The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1912-06-05
SPLITTING UP OF THE PLANTATIONS

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war. so far as bringing land into
cultivation was concerned.
| Revolution in Land Tenure.
During the first twenty years OF
the period under consideration the
revolution in land tenure became OBJ
seryable Large numbers of small
farms were established between
I186O and 1870.
AT the census of 1880 there were
reported for the eight states over
A 600 places less than ten acres in
size, Since 1880 the number has
constantly increased until in 1910
there were almost three times as
many, namely $4,000.
The next group of farms is from
ten to twenty acres in size. In 1880
about 100000 such were reported,
whereas in 1910 there were nearly
245.OO0. In this class of farms
there has been a consistent and rap
id increase, amounting to nearly 100
per cent, in thirty years since 1851.
Still more important is the group
of farms between twenty and nifty
acres in size, of which there were
$4,000 in 1880 as against 656,OOO
in 1910.
The number of farms between so
and 100 acres likewise increased, al
though not nearly so rapidly as the
number in the other size groups
mentioned, the increase being from
$4,000 to 428,O0O between 1880
and 1910.
Splitting Up the Plantations.
This shows that the large farms
or plantations as they were formerly
termed continued to be divided into
smaller parcels of land operated by
tenants or small farmers.
The census of 1910 shows that of
all farms slightly more than &C per
per cent of those in Mississippi,
nearly 66 per cent of those in Geor-
gia. 63 per cent of those in South
Carolina and over so per cent OF
those in Alabama are worked by
tenants. In these four states there
are $4,000 of these parcels OF land
operated by tenants.
In North Carolina and Tennessee
more than 40 per cent of the farms
enumerated were worked by ten
ants; in Kentucky "a per cent, and
in Virginia almost 27 per cent. The
ten states which had the largest per-
centage of tenancy are Southern
states, but this tenancy is quite diff
ferent from the tenancy in the
Northern states.
Between 1880 and 1910 there was
considerable increase in the num-
Der of farm owners. In 1880 there
were $4,000 owners and managers,
whereas in 1910 there were 1000,
an increase of 2S9 600, or 43 per
cent. On the other hand, there were
only 100000 tenants in 1880, or
less than twO-thirds as many as own
ers and managers, while in 1910
there were 987, 900, which is con-
siderably more than the total num-
Der of farmers who own either all or
part of their land, or who are hired
managers. The increase was $780,
600, or 143 per cent.
The Negro Farmers.
In 1900 in this group of eight
states one-third of the farms were
operated by colored farmers and
two-thirds by white farmers; furth-
er, of the colored farmers only about
one-fifth were owners, while among
the white farmers nearly two-fifths
were owners. 1900 there were more
than 100000 negro tenants in those
he NJ hnr he III in
creased to considerably more than
100000. During the last decade
there was an increase in the total
number of farms amounting to 271,-
500 or 1872 per cent. The increase
in the number of whites was 49,
PIT, or 1871 per cent, while that of
negroes was 122,525, or 22.9 per
cent, showing that negro farmers are
increasing at a greater rate than the
whites.
Of the total increase N number of
farms 1927, or $40 per cent,
were white farmers and 122,525, or
45.1 per cent, negroes. On tho 9TH
er hand, the increase in number of
owners was SO 826, and of these TO-
0O4, or TAG per cent, were whites,
and 23,822, or 25.4 per cent, ne
/ groes.
Hired Labor.
An analysis of the census report
for 1909 shows that two-thirds of
the farmers in the New England
and Middle Atlantic states employ
hired labor. In the North Central
states more than one-half of the
: farmers employ hired labor. In con-
trast to this scarcely cne-third of
the farmers in all of the Southern
states employ labor For the group
of states in question herein about
SO per cent hire labor. This high
average is due to the fact that in
Virginia As per cent report labor en-
ployed and North Carolina, South
Carolina and Georgia each show al
most 40 per cent.
The change of the system from
hired labor to small farm and ten
ant can be traced gradually from one
extreme of the country to the other
Thus. in Massachusetts, in the New