more than double its original cost. Taking these facts and others into consideration, it may safely be asserted that the values given by the Japanese and their neighbors, who should be in a position to know, are more nearly market values than those placed on the properties by assessors.

The following table sums up the condition of the 21 farms investigated. The average farm was found to be 515.10 acres and the median farm 272 acres in extent. Seven farms were leased, with an average of 219 acres each. Fourteen owned farms, and these averaged 511.43 acres in extent. The total gross value of all property was $387,655, and the net value $265,150. Nine farms showed an indebtedness of $122,505, or an average indebtedness per farm of $13,612, making the average net value of property per farm $18,939.

TABLE 25.-General financial summary, Japanese families in Texas.

a Including 560 acres rented by one man, who also owns.

Of the 14 farms owned, 2 are partnerships with 4 and 7 partners, respectively. The other 12 farms are owned by separate individuals. Six of the farms rented are rented by a single man and the remaining farm is operated by three men in partnership.

Considering the land now owned or rented, it is seen that all the farms have at least one-half of their area tillable and 57 per cent have threefourths or more tillable, while of the first land purchased or rented only 48 per cent had a similar area open to cultivation. No better testimony could be offered to show the ease with which this prairie land is prepared for irrigation and put into cultivation when there is sufficient energy and capital behind the enterprise.

The farms now owned with one-half to three-fourths tillable average 1,005.38 acres in extent, and the land is valued at $32 per acre, with an average value per farm, including all improvements, of $31,675. The farms three-fourths or more tillable are smaller in extent, averaging only 113.17 acres, with a valuation of $56 per acre, or $6,375 per farm.

The Japanese in Texas as a group have brought more wealth into this country than they have sent out. Very few of them have made

large sums of money and the major part that has been made has been returned to the farm in the way of improvements and live stock. In this way they are increasing their investments in this country. Comparing this group of people with other foreigners, the Japanese are found to be far superior to any other colonists in the Southwest as far as land owned and heavily capitalized farm enterprises are concerned.

The following table enumerates the live stock found on the 21 farms visited. On the rice farms practically all the work is done with horses and mules, of which large numbers are found on every farm. TABLE 26.-Classification of live stock, 21 Japanese farms, Texas.

The clothing worn by the Japanese men and women is not unlike that of their American neighbors, except that sandals instead of shoes are worn in field work and are left outside the kitchen door while the wearer is within.

On the farms purchased by the Japanese the houses were already built, and the Japanese have done little to improve them. As a whole they are more inclined to repair and build new barns and warehouses than they are to improve their own houses. The majority of the houses are poorly kept and dirt and confusion is everywhere apparent. Many of the houses were inhabited by men only, and the absence of women may in a measure account for this lack of good housekeeping. But even in some of the houses where the housewife was found the same conditions existed, leading to the impression that the Japanese are not more orderly or efficient home makers than some of the south European immigrants.

The houses were provided with very little furniture, boxes being used in many instances in place of chairs. Cheap iron beds were sometimes seen, but a large number of Orientals sleep on wooden bunks covered with a thin mattress of rice straw. Little bed covering is needed. The bedsteads were completely covered with netting to keep out mosquitoes. Two of the houses were distinct exceptions to what has just been said, being very neat and attractive. They would compare favorably with the houses of the better-class American neighbors.

Rice cooked in various forms with fresh and dried fish forms the principal food. The settlers do not appear to be hearty eaters, and their dietaries vary very little from day to day. In many cases the men do the cooking, and the condition of the kitchens in which they work is very insanitary.

On the rice plantation the woman's work is in the home. There she has charge of the kitchen and provides meals for the 10, 15, or more men working on the farm, a task that evidently keeps her busy most of the time. On the truck farms where women are found they aid materially in the cultivation of the garden crops, helping their husbands to weed, cultivate, and harvest the vegetables. The group of Japanese in Texas is so small and of such recent origin that the children have not reached the age where they can be called upon to aid in work.

Malaria affects the Japanese who live in the low rice districts. They are very susceptible to this disease, which is practically the only ailment that affects them. Most of the accidents that befall the Japanese are caused either from carelessness in the use of machinery or by injuries inflicted by mules. Indeed, this animal has caused the majority of deaths that have occurred among the Japanese in Texas.

The Japanese seem to be very fond of travel; many have taken trips through the United States, and every year two or three heads of families journey back to Japan for two or three months, returning possibly with their wives and children. In practically all the houses are seen copies of American newspapers and magazines besides Japanese publications.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYMENT.

On all the farms operated by Japanese some Japanese labor is employed, and during harvest Americans are also hired, who work side by side with the Japanese. On some of the large farms Americans are employed as engineers, having under their supervision all of the farm machinery. At first the Japanese hired Americans. exclusively to do the mechanical work. Each American thus employed was given a Japanese helper, who constantly watched. every movement to learn all he could from observation and by questioning the American. In most cases, after the American had been employed a year or so, he was discharged and his Japanese helper took his place.

The supply of Japanese is so limited that there is no lack of employment. As farm laborers the Japanese are considered very hardy, diligent workers. Japanese farmers almost invariably employ men of their own nationality where this is possible. When other help is necessary Americans are generally hired. Sometimes during the busy season in the rice fields Japanese from Colorado and New Mexico come to Texas and assist in the harvesting of the rice. The rate of pay of Japanese farm hands varies. Many of them work for $10 to $20 a month and their board and room. Those who are working for this small wage are usually young men who have been in this country but a year or so and who want to secure a good working knowledge of the crops and the manner in which they are grown in this country. At the same time their wages are below the normal level. When the Americans are hired on the farm they receive the prevailing rate of wages in the locality in which they are employed, generally ranging from $1.25 to $1.50 per day without board.

SOCIAL LIFE.

The Japanese farmers in Texas appear to have very little time for social diversions. They are constantly at work to improve their farms and are so few in number that they have no opportunity to form any social organizations of their own and very seldom participate in the amusements organized by the natives.

The Japanese are not found in large or isolated colonies. The largest group is near Webster, running down into the small town of League City. Undoubtedly the Japanese gather there because the first Japanese settler that came to the locality raised rice with such success that reports of his ability spread and his fellow countrymen began to move in. This is the only community where segregation may be said to have taken place. Of course, the farms in the rice district are so large that they permit very little close neighborly association, but on the whole the Japanese are willing to mingle with their neighbors, to learn American ways, and adopt American customs.

As an example of the tendency to pattern after progressive Americans, in two or three of the houses on the rice farms the Japanese have had rooms fitted up for offices with letter files, letter cabinets, and typewriters. Perhaps the installation of the graphophone in several homes may be cited as another instance. Throughout the localities in which the Japanese have settled very little race prejudice. against them has been manifested. Practically none of the Americans foster any prejudice, and it is said that the Japanese remain so quietly by themselves that were it not for their industry in improving their farms the neighbors would not know of their existence. The Japanese never cause trouble or stir up strife with their neighbors. Frequently when a neighbor wishes help and applies to a Japanese he is received in the most courteous manner, the Japanese being only too glad to render his American neighbor such service as he can.

In Texas the Japanese have no separate church, owing to their isolation from each other and their small numbers. Frequently they attend the local churches near their farms. There they mingle with

the Americans.

SCHOOLS.

On account of the preponderance of single men and the great distance of the farms, generally, from town, educational conditions can not be characterized as favorable. In fact, in a number of places no educational facilities seem to be available. In two localities where the Japanese are prospering, the owners of the farms have secured private tutors to instruct their children in reading, writing, and English. On the other farms the children seem to pick up such learning as they can, but the number of children is so small that there is very little possibility of establishing public schools at present.

GENERAL MORALITY.

Crime and misdemeanors of any kind seldom occur among the Japanese. They are a law-abiding people, remaining by themselves, settling their differences among themselves, and never troubling the

outside world. The general morals of the community seem to be as high as they are in any foreign locality. Some testify that the Japanese are always honest; others deny this statement with emphasis. They generally buy for cash and the country storekeepers and other merchants consider them very good customers.

On two of the farms the Japanese maintain their own stores, selling groceries and clothing to the Japanese help that they employ, thus bringing onto the rice farms the same commissary arrangement that is found on the large cotton plantations. Occasionally they sell groceries to American neighbors, who report that the prices at these stores are slightly lower than at the stores in town.

EFFECT OF THE SETTLEMENT.

Wherever the Japanese have settled on farms they have made many additions or improvements. They have cleared the ditches, built new canals, repaired fences, and their buildings do not, as a whole, present the same tumbled-down appearance frequently observed in other immigrant agricultural settlements. Most of the farms owned by Japanese have, however, been in their possession only three or four years. With the strict enforcement of the immigration laws there will be very little migration from Japan to the Texas farms. Increased numbers of Japanese may come from the farming localities of Colorado and California, but as a rule those who come into Texas will necessarily be the richer class if they desire to be independent farmers, for the land that is suitable for raising rice is comparatively high in price, and the capital outlay necessary for equipping a rice farm is frequently several thousand

dollars.

STATISTICAL DATA FOR SELECTED FAMILIES.

The table following represents 12 farms of the Japanese. It shows the number of years the head and his family have been in the locality, his previous location and occupation, his first property purchased. In a few cases the Japanese have increased their holdings, but for the most part they invested so heavily at first that they have been unable to shoulder additional burdens. In the matter of farm income it is interesting to note the large amounts made on the rice farms in comparison with the amounts made on the small truck forms, proving that the Japanese are very successful rice growers.