22 
BULLETIN 1404, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Table 19. — Average cost of all family living and of selected classes of items for 1921 
Fur- 
nished 
by farm 
Pur- 
chased 
Total per 
family 
Selected items 
Tenure class 
Food 
products 
raised on 
farm J 
Gro- 
ceries 
pur- 
chased 
Clothing 
pur- 
chased 
Gifts to 
church 
and 
charity 
Spent for 
tobacco 
and 
other 
personal 
expenses 
Tenants 
$251 
350 
$204 
331 
$455 
681 
$129 
185 
$83 
98 
$75 
87 
$8.65 
19.22 
$8.21 
Owners 
7.38 
All operators... 
307 
277 
584 
161 
92 
81 ! 14. 66 J 7. 72- 
i Meat, garden, poultry, and dairy products raised on farm. 
Tenant families purchased an average of $83 worth of food during- 
the year. This was only 64 per cent as much as the food raised and 
consumed on the farm. The families of owners purchased an average 
of S98 worth of food during the year, which was 53 per cent as much 
as the amount of food raised and consumed on their farms. 
Tenants gave to church and charity on an average $8.65, whereas 
owners gave slightly more than twice this amount. On the other 
hand, tenants spent more for tobacco and other personal expenses 
than did owners. 
SIZE OF FAMILY AND OF HOUSE 
A common form of disability in negro life is poor housing. Con- 
ditions in the section for which this study was made are probably 
much better in regard to housing than are conditions in certain other 
parts of the South where negro population predominates. Among 
the operators interviewed, tenant houses averaged 4.3 rooms as com- 
pared with 5.2 rooms for houses of owners. (Table 20.) The size 
of tenant families was, on an average, 6.6 persons, as compared with 
6.3 persons for the owners. Thus there were 1.5 persons for each 
room among tenants and 1.2 persons for each room among owner 
families. 
These facts do not suggest serious overcrowding in the sense in 
which this term is applied to city conditions. The principal defect 
is found in the condition of the houses and in their environment. 
The comparative condition of the houses for the two tenure classes is 
indicated best by the figures on average value of farm houses, which 
were $391 for tenants and $1,147 for owners. Thus it will be seen 
that there is a marked difference between tenant houses and owner 
houses — a much greater difference than data on the average number 
of rooms would indicate. 
Table 20. — Average value and size of dwellings, and size of family, by tenure class 
Average 
persons 
in family 
Average 
persons 
per room 
Average 
value of 
dwelling 
Average 
number 
of rooms 
in 
dwelling 
Reported condition of house 
Tenure class 
Good 
Medium 
Poor 
Tenants... 
Owners. 
Number 
6.6 
6.3 
Number 
1.5 
1.2 
$391 
1,147 
Nwnbcr 
4.3 
5.2 
Number 
47 
98 
Number 
58 
47 
Number 
6 

All operators 
6.4 
1.3 
820 
4.9 
145 105 ! 5 
