Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-07-22
Number of Farms in Country
Over Five Million,
THE VALUE Is S16,674,69l,24
Average Size ll0 Acres Rorty-Nine
Per Cent of Land Improved Iowa
Leads Ia This Particular.

Washington, July 2l.-The census bu-
Teau today issued a bulletin giving the
condition OF agriculture in the United
states for the year 1900. II shows that
there were at that time 5,S79,651 farms
III the entire country, which were val
ued at Sl6,67lG9i2i7. or this amount
1880 lSS,l9l, or over q per cent repre-
tented the value Of land and improve
ments other than buildings. The value
Of farm implements and machinery
vas y'6l, 2dl,55O, and Of live stock $685.
OjO,Oil, These values added to the
value Of the barns gives total value
o. farm property amounting to s2O51l,-
0O1,SSS.
The total value Of farm products for
the year 1899 Is given at $4.739 us. 752, OF
which amount $l,7lS,99O, 22l was for ami
mai products, including live stock,
poultry and bee products
The bulletin places the average size
Of farms in the United States at l4G
acres and It is stated that 40 per cent
Of the farm land IL improved. The total
acreage for the entire country was Sil,-
2Jl, 5f5. Whe number OF farms i'm the
United States has increased I'm every
decade fot the last 80 years. and so
rapidly that IN 1909 there were nearly
4our times as many farms as In 1850,
ana 70 per cent more than in 1890. The
total acreage of farm land also has in
creased, Jlt up TO 1850 less rapidly than
me number of farms, thus involving
steady decrease IN the average size Of
farms, since 1880 however, the total
acreage has increased more rapidly
man The Lnmber Of farms, go that the
average size of farms has increased.
me total area Of improved land has
increased In every decade since 1850.
A comparison by states indicates
mat the most important states in the
agriculture Of the country are. begin
ling with the west: Missouri Iowa.
LIMOS, indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania
ana New York. Together they contrib
ute u per cent Of the total value of
farm property and 3S per cent of the
Total value Of farm products.
TeNas leads with the greatest num-
her Of farms, S52,19O. and also with the
highest acreage, l2j,SO7,01l. But only a
Ilt.e over 10 per cent OF the farm land
IN Texas was improved and the
value OF the farm land in Texas was
.esa than IN Pennsylvania. Ohio New
yorE, Missouri, Iowa or Illinois. being
SsB2'iI6,2t3. Missouri ranks second I'm
me NUMBER Of farms, having 2S4. SS6
other states having more than 100000
farms are Alabama. 22S2 2O: Georgia
22i69l Illinois, 26i.ljl Indiana. 22l .Sg7.
Iowa, 222, 622; Mississippi 22O. 500, New
YORK, 226,120; North Carolina. 224 637.
ohio, 26Iil9; PENNSYLVANIA. 2242 GAS.
Tennessee, 224,G23
Iowa leads the list in the percentage
OF improved land. more than Sc DER cent
OF the farm lands of that state being
improved. Illinois follows with more
than "a per cent; Ohio comes next with
IS per cent, and is followed by indiana
with more than II per cent. Illinois oc-
cuples first position in the matter NJ
the total value OF farm lands, the Hg-
ures for that state being 5000. 3l6, 2g7.
Other state values are as follows.
Iowa, 1854 ,3i5 $40: California S79G RAJ
$50; Indiana S97S Gl6,47l Kansas, $500
100 2S6, Kentucky. SAL O45 SjG; Michigan
6SO,S55, 73i; Minnesota. SIS. 6S4 6i2: Mis- |
souri,, H,03S l2l, $685. Nebraska. S7i7 $50
O57; New York, 81 O69, 72S, Ss5. Ohio. ST.
lB,S2S946; Pennsylvania, 81, 05l 500 ia. |
Tennessee, SS4l, POP OPS; Texas. 1862 47e,. |
27S; Virginia, s32S,5l5,977; Wisconsin. |
SSH, 712.3l9.
The livestock farm lands Of the |
country are put down at a value Of 81 |
sos, 2Si,273, or more than &c per cent of |
the whole; the hay and grain lands AT |
S6,3I9,5iS543, or 81 per cent OF the |
whole; dairy products over s per cent; |
cotton, over per cent.
A chapter Of the bulletin Is devoted |
to irrigation. and the following extract |
from 1t summarizes the presentation.
"A comparison of the number Of irri- |
gators and Of the number of acres irri-
gated at the beginning and end Of the |
decade Of 1889, shows that these
have approximately doubled. The
number OF irrigators in the arid states
and territories increased from 52.6S4 TO
IO2,Sl9 or 80 per cent, and the number
u acres irrigated increased from 1884,
rs to 7263,279 or 1903 per cent
The percentage Of increase in the
number Of acres irrigated Is somewhat
arger than that in the number OF irri-
gators, and occurs principally in what
nay be termed the newer states
IDAHO, Utah, Montana and Wyoming.
This Increase is explained by the irrl-
ration within recent years OF large
areas on ranches, in forage crops and
pasture.
On California and Colorado the re-
verse condition Is noticeable. The in
'rease both in number Of irrigators and
n area irrigated has been proportion
ltely less than in the newer states.
showing a decrease in ratio Of growth
lue to the more complete development
md utilization OF available water sup
ily In these states the acreage irri-
rated has increased, respectively. a.
md so per cent, or taking both states
Ogether. 81 per cent, while the num-
yer OF irrigators has increased Sc and
2 per cent, respectively, or, together.
4 per cent. Thus the number OF irTi-