54 
BULLETIN" 1068, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
thus receive, while croppers receive only 41 per cent as much' value 
from these sources as owners. The most striking lack of these 
articles is, therefore, found with croppers. 
Table 30. 
-Average cost of all family living, and of selected items of expense, 
for 368 operators. 
Average value per family. 
Tenure class. 
All 
family 
living 
ex- 
penses. 
All 
fur- 
nished 
by 
farm. 
Meat, 
garden, 
poul- 
try, 
and 
dairy 
prod- 
ucts 
from 
farm. 
All 
pur- 
chased. 
Gro- 
ceries 
pur- 
chased. 
Cloth- 
ing 
pur- 
chased. 
Given 
to 
church 
and 
charity. 
Spent 
for 
recre- 
ation, 
enter- 
tain- 
ment, 
etc. 
Spent 
for 
tobacco 
and 
other 
per- 
sonal 
ex- 
penses. 
$965 
1,243 
1,742 
$262 
424 
575 
$184 
338 
450 
$704 
824 
1,167 
$310 
296 
294 
$201 
259 
358 
$13 
22 
53 
$11 
10 
15 
$20 
20 
27 
An interesting fact brought out in connection with the data on 
value of groceries purchased is that croppers, with the lowest stand- 
ard of living, buy the most groceries; while owners who have de- 
cidedly the highest standard of living, buy the smallest amount of 
groceries, notwithstanding the fact that they have the largest fam- 
ilies. The edibles from the farm for share tenants and owners sup- 
plement their groceries sufficiently to maintain about the same differ- 
ences in values of foods that are found in clothing values. 
The usual diet of operators who do not cultivate gardens and raise 
fresh meats consists almost entirely of groceries bought at local 
stores, few of which handle fresh vegetables and fruits. As a result, 
these important constituents of a well-balanced diet are often want- 
ing in the meals of those who do not have gardens. Furthermore, 
good milk is relatively hard to buy in many localities. It is the lack 
of these important articles of food, or their inferior quality when 
bought, that makes the money value of family living an inadequate 
measure of the difference in family living standards. 
The amount given to church and charity by owners is relatively 
large. Indeed, the difference in this regard is more marked than in 
any of the other items of expense. 
The average amounts spent for recreation and entertainment is 
strikingly small for all classes. Few families of any tenure class 
take vacations, and but few more patronize "movies," theaters, or 
other entertainments that charge an admission fee. It is interesting 
to note in this connection that more is spent for tobacco and other 
personal expenses than is spent for recreation and entertainment. 
Picnics, fishing trips, pecan hunts, young folks' parties and dances, 
and school entertainments go to make up the principal entertainments 
