators. 



It is obviously impossible to say to what extent the lack of applica- 

 tion to the farm business on the part of the poorest cropper accumu- 

 lators is the cause of inability to accumulate or to what extent it is 

 the result of it. However, it is very important to note that poorest 

 accumulation and the least application to the farm business are 

 closely associated, and that the greatest accumulation of wealth and 

 the most application to the farm business are closely associated. 



Table 26. — Relation between accumulation of wealth and the application of 

 the operator to his farm business. 



Item of correlation (average 



Croppers. 



Tenants. 



Owners. 



for each operator in the 

 class). 



Poorest. 



Me- 

 dium. 



Best. 



Poorest. 



Me- 

 dium. 



Best. 



Poorest. 



Me- 

 dium. 



Best. 



Number of operators 



21 

 40 



9.5 



3.0 

 6.9 



51.0 



$253 

 $324 



19 

 36 



9.5 



2.8 

 4.6 



43.8 



$183 

 $292 



22 

 39 



11.5 



3.4 

 4.3 



40.1 



$112 

 $393 



65 

 38 



13.3 



1.9 

 3.1 



27.3 



$145 

 $425 



62 

 39 



14.1 



1.4 

 2.1 



19.9 



$94 

 $494 



64 

 37 



13.1 



1.2 

 1.3 



16.0 



$138 

 $456 



39 

 45 



21.2 



0.3 

 2.7 



12.4 



$124 

 $468 



31 

 44 



19.0 



0.7 

 1.8 



11.6 



$94 

 $491 



38 

 45 



Average years as farm oper- 



22.4 



Average years at other occu- 



0.3 



A verageyearsas farm laborer ' 



Per cent of total years since 



beginning for self spent in 



other occupations and as 



1.8 

 8.6 



Average amount per operator 

 received for labor done off 

 farm, for year 1919 



Average value of operator's 

 labor on farm, 1919 



$67 

 $543 



1 Averaged by all operators in group and not by actual number who were in other occupations or farm 

 laborer stages. 



RELATION BETWEEN DIVERSIFICATION OF FARM ENTERPRISES AND ACCUMULATION OF 



WEALTH. 



It will be noted from Table 27 that the per cent of all crop land 

 on the farm planted to cotton was highest in the group of poorest 

 accumulators and smallest in the case of the best accumulators. 



