FARM OWNERSHIP AND TENANCY IN TEXAS. 
49 
their landlords. As a result, the connection between landlord and 
tenant, as a rule, is transitory, neither party being willing to con- 
tinue the connection if either finds the least objection to it. 
The average number of years between shifts from farm to farm 
for share croppers, share tenants, and owners is shown in Table 28. 
The poorest cropper accumulators moved on an average every 2.3 
years, while the longest time between shifts was 7.6 years for the 
best owner accumulators. The average cropper has nothing but a 
few household goods and his family to move, consequently he is more 
of a transient than the share tenant who owns his farming equip- 
ment. 
The most important thing to note in connection with frequency 
of moves is that the poorest accumulators in each tenure class are 
also the operators who have moved most frequently; and that the 
best accumulators have remained longest, on an average, on the 
farms they have operated. Although it would require a detailed 
study on the subject to establish the optimum number of years be- 
tween shifts, it can be said from the data presented in the table that 
most tenants move more frequently than they should for their best 
financial interests. 
Some interesting facts are brought out in connection with the 
reason given for each move. It will be noted that a higher per cent 
of all moves were for " good economic reasons " in the case of owners 
than in the case of croppers and share tenants. Furthermore, in all 
three tenure classes the percentage of moves for good economic rea- 
sons was higher for the best accumulators than for the poorest 
accumulators. 
Table 28. 
-Relation between the shifting of operators from farm to farm and 
the accumulation of wealth from earnings. 
Per cent of all shifts that 
were made because of— 
Croppers. 
Tenants. 
Owners. 
Poor- 
est. 
Medi- 
um. 
Best. 
Poor- 
est. 
Medi- 
um. 
Best. 
Poor- 
est. 
Medi- 
um. 
Best. 
21 
19 
22 
65 
62 
64 
39 
31 
38 
Good economic reasons or 
45.5 
4.5 
21.2 
9.1 
19.7 
2.3 
44.4 
4.8 
25.4 
17.5 
7.9 
2.2 
56.7 
9.6 
9.6 
2.4 
21.7 
2.5 
59.6 
5.6 
13.3 
6.9 
14.6 
3.0 
66.7 
8.0 
10.9 
2.0 
12.4 
3.6 
64.7 
12.7 
7.3 
1.3 
14.0 
4.0 
75.7 
6.4 
4.3 
1.4 
12.2 
4.7 
80 *4 
Plausible social, educational, 
3.5 
5.9 
1.2 
9.4 
5.4 
5 5 
Financial pressure, or per- 
sonal faults of operators 
Other reasons given which 
did not seem to justify a 
shift 
6.9 

Reasons which could not be 
classified, or no reason 
given 
2.7 
Average number of years 
between shifts 
7.6 
