Hutchinson gazette., 1901-05-16

schedules and the population. Many
of the 100000 additional farms In
these states are unquestlonably small
places cultivated by the members OF
the families Of wage-earners, and used
by them as homes, Others are small
tracts OF land, without buildings,
titled by unmarried men or women
who work AZ wage earners a portion
Of the year II this is not the case
then we have substantial elevation
In ten years OF over 100000 farm fam
lies to positions materially above
those held by them In 1890, II IL
hardly probable that such number
Of negro families have realized such q
great advance, But, after making due
allowance for the small tracts of land
Of the character mentioned, II Is al
most certain that the final figures OF
the census will show n substantial
raise Of large number Of former
wage earners TO higher industrial
station In life, and one Of the most
prominent lndlces Of this social uplirt
Is the relative Increase Of tenant-op-
Grated farms.
Among tho Prairie FArmOrs,
In the north central states-0hlo.
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wlscon-
sin, Minnesota, Iowa. Missouri Kan
sas, Nebraska, South Dakota and
North Dakota-there were reported In
1890 l,97S,G59 farm families and 1929
S22 farms, Judging from the schedules
the corresponding number of farms In
1900 Is substantially 2,l9OOOO to 2,20O,-
600, More than one-haf Of the in
crease OF from 100000 to 275,0OO IL
found In the newly settled parts Of the
various states, in which the increase
keeps pace more or less closely with
the reported increase of farms, The
remained of these added farms are To-
Gated in the older settled sections, in
which the rural population increases
more slowly, or is stationary or de-
creaslng in number, There will, there
fore, in these north central states bo
a greater actual increase Of owners
than Of tenants and not the reverse,
as was the case in the South Atlantic
divisions
Tho Increase OF farm owners ~
largely confined to the newer sec
tlons. In the older settled portions
II different situation exists, There tho
relative changes IN the population and
number Of farms give evidence of the
uplifting OF at least n few families
from the position Of wage laborers to
that of tenants, and hence a relative
increase Of tenant-operated farms, the
same as In the two specified divisions
Of states. In 1890 the percentage Of
tcnNnt-opernted farms In the twelve
states was 2O,5, and in 1890 1t was 234
The data Of population and the number
Of farms give evidence Of Il percentage
In 1900 of more than 20, I
Where Growth /, Rapid.
The settlement of Oklahoma, Indian
Territory and the newer parts Of Tex
as, Arkansas and Louisiana, according
to the testimony Of farm schedules
adds over 100000 farms, carved out OF
the public or unused domain. Tho
schedules also give evidence Of Il still
greater number Of new farms In the
other south central states--Kentucky,
Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi
produced by the subdivision Of tho
older plantations. In 1890 the farms
IN the south central states numbered
I ,0SG, 772, and the farm families 1,lS5,-
032. In 1900 the farms will apprOXi-
mate $4,000.
A very large proportion of the
farms operated by white men In the
Indian Territory and on the Indian
reservations Of Oklahoma will be ad-,
dltons to the tenant-operated class,
since II Is very difficult for such men
In this section to become owners.
with the exception of the changes
due to this anomalous condition Of
farms on Indian lands, the situation
so far as II relates to farm tenure In
the south central states, Is intermedl-
ate between that described in detail
for the south Atlantic and north CEN
tral states. The percentage Of tenant
operated farms was 362 in 1880, 1874
in 1890, and will probably be over As
In 1900.
Farms OF tho Far Wost
The farms reported in the western
states Montana, Wyoming, Colorado.
New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada.
Idaho Washington, Oregon and Cali
fornla--numbered In 1890, 145,S7S,
while the farm families numbered
169 585. The schedules reported indi-
cate the probable existence in the
same section In 1900 Of 245,OOO, or an
increase in ten years Of from $4,000
to 100000 new farms, all carved out OF
the public domain. The growth OF
rural population in these states has
nearly kept pace with the increase In
farms, and hence we can in general
predict that there will be no great
change in the relative number Of those
operated by tenants. The percentage
of such farms in 1880 was II, and in
1890, with the settlement Of 81, l55 new
farms, II was only 121. In the same
year the percentage of farm tenant
families was 1870. With the large re-
nortod increase I'm the number of