The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-07-01
ABANDONED FARMS.
Interesting Facts Collected by the
State Board Of Agriculture.
special to the Jersey city xe,us.


TRENTON. July l, 1s9L-The Bureau of
Statistics today sent to the printers that
pzrt of the forthcoming report which
deals with abandoned farms aud farm
value. As New Jersey Is distinctively an
agricultural State. this information is of
vast Importance, and the work Of collect
ing the Information has been carried on
with much care and at some expense.
The report says:-During the year
supplementary enquiry into the extent of
the agricultural depression was under
taken as to whether the payment of taxes
or the Abandonment Of farms was the
cause. and what effect it had upon the
value OF agricultural lands. The assist
ance of local assessors was asked to col
lect this information.
Returns we're received from BIS town
ships, which include nearly all the rural
districts in the State. outside of Hudson,
Essex and union counties, to which little
attention was paid because Of their
strongly marked urban character. But
eleven townships are missing, namely,
Egg Harbor township In Atlantic county,
Boiling Springs. at Harrington, IN Ber-
gen county; Upper. Cape May; Maurice
River, Cumberland; Sayersyille and
Wood bridge, Middlesex; Morris. Morris
county, and Ocean and Union. Ocean
county. Not more than one half of these,
strictly speaking, are farming districts.
While tax sales seem TO be exceedingly
rare, not over twenty farms. covering
| 1.102 acres, have been sold in 1889 and
| $780, and these confined to the counties
of Atlantic, Bergen. Cumberland, Mon
mouth ana Morris. Agricultural hard
times are reflected in the degree of
| promptness with which taxes are paid.
| In forty seven townships there was an in
creasiDg tardiuess reported. Atlantic,
| three; Cape May, two; Monmouth. four;
! Ocean, two; Camden. one; Bergen, one;
| Cumberland, one; Mercer, two: Middle
sex, two; Morris, three; burlington,
seven; Gloucester. two; Salem, three:
| hunterdou, three; Somerset, three; Sus-
sex. two; Warren, six. In many of the
remaining townships tue tax burden
bears more heavily now than formally on
the farmers
ABANDONED FARMS.
OF all the counties heard from Salem is
the only Que that reports no abandon ed
farms. The abandoned farms. so far as
known, are scattered over forsy-six
townships. ana number 5l5, with an es-
timate decrease of between 1900 and
90. 600 acres, or less than one per cent OF
The total improved lands in farms in the
State, and below nine-tenths OF one per
cent OF the number of farms, presuming
that the census data for 1850 are appro-
i
that less than one-tifth of the townships
are affected. would seem to point 70 the
conclusion that the abandoned farm
movement has not yes set in strongly in
New Jersey-much less so than III some
of the Eastern States. where such infor-
nation IS available.
In Hunterlon county, our representa-
tive agricultural district, confirming sor1e--
what more than one-tenth of ali improved
farm lands inthe State, but one farm OF
rs acres in West Amweu township has
been unoceupied for TWO years. In Salem
there Is none, while in the remaining tive
largely rural counties of Burlington,
Gloucester, Somerset, Sussex and Warren,
the cultivation of 136 farms with an estl-
mate acreage Of 1900, or seven tenthS OF
the improved agricultural land is reported
10 be abandoned. The latter three coun-
ties, both in the aggregate and separately.
make poor showing containing one
third OF the reported number of aban-
doned farms, 101 and acreage of 6,23i or 13
per cent. of their total improved land.
REASONS FOR DESERVING FARMS
Many Of these farms are not entirely
deserted out are used for other purposes
than cultivation, as in the case OF some Of
those reported from Warren township.
Somerset county, on which cattle range.
Reason for abandonment Is given from
256 farms; 10 OF them was deserted be-
cause OF mortgages, which absorbed more
ing; for cases taxation is reported TO be
responsible; 2l0 farms could not be
profltably worked on account or the poor.
worn out soil, location or similar causei
while death, ignorance aud poor manage
ment are said 70 account for % failures.
To the latter two causes Dumber of
correspondents think should be credited
large share of the unproHtablenesS OF
farming.
The table shows that In Atlantic county
there are fifty-five abandoned farms,
covering an acreage of 2,755; Cape May.
Is, 1000 acres; Monmouth, 5. 2I5 acres;
Ocean, 10, 916; Camden. 4. no acres given;
Passalc, 10, 1,3S4: Bergen, 20, $50; Cum
berland. "A. $40; Mercer. 10, 6s3; Middle
sex, 12, 456; Morris, 5, 1870; Burlington,
SO. 993; Gloucester. ). l5O; somerset ~,
2, 100; Hunterdon, /, IS; Sussex, 80. 3. 23s;
Warren. 8, 953; total. 313 farms; 1s,467
acres. There are 81. 30z farms in New
Jersey. with total acreage OF 2,92s.1I3.
average price per acre, S65.
10 Atlantic County 1,l39 farms, los, 126
acres, value $40 per acre: Cape May, 5i7
farms, SO 032 acres, so, Monmouth, 2, 2,567
farms, 2l2.6l7 acres, SIS; Ocean, .S3l farms,
81, 442, S3l; Camden, $50 farms. S1.792
acres, SO; Passaic, 9U6 farms. st. .9l5 acres,
s45; Hudson, 145 farms, 2,92 acres, Ssl5;
Union, 757 farms, IS. go acres,
Sl35; Cumberland. 2250 farms, 80
237 acres, So; Mercer, 1,542 farms, 100
90S acres, $50; Middlesex, 2,0e5 farms. 154
s66 acres. S77; Morris. 1854 farms. 242. rs
acres, $50; Burlington. 2.5l2 farms, s69,-
534 acres, 500; Gloucester. 2.o34 farms,
l4S, 147 acres, SCI; Salem. 1.S25 farms. no.
S39 acres, $50; Hunterdon. 3.l53 farms.
245 OBJ acres, SEQ; Somerset, 2,046 farms,
1851 acres, 500; Sussex, 1892 farms, 255.-
+ 6SS acres, s3S; Warren, LIS farms, ls5,-
7s3 acres, SEQ.
"
ALARMEn Az MAYOR PRArT