The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1895-02-28

c~ - ii il 1
hdt homes and J2.20 per
cent. pay rent. OF the farms or homes
-ott; per cent. are entirely free from in
.nmbraucr and 21.97 only of every 100
resi- under mortgages. These mortgages
.rprcscnt but 81. 80 per cent. of he value
If the property, and the average rate of
interest paid upon them is GO per cent.
,or auuum. The average value of the in
numbered farms or homes is S3,3J2, the
average amount of the mortgage is 81
81. and the average interest charge is
$500. II * shown also that the greater
,oriun Of the mortgages represent de-
erred payments OF purchase money. The
remainder represents permanent improve
.tuts, farm machinery, stock Il other
a,pstncnts that add To the value OF the
-l,rrty. Very few mortgages are the re-
Mn of misfortune or improvidence.
lnthc new States of the West are found
he largest percentage of people who XVI
he farms or homes they occupy. and the
smallest number are found in the South.
In Illinois the average of ownership is
nearly - per cent. above the average for
he entire country-viZ., 1896 per cent. of
he population own md 5O.3l per cent.
'ont. IN Indiana the condition of the pco-
be l., somewhat better. the percentage
If ownership being 57.52. In Wisconsin
[ is still better, where the percentage of
ownership is $3.50; in Michigan, G3.12;
n Iowa. SO. IS, and in Minnesota, G4.9f.
IHle highest percentages of ownership
are found in Oklahoma, $3.50; North Da-
-t - H.. S,,th hnEnta - DC nnN
Idaho. 71.16. The lowest percentages of
ownership are found in Louisiana, 29.56;
Aiabama, 34.G4: Delaware, 31.9S;
Georgia. Bib; Rhode Island, 29.G2, and
south Carolina, 2S.17..
Many Farms in Ohio.
The statistics show that Ohio has the
'arGc>t number of farms of any State in
the Union, 2J6.26i: Illinois comes second,
!l23l3: then Missouri, 2JO,S32; Texas,
rs. 7N2; New York. 226. $50; Pennsylva.
lia, 211.lI2: Iowa. 20J 49,; Indiana, 2O1.-
"l. No other State has more than POO
JWp. The percentage Of ownership in
.armS is largest III the North and West.
Is is the percentages of homes also. With
1ut including Oklahoma, where the con-
iiliuNs were scarcely settled enough when
he census was taken to make Il fair COM
1HrISon, Maine stands first rs Il frce-farm
state. There % out Of every 100 of the
farmers own the places on which they
I've. Utah is second. with Il percentage
i 90.67. and the next highest States come
"A the following order:
Per Per
State. cent. State. cent.
North Dakota 80. 10 Massachusetts Si.9l
V. Hampshire. S90S Nevada .S3.SS
Idaho ...... .SS.57 South Dakota. S3.S1
New Mexico. .SS.1SI Vermont ..... .S3.3S
Wisconsin e. $500 Michigan $3.50. $3.50
Montana .... $500 Connecticut SOB.
Minnesota ...SI9J Washington ...S1.59
In the matter of mortgages, however.
h" percentage is much smaller in the
southern States than it is in the North
and West. In fact, the difference is so
great as to be phenomenal. AS has been
stated above. 21.9I per cent. of the farms
1nd homes in the United States are mort
sagod. That is the average for the whole
ountry, but in Georgia the percentage is
lnly BIS, in Tennessee 3.S7, in Florida
}.G3. in Alabama 3.0S. in Louisiana 3.0i,
md in the Other Southern States it is pro-
portionately small. The highest percent
lge of mortgages is found in South Da'
>ota. where only fifty-one out of every
)ne hundred people own their farms or
houses without incumbrance. Kansas
and Nebraska come very close to the
maximum, and. strange to say North Da-
lota and New Jersey have almost the
same percentage, the former showing
lo.l2 per cent of incumbered farms II
homes and the latter 1881. In Illinois
}2.GS per cent of the farms and homes
AIRY mortgages. in Indiana .0.12, in Iowa
i2.1U, in Michigan 1919, in Minnesota
i2.l1 and in Wisconsin 1886. 1t is an
Interesting fact that Utah has the small
@St percentage of mortgaged farms and
zones of any Northern State, 92.6I per
'ent. of the owners there being absolutely
without incumbrance. In Washington,
also. the proportion is very small COM
pared with other new States, the percent
age of mortgages being 23.4o-less than
n Massachusetts, New York, Pennsyl-
'ania, Ohio OF any other of the Eastern
states.
Mississippi Mortgage Ridden.
In Mississippi the farmers suffer more
from the mortgage evil than in any other