TENANCY AND OWNERSHIP AMONG NEGRO FARMERS 
17 
CLASSIFICATION OF ACCUMULATORS OF WEALTH 
To ascertain a few facts associated with men of small or large 
accumulative ability, both tenure classes were put into three groups 
of accumulators: "Best accumulators/ ' "medium accumulators," 
and "poorest accumulators." This grouping was made in a way 
that would partially eliminate the influence of changes in price 
levels during which men of different ages had been saving; and in a 
way to eliminate in part the influence that stage of earning life had 
on saving ability. 7 This classification is based on average annual 
accumulation of wealth after deducting net increases in land values 
and wealth received from inheritance, gift, and marriage. 
Table 14. — Average -present net worth and its sources for 261 tenants and owners, 
classified by success in accumulation 
Class of accumulators 
Opera- 
tors 
Present 
net 
worth of 
operators 
Wealth 
received 
gratui- 
tously 
Wealth 
received 
from net 
increases 
in farm 
real estate 
Net 
accumu- 
lation 
from 
all other 
sources i 
Tenant class: 
Poorest. 
Number 
37 
37 
38 
49 
50 
50 
$333 
688 
1,409 
2,767 
$333 
Medium 
688 
Best 
2 $26 
295 
1,383 
Owner class: 
Poorest. . 
$937 
1,288 
6,345 
1,535 
Medium... _ 
4,834 j 55 
17, 546 
3,491 
Best 
11, 134 
'Not including wealth received gratuitously or through increase in valuation of farm real estate. 
J Averaged by all in class; only one received wealth thus. 
The results of this classification of farm operators into accumulator 
classes are shown by Table 14. The total wealth accumulated from 
earnings by tenants averaged $333 for poorest accumulators, $688 
for medium accumulators, and $1,383 for best accumulators. The 
corresponding figures for owner operators are respectively $1,535, 
$3,491 and $11,134 for the poorest, medium, and best classes. 
The differences in net worth of these six groups cover a wider 
range than do the figures on earnings; the net worth of the poorest 
tenant accumulators averaged $333, whereas that of the best owner 
accumulators averaged $17,546. Although the owners received 
practically all of the wealth inherited or coming from marriage or gift, 
there is no relation between the amount thus received and the classes 
of accumulators among the owners; the best owner accumulators 
received an average of $67 from these sources, whereas the poorest 
received an average of $295. On the other hand, as would be ex- 
pected, there is a close relation between wealth received from net 
increases in land value and the total net worth of the different classes. 
The poorest owner accumulators received an average of $937 from 
7 Operators were classified into three age groups: Those below 30 years of age, those from 30 to 49, inclu- 
sive, and those 50 or more. This grouping probably served to eliminate some of the influence that period 
of earning life has on accumulative ability. Within these age groups operators were divided into three 
numerically equal groups of best, medium, and poorest accumulators, these classes being determined on 
the basis of average annual accumulation of wealth divided by the average purchasing power of a dollar 
during the individual's earning life. The best groups, the medium groups, and the poorest groups were 
then thrown together regardless of age grouping. The tenants and owners were kept separate throughout 
the classification. 
