The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-08-06
the VALUE OF THE FARMS
The Census Shows Tha They Ara
Worth s2o,0oo,ooo. o.oOo.
A Great Increase In Number and Pro,
duction-The west shows the High
est vsiuss-r The Gros. Incoms.

Washington. D. C.--AccordinS TO
report issued by the Census Bureau
the farms Of the United States June l.
1900, numbered 5.T39.657. and were
valued ut $16.67+69O.241. OF this
amount So. $50. 19s. l9l. or 2i.l per cent.
represents the value Of buildings. and
Sl3,ll4.l92. .O56. or 1876 per cent. the
value of land and improvements. The
value Of farm implements and machin.
cry was $16l .26l $50. and Of live stock
$3,O7S, ,O5O.Oi1, the total value OF farm
property being $2O.514.OOl. 1898.
The total value Of farm products for
1889 was $4.139.llS.752. Of which
amount $l.7ls.90O22 22l. or 36.3 per cent.
represents the value Of animal pro.
ducts. and 5000. l2s.53l. or 63.1 per
cent, the value Of crops. The total
value Of farm products for 1890 ex.
ceeds that reported for 1889 by S2.2I0..
OIL .29S. or 82.6 per cent. The gross
farm income In 1900 was $3.76l.1I7. 7C6.
and the percentage Of gross income up
on investment was 1873 per cent.
In 1900 there were nearly four times
rs many farms as in 1850. and 23.I per
cent. more than In 1900. Since 1880 the
total acreage has Increased more rap
Idly than the number Of farms. so that
the average size Of farms has In.
creased.
The total value Of farm property in
the United States In 1900 was more
than five times as great as in 1850 and
2S.4 per cent. greater than In 1870.
Nearly all Of this increase Is reported
from the North Central and South Cen.
tral divisions. The total value OF farm
property In the North Atlantic division
decreased $l9.25s.665.
The North Central division leads in
the number. acreage and value Of
farms and In the value Of farm
products. This division also reports
the largest expenditure for labor.
The Western division shows the high.
est average values per farm Of farm
land. live stock and products. but the
value Of buildings was greater In the
North Atlantic and North Central The
average value Of products per acre was
the highest In the North Atlantic d..
vision. rejecting the very intensive cul.
tivatlon prevailing there.
A comparison by States indicates
that the most important States in the
agriculture Of the country are. begin.
ming at the West. Missouri. Iowa. IL.
linois. Indiana. Ohio. Pennsylvania and
New York. Most Of these States indi.
vidually outrank In many respects the
entire Western division. while a few
Of them surpass the South Central di.
vision In some respects. Together they
contribute AT per cent Of the total
value Of farm property and $50 per
cent. Of the total value Of farm
products.
or these 5.739.657 farms in the Unit.
ed States 1870. 129 or S6.6 per cent. are
operated by white farmers and 769. .523
or 1874 per cent. by colored. the average
size Of farms being over three times as
great for white as for colored farmers.
OF the total value Of crops In 1890
cereals contributed 49.1 per cent. hay
and forage. 16 per cent: cotton. 1913
per cent: vegetables. including pota-
toes. sweet potatoes End onions. 10
per cent; fruits. "a per cent: forest
products. 3.6 per cent: tobacco. 10
per cent: sugar. 1.3 per cent. and all
other products. 3.5 per cent