The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-05-01
LIVE ISSUES.
The Farmers Income.


the statisticlan of the Department
of Agriculture for December, 1894,
pages TAP to 751, inclusive, contain
the agricultural statistics for 1890,
of which the following is synopsis:
Number of farms in the United States
in 1890 4,564,641
Number Of acres in farms 623,21S,6l9
Number of acres in average farm 137
Total value of farms and stock S15,9o2, 261, 6S9
Value of farm products sold, con-
sumed on the farm, and on hand 2,460,107 ,454
Value of farm products per average
farm 53S.94
These figures, says the bulletin,
"are subject to modification for the
final report"
Carroll ID. Wright, in reply to a
letter asking if the value of farm
products quoted above included all
that was produced ON the farms,
said
81 desire to inform you that the
figures relative to the value of farm
products were furnished by the
farmers themselves to the enumer-
ators in answer to the following
query Estimated value of all farm
productions (sold, consumed, or on
hand) for 1887 These statistics,
therefore, include all farm pro
ductions.0
No one will be so rash as to claim
that this estimate is scientifically
correct, yet all must admit that is
the best evidence obtainable. 1t is
an official document Of the highest
authority.
According to this estimate the
annual income from the average
farm, containing 1877 acres, was
$53S.94. If we allowed 5.74 per-
sons to each form for 1890, as re-
ported by the census for 1880, and
divide this $53S.94 among them
equally, we receive for our agricul-
tural population an average animal
per capita income of $3.50. If we
again divide this amount by the
number of days in the year 1861,
receive for these who have to de-
pend ON the farm for a living an
average per capita income of 25.S
cents per day.
1t must be remembered that this
$53S.94 per farm, or 25.S cents per
day per capita, is not the profit
made from the average farm or
days labor, but constitutes the
value of the entire crops. 1t in
cludes that portion consumed on
the farm as well as that portion
sold. Out of this amount the
farmer must pay his taxes, insur,
ance, interest, the cost of seed,
hired help, wear and tear of farm
implements, repairing of fences and
buildings, and feed for his. teams
for one year while cultivating the
crops. All these items must be
paid out of the $53S.94 before the
farmer can have anything for him
self and family. The question then
is, how much will the average
farmer and his family have for
their own support after paying all
these items? Will they have Is
cents per day per capita? No.
Will they have 10? Possibly yes,
but I doubt it. For arguments
sake, hawever, we will admit that
our agricultural population received
a per capita income of ten cents per
day, with which to buy food and
clothing, educate the children and
pay-incidental expenses.
PAUPERS AND CONvICTs.
The Board of Supervisors of Clark
County, Illinois, as stated by the
County Clerk, w. S. Lowery, pays
two per week for keeping each
pauper, the keeper providing board,
clothing, medical attendance and
expenses. If we accept this as the
average amount paid by other
counties and in other States, it
amounts to 2S.5 cents per day,
almost three times as much as the
net per capita income of those who
have to depend ON the farm for a
living.
According to the report of the
Commissioner of the Illinois South
ern Penitentiary for 1890, the State
for years received an average of
$4,000 per annum for $50 convicts
leased, which amounts to $l44 per
year, or 1914 cents per day, for each
convict. Thus we are confronted
with the cold fact that our agricul-
tural population is compelled to
live on an income below that pro-