OWNERSHIP OF TENANT FARMS IN THE UNITED STATES 
35 
the southern owners 54 per cent reported themselves engaged in 
farming and only 10 per cent as retired or idle, whereas of the northern 
owners 35 per cent were retired or idle and 20 per cent were farming. 
Nonagricultural occupations, such as banking, business, labor, and 
keeping house were reported by about 36 per cent of the owners of 
northern and 30 per cent of the owners of southern farms. 
Table 21. — Percentage distribution of owners of rented farms by occupation 1 
Occupation 
Percentage of owners classified 
Men 
Women 
Men and 
women 
Per 
Farming 
Gardening, chores, and farms tasks ... 
Custom farm work, such as threshing 
Handling farm products 
County farm agent 
Landlord (mentioned specifically) 
Housekeeping 
Idle and sick 
Retired from farming 
Retired from other occupations 
Banking 
Real estate and insurance 
Medical 
Teaching 
Legal 
Business 
Labor or other occupations 
All occupations 
cent 
30.4 
2.1 
0.6 
1.6 
0.1 
3.7 
0.0 
1.9 
28.2 
1.5 
3.1 
2.8 
2.7 
1.6 
1.7 
9.5 
8.5 
Per cent 
8.8 
0.7 
0.0 
0.2 
0.1 
1.1 
62.5 
6.3 
14.2 
0.8 
0.3 
0.1 
0.4 
1.5 
0.0 
1.3 
1.7 
Per cent 
27.2 
1.9 
0.5 
1.4 
0.1 
3.3 
9.4 
2.5 
26.1 
1.4 
2.6 
2.4 
2.4 
1.6 
1.4 
8.2 
7.6 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 
i Replies from 20,401 men and 3,586 women owners. 
The proportion of men owners reporting themselves engaged in 
farming was as high as 65 per cent in the combined Kentucky, 
Alabama, and Mississippi areas, 59 per cent in the combined Virginia, 
Carolina, and Georgia areas and 43 per cent in the combined Louis- 
iana, Oklahoma, and Texas areas. In northern areas the proportion 
of men who were farming was considerably less (Table 22). 
The proportion of southern landlords who reported themselves as 
retired or idle was considerably less than half that of landlords 
owning in the North Central States. Many of the landlords of the 
North Central States are to be compared with capitalists retired on 
their incomes, vdiereas in the South landlords commonly live on- 
their land supervising their tenants and hired hands. In the dis- 
cussion of the place of residence it was brought out that about two- 
thirds of the southern landlords reported themselves to be resident 
on farms, whereas less than half of the northern landlords were so 
resident. The average age of the landlords who had no occupation 
was 66.2 years. This group includes those landlords who were 
sick, retired from farming, or from other occupations, and those 
unable to obtain employment. That they have done practically 
all the work they will do is attested by their average age. Land- 
lords with occupations were considerably younger. Those who were 
farming averaged 53 years and those in occupations other than 
farming averaged 53.4 years. 
Not much difference existed in the average age of northern and 
of southern landlords having the same occupations. A much greater 
