The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-07-23
IMMENSE FARM WEALTH
CENSUS BUREAU BULLETIN SHOWS
SOME TREMENDOUS FIGURES.
Texas Has the Greatest Number OF
Farms but in Value She Ranks
Seventh.

Washington, July 21.-The census bureau
today Issued a bulletin giving the condition
Of agriculture In the United states for 1900
II shows there were at that time $3.50, 6oI
farms In the entire country, which were
valued at SlI8T4, 6a4 g4T OF this amount
$500, los, lel. or over 81 per cent repre-
scented the value OF buildings aud Si4,l14,-
Suaol0. or over IS per cent, represented
the value of lands and improvements other
than buildings. The value OF farm nipple
ments and machinery was SI0i .26l $50 and
of live stock S307s, .c41. Those values
added to the vaiue of the farms giving a
total value Of farm property amounting TO
S2O,514,o01, SSS.
.he total value Of farm products for
the year 1890 is given at Si,TS0. 1ls,ij2 of
which amount $l,Iis,ooo,22l was for animal
products. Including live stock. poultry and
pee products.
The bulletin places the average size of
farms IN the United States ut 146 acres
and 1t is stated that 40 per cent OF the
farm land IS improved. The total acreage
Tor the entire country was Si1 ,2Ol ,JiB
The number OF farms in the United
States has increased In every decade for
the last hfty years and SO rapidly that In
1900 there were nearly four times as many
ldi4AH US III lNfN hllu per cent mort luAu
in 1880, The total acreage of farm land
| has also Increased, but up to 1880 less
rapidly than the number of farms thus
involving a steady decrease in the average
total acreage has increased more rapidly
unnn the number of farms, SO that the
average size OF farms has Increased. Thu
total area of improved land has Increased
IN every decade since 1880.
A comparison 10y States indicates that the
most ms Important states In the agrlc1nltH uIt
| Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio
! Pennsylvania aud New York.
! Together they contribute "A per cent o.
the total value Of farm property and rs pc
cent Of tho total value of farm products.
| Texas leads with the greatest number
I of farms, 3d. 100, and also with the high
| est acreage, l25, s0I0l7. But only a litll'
| over 10 per cent of the farm land in
! the farm land In Texas was less than IL
| Pennsylvania. Ohio, New York, Missouri
Iowa or Illinois, being 1902, 476,27s. MIS-
| souri, ranks second IN the number OF farms
! having 2s4,ss6. Other states having NOR
! than 100000 farms are; Alabama, 223220
! Georgia, 224,69lj Illinois, @dil5l, Indiana
22Ls97; Iowa, 22s.e22; Kentucky 33l, 66s
| Michigan, 20S, 29l; Mississippi go, SOB
| New York 22G.720; North Carolina, 224,
! 637 Ohio, 2l9Ile; Pennsylvania, G2],24s
Iowa leads the list in the percentage o
improved lands, more than Sc per cent o
I the farm lands OF that State being I'M
| proved Illinois follows with more thai
| 81 per cent. Ohio comes next with rs pc
cent and Is followed by Indiana with NOR
than II per cent Illinois occupies the hrs
! position I'm the matter of the total valu
Of farm lnnds, the figures for that stat
helug S2,OU4 32G, Sg7. Among other stat
values are Kentucky. S4il,0i5,s 06i Tenne'
see. S94i, 202 o.; Texas, $685. AI6,2T3; Wiz
finB, $500, 5l5,97T.
The I've stock farm lands OF the cour
| try are put down nc value Of SI,j05, 2M
ga or more than 30 per cent OF the whole
The hay and grain lands at S6,379,54s,5 %
or 81 per cent Of the whole, dairy product
over S per cent cotton over 0 per cent.
There are 512 coffee farms In the country
valued ~ S1o32, 0l5
a comparison Of the number OF irrigator
and Of the number Of acres Irrigated nt tn
beginning aud end of the decade OF 1855
1891 shows that these have npproximatel
doubled The number Of lrrigntors in III
arid states and Territories, Increased frut
% 54 to lO2,Slp or Do per cent. and tn
number Of acres Irrigated increased from
1865 ,4l5 to 7,283,218, or 1903 per cent