The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-07-29
AMERICAN FARMS ARR, WORTH SIX.
TEEN BILLION DOLLARS.
Average Size Of Farms lag. Acres, 40 Per
Cent Tmproved-In so Years the Number
Quadrupled-The Total Value Of Farm
Products for the Year 1899, $4,-
7S9. lib, 75S.

Washington, July 22.-The. census
bureau yesterday issued a bulletin
giving the condition of agriculture in
the United States for the year 1900.
It shows that there we're at that time
5,739,657 farms in the entire country
which were valued at $16,674,694,247.
Of this amount 49, $780, 1913 .191, or over
81 per cent, represented the value of
buildings, and $13,114,492, O56, or over
Is per cent, represents the value Of
lands and improvements other than
buildings. The value of farm nipple
ments and machinery was $761,251,-
$50, and of live stock $3,O78, O5O,041.
These values, added to the value of
the farms gives a. total value of
farm property amounting to $20,514,-
OO1,838.
The total value of farm products for
the year 1899 is given at $4,739,118,-
1852, of which amount $1,718, 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 146
acres, and it is stated that 40 per cent
of the farm land is improved. The to-
tai acreage for the entire country was
841,2O1, $40. .4..
The number of farms in the United
States has increased ip every. DECADE
for the last fifty years, and so rapidly
that, in 1900. there were nearly four
times as many farms as in 1850, land
25 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 a steady decrease in the average
size of farms. Since $780,, however,
the TOTAL acreage has INCREASED more
rapidly than the number of farms so
that the, average size of farms has in
creased, The total area of improved
land had increased in every decade
since 1850. -. -
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. Together they con
tribute A per cent. of. the total value
of farm property and 80 per cent of
the total value of farm products. Tex
as leads with the greatest number of
farms, 352, 100, and also with the high
est acreage 1875, ;017. But only a
little over Is per cent of the farm
lands 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 ranges second
in the number, of farms 1884,
$780, Other States. having. more. than
100000 farms are: Alama 223,220,
Georgia 224,691, Illinois 264,15f, In
diana 221,897, Iowa 228,622, Kentucky
231,667, Michigan 203,261, Mississippi
22O,8O3, New York 226,72O, North Car
DINA 224,637, Ohio 276,719, .Pennsyl-
vania 224,248, Tennessee 224, 1923.
The live stock farm lands of the
country are put down at a value of
81, 505,284,2 73, or more than SO per
cent of the whole; the hay and grain
lands at $6,379 ,548,543 or 81 per cent
of the whole, dairy products over 8
per cent; cotton over 5 per cent. There
| are 512 coffee farms in the country,
valued at ST. ,915.