FARM OWNERSHIP AND TENANCY IN TEXAS. 
9 
There was a decided tendency toward a decrease in land held in 
holdings of 1,000 acres or more, the total decrease from 1899 to 1919 
being 21.3 per cent of the amount held in 1899. The percentage 
decrease for all holdings above 500 acres was 8.8. Holdings of from 
200 to 500 acres in size, however, showed a slight increase of 6.4 per 
cent over the amount held in 1899. 
Land held by nonresidents of the counties has shown a decidedly 
greater tendency to decrease in the larger-sized holdings than has 
all land, the total decrease in land in all nonresident holdings of 200 
acres or more decreasing 21.4 per cent since 1899. 
Table 5. 
-Estimated possible increase in black land tenancy resulting from the 
breaking up of farms of 50& acres or more. 1 
Period. 
Total 
increase 
in num- 
ber of 
tenant 
farms for 
decade. 
Decrease ( — ) or 
increase ( + ) in 
number of farms 
of— 
Possible 
increase 
in num- 
ber of 
tenant 
farms 
resulting 
from 
change. 2 
Per 
cent that 
possible 
increase 
was of 
500 to 
1,000 
acres. 
1,000 
acres and 
above. 
total 
increase 
in ten- 
antry. 3 
1880-1890 
12, 650 
25,465 
3,434 
1,541 
4- 36 
-338 
- 92 
-48 
+ 40 
-127 
- 31 
- 98 
4 675 
4,489 
1,120 
1,749 
4 5.3 
1890-1900 
13.7 
1900-1910 
32.6 
1910-1920 
113.5 
1 These data are computed from Census publications. 
» This figure was arrived at as follows: Farms of from 500 to 1,000 acres each were assumed to average 750 
acres in size; and farms of 1,000 acres or more, 1,250 acres in size. These acreages were multiplied by the 
increase or decrease in the number of their respective size farms, giving total increase or decrease of acreage 
in farms above 500 acres. This total acreage was divided by the average size of the farm at the end of the 
decade, giving the figure in the column above. 
3 Preceding column divided by first column of table. 
4 Decrease. 
Table 6. — Extent of concentration of ownership of land in holdings of different 
sizes in Ellis, Hill, McLennan, and Bell Counties, for different periods. 1 
I. ALL LAND KNOWN AND RENDERED. 
Holdings of 200 acres 
and over. 
Holdings of 500 
acres and over. 
Holdings of 1,000 
acres and over. 
Holdings of 200 to 
500 acres. 
Year. 
Total acres. 
Per cent 
of 1899 
acreage. 
Total 
acres. 
Per cent 
of 1899 
acreage. 
Total 
acres. 
Percent 
of 1899 
acreage. 
Total 
acres. 
Per cent 
of 1899 
acreage. 
1919 
1,507,626 
1,-541,267 
1, 537, 313 
1,584,606 
1,536,963 
98.1 
100.3 
100.0 
103.1 
100.0 
764,770 
760,766 
792,557 
831,809 
838,685 
91.2 
90.7 
94.5 
99.2 
100.0 
362,147 
364,641 
385, 005 
416,287 
459, 975 
78.7 
79.3 
83.7 
90.5 
100.0 
742,856 
780,501 
744,756 
752,797 
698,278 
106.4 
1914 
111.8 
1909 
106.7 
1904 
107.9 
1899 
100.0 
II. LAND OWNED BY NONRESIDENTS. 
1919 154,107 
1914 182,185 
1909 185,914 
1904 171,662 
1899 195,981 
78.6 
92, 981 
65.8 
47,945 
51.6 
61, 126 
93.0 
117,358 
83.1 
69,591 
75.0 
64,827 
94.9 
118,283 
83.8 
67, 802 
73.0 
67,631 
87.6 
119,240 
84.4 
65, 587 
70.7 
52,422 
100.0 
141,212 
100.0 
92, 828 
100.0 
54,769 
111.6 
118.4 
123.5 
95.7 
100.0 
1 Data taken from county tax records. 
90872—22 2 
