Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-07-30
VALUE OF OUR FARMS
AGRICULTURAL THRIFT SHOWN
BY CENSUS BULLETIN.
Total Property Values Exceed $780,
ooo,oo0,oOo - Earth Products for
1899 Reach S4,T39, IIs,75I-IIlinois
Leads in worth of Titled Lands.

The census bureau has issued q bulle-
tin giving the condition of agriculture IN
the United States for the year 1900. 1t
shows that there were at that time 5,I39,-
657 farms in the entire country, which
were valued at $16.6T4, 694, 24T. OF this
amount $500, 19S. l91, or over q per
cent, represented the value of buildings
and S13, ia, 49,, OBS, or over rs per cent,
represented the value of lands and inn
provements other than buildings.
The value Of farm implements and ma
chnery vas $T61, 261 $50 and of live
stock $3.07S, 050,04f.
These values. added TO the value of the
farms, give a total value of farm proper
ty amounting to $20.514, 00l ,S3s.
The total value of farm products for
the yea 1899 Is given at 81 I39, 49, o2,
of which amount S1.T1S,990,221 was for
animal products, including live stock,
poultry and bee products.
The bulletin places the average size of
farms in the United States at l46 acres
and it is reported that 40 per cent of the
farm land is improved. The total acre
age for the entire country was S4l,'2e1,-
$40.
The number of farms in the United
States has increased in every decade for
the last fifty years, and so rapidly that
in 1900 there were nearly four times as
many farms as in 1850 and % per cent
more than in 1890.
The total acreage of farm land also has
increased, but up to 1880 less rapidly
than the number of farms, thus involv-
ing O steady decrease in the average size
of farms.
Since 1880, however, the total acreage
has increased more rapidly than the num-
Der of farms, so that the average size Of
farms has increased The total area of
improved land has increased il every dec
ade since 1850.
A comparison by States indicates that
the most important States in the agricul-
ture of the country are, beginning at the
West, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois. Indiana,
Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. To
gether they contribute A per cent of the
total value of farm property and 81 per
cent of the total value of farm products.
Texas leads with the greatest number
of farms. $50. 100 and also with the high
est acreage, 125,S07,01T. But only lit
tie over Is per cent OF the farm land in
Texas was improved and the value of the
farm land in Texas was less than in
Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Missouri,
Iowa or Illinois, being $962,476, 273.
Missouri ranks second in the number of
farms, having 2S4, 1856. Other States
having more than 100000 farms are:
Alabama, 223, 900; Georgia, 224.69l; Illi-
nois. 264, 151 Indiana, 221 ,S9T; Iowa,
22S.622; Kentucky. 231 ,66T; Michigan,
203 261; Mississippi, 220,S03; New York,
226720; North Carolina, 224 .637: Ohio,
276,719; Pennsylvania, ,224, 24S; Tennes-
see, 224. 623.
Iowa leads the list in the percentage of
improved lands, more than SO per cent of
the farm lands of that State being inn
proved. Illinois follows with more than
81 per cent? Ohio comes next with IS per
cent and is followed by Indiana with
more than II per cent.
Illinois occupies the first position in the
matter of the total value of farm lands,
the figures for that State being $2,004,-
316,S97. Other State values are as fol-
lows: Iowa, S1.S34, 345.546; California,
$796, 527,9 55; Indiana. $9Ts.616,4 All: Kan
sas. SS64. 100, 2S6; Kentucky, $471, OBJ
$50; Michigan, 5000, 800, 1874; Minnesota,
S7sS, 6S4, $40; Missouri. $1.033, 121, S97 !;
Nebraska. STAT ,950,057; New York.
81 .069, 723, S95; Ohio. $1,19S, 1923, 946;
Pennsylvania. S1,051 ,6291T3; Tennessee
$341 POP OPS; Texas, 1862, Ate, 273; Vir-
GINA. 1923, 515,97T; Wisconsin, SSH
1899.
The live stock farm lands of the coun-
try are put down at value of $685.
2S4, 2T3, or more than 36 per cent of the
whole; the hay and grain lands at S6,379, :
64S,543, or 81 per cent of the whole
dairy produce, over 8 per cent; cotton,
over 8 per cent. There are 512 coffee
farms in the country, valued at $1,932,-
015