U.S. AGRICULTURE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1743, 7 May 1913, Page 5

U.S. AGRICULTURE.

FARMS, FARMERS, AND THEIR INDEBTEDNESS, CENSUS STATISTICS. 'ilie results of the thirteenth census of the United States with reference to' the tenure of-.farms, the mortgage indebtedness on farms, their size, etc., which have been issued just recently by tho Bureau of the Census, Washington, arc full of Interest. The' census was taken on April 15, 1910, and the bulletin just published, which contains a mass of useful statistics, is to bo embodied as part of the compendium to be issued later. One of the most important branches of agricultural statistics is that which relates to the distribution of farms and farm property according to the. tenure under which the farm "operator" holds the land. For the purposes of the United States census, farm operators were divided into the following classes:— 1. Farm owners, including (a) farmers operating their own land only, and (b) those operating their own land and somo land hired from others. 2. Managers—i.e., farmers who conduct farm operations for the owner of wages or a salary. 3. Farm tenants—i.e., farmers who, as tenants, renters, or croppers, operate hired land only. These were subdivided into the following three classes:— (a) Share tenants—those who pay a certain proportion of tho products— e.g., one-half, one-third, of- onequarter. (b) Share-cash tenants—thoso who pay a share of the products for part of the land rented by them and cash' for part. (c) Cash tenants—thoso who pay a cash rental or a stated amount of labour or products, such as 7dol„ ton bushels of wheat, or 1001b. of seed cotton per acre. The following summary sho vs for. 1910 and 1900 the number and acreage of farms operated by each of these classes: No. of farms. 1910. 1900 Owners 3,918,722 3,653,323 Owning entire farm 3,351,897 3,201,917 Henting additional land .. 593,825 451,376 Managers 58,101 59,035 Tenants 2,351,676 2,024,961 Share ....t 1,399.923 ) Share-cash 128,466) 1,273,299 Cash 712,291) reported 113,993 ) 751,655 Total G,361,502 5,737,372 Acreage of farms. ',910. ' 1900. Owners 5C5,554,817 056,010,031 Managers 53,730,865 87,518,186 Tenants 226,512,813 195,033,537

Total '878,795,325 838,531,774 It will be seen that in 1910 nearly fiveeightbs (G2.1 per cent. ) of the farms irero operated by owno-s, and tluee-eighths (37 per cent.) by tenants, the proportion operated by managers being less than 1 per cent. In most casos of share-cash tenancy the share feature is the most important, the principal crops being raised on shares, while only a small amm nt of land, usually for a liome garden or for pasture, is rented on the basis of a cash payment. Between 190 D and 1910 the farms operated by cwners increased 8.1 per cent, in number, while those operated by tenants increased 10.3 per cent., the small number under the supervision of managers decreasing by 1.7 per cent. Indeed, it is notic-;able that at least sines ISSO (and probably further back alsu,- the farms operated by tenants have in each decade increased taster than those oporaVed by owners. Tenant faims constituted 23.6 per cent, of the total in 1ES0; 28.3 per cent, in 1820; 35.3 per cent, in li'iOD; and 37 pir cent.' in 1910. The diitriln.tinn of acreage of farms according to tenure differs somow'liat from tho distribution of the number of farms. Farms opn-atod by owners comprised (53.1. per cent, of the . total acreage in 1910; tenant farms, 25.8 per cent.; and farms operated b}' managers, 6.l'per cent. The acreage of farms operated by owners increased 7.G per cent, during the decade iilOO to 1910, while that of tenant farms, increased ili.l per cent. There was a marked decrease in the total -icreage of far.ns operated by managers.

Farm Mortgages.—Large Increases. The report contains a large amount of interesting information with reference to tho number of farms mortgaged and the amount of the mortgage debt. The inquiries of tho Census Bureau related only to those farms which were, operated by their owners, and no attempt was made io ascertain the total number of farms which were mortgaged or the total amount of mortgage debt. The following summ/iry shows for the States as a whole the returns for the last three censuses with regard to the number of farms 'or farm houses operated or occupied by their owners which werj free' from mortgage and mortgaged respectively: Free from mortgage. 1890.—Owned farm homes 2,227,!!Gfl 19(111.—Owned farm liomes 2,419,15!) 1910.—Farms operated by owners 2,558,f>8S Mortgaged 3890 —Owned farm homes 875,052 1900.—Owned farm homes 1,090,101 1910.—Farms operated by owners 1,312,031 Not Specified. IS9o.—Owned farm homes 39,725 190!).—Owned farm homes 128, AM 1910.—Farms operated bv owners 15,082 Total. 1890.—Owned farm homes 3,142,7-13 1900.—Owned farm homes 3,U'lS.4'J!> 1910.—Farms operate;! by owners 3,9£i..722 It will be noticed that for 1690 and 1900 the figures relate to owned farm homes—i.e., larms occupied by their owners as homes. This is a slightly smaller class than that dealt with in 1910, but the ditFerence is not great enough to affect: comparison to any extent. The summary shows clearly that, during each of tho last two decades, the mortgaged farms increased much more rapidly than those free from mortgage. Of the total specified the proportion mortgaged was per cent, in IS9O, 31.1 per cent, in 1900. and 33.6 per cent, in 1910. It should he borne in mind that the fact of mortgage indebtedness is not necessarily an indication of lack of prosperity. The report states that "there can bo no question but that American farmers generally were more prosperous in 1910 than at the two preceding censuses, and vet in lhat year a larger proportioA of the farms wore mortgaged." , With regard to the amount of mortgage debt on farms, statistics are given in tho report relating to the farms operated, by owners owning their entire farm, for 'which the amount of mortgage debt was reported, together with the total value of'the land and buildings nf snrh farms. These numbered 1,005,511, tlio total value of (lie laud and buildings j comprised therein being about ,£1..'!15.7">0.000, ,'md the amount of debt J?359,55(1,0iH), or 27 per cent, of the value. The figures relating to the two previous censuses are not strictly comparable; but it is clear (hat in the last twenty years thero has been a marked diminution in the proportion of mortgage debt to the total value of the., farms mortgaged. This is due primarily to the very rapid increase which has taken place in the value of farm land.