10 
BULLETIN" 1404, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
More than 70 per cent of the owners had been both croppers and 
tenants before becoming owners, taking on the average six years in 
the cropper stage and eight years in the tenant stage. They had 
also been owner farmers an average of 12 years. Of 105 owners who 
had passed through both the cropper and the tenant stages prior to 
attaining ownership, only 8 had received wealth by inheritance, gift, 
or marriage. Of the 31 owners who had occupied only the tenant 
stage before becoming owners, 4 had been aided by one of these 
forms of gratuitous financial assistance. Only a few owner farmers 
had been farm hands working for wages and a few others had climbed 
into the ownership stage directly from the cropper stage. Over 85 
per cent of the tenants had been croppers prior to becoming tenants, 
having spent nine years in each stage. Of those who were croppers 
at the time of the survey nearly half had been tenants at one time. 
Of those who were owner farmers at the time of the survey only 
one case was reported where an owner farmer had suffered such 
severe financial losses that he had been compelled to revert to the 
tenant stage. A considerable number had been forced to sell part 
of their land to meet their obligations. Personal comments of those 
interviewed indicated that such cases were generally due to buying 
too much land or attempting to purchase additional farms on too 
large a margin of credit. A considerable number of owner farmers 
were reported as hard pressed, having bought land during the World 
War at high prices. One owner, in an effort to help his mother 
financially, had lost 34 acres out of 54 originally inherited. Several 
owner farmers had suffered heavy losses by fire,, but had not been 
forced to revert to a lower stage of tenure. 
Three tenants and one cropper reported that they had at one time 
owned land, but one of the tenants had been unable to retain owner- 
ship. Comments of individuals indicate that a large proportion of the 
tenants were eager to become landowning farmers. 
Table 6.- 
-Summary of tenure progress 
» 
Operat- 
ors 
Average tenure stage 
Average gratuitous 
assistance 
Wage 
hand 
Cropper 
Tenant 
Owner 
Tenant 
Owner 
Owners who have been— 
Number 
4 
31 
105 
4 
Years 
Years 
13 
Years 
Years 
3 
12 
12 
7 
Tenant and owner 
12 
8 
11 
$135 
70 
50 
$116 
Cropper, tenant, and own- 
er > 
6 
4 
32 
Wage hand, cropper, ten- 
11 
Total owner operators. _. 
146 
Tenants who have been— 
14 
83 
18 
9 
Cropper and tenant 
9 
12 
Total tenant operators 2 .. 
97 
| 
Croppers who have been— 
7 
6 
1 
9 
14 
6 
Tenant and cropper 
Wage hand and cropper 
8 
16 
Total cropper operators... 
14 
i There were two other operators who should be reported with the owners, but years were not given. 
1 There was one schedule of a man who had been cropper, tenant, and owner, but had lost his farm and 
become a tenant. 
