Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1907-05-16
TENANT FARMERS INCREASING

TENANT FARMERS INCREASING
The number of the rented farms in
the twelve southern counties of Wis
consin has nearly doubled in ten
years, according to the lnvestiga-
tions made by Professor Il. G. Taylor
of the department. OF political
economy OF the University OF Wis
consin. The rapidity with which
land owning farmers, are being re-
placed by tenant farmers, and the
large problems growing out OF such
tenancy make this investigation OF
special Importance in Wisconsin.
The main purpose of the work has
been to find out the extent and
manner in which farm lands are now
held in this state, with view to an
adjustment of relation between land
lords and tenants looking toward
|
the conserving OF the best interests
| Of both.
| Professor Taylor has made a
thorough study ofthe subject of land
tenure both in Europe and America,
and has recently published mono
graph on ''The Decline OF Land
Owning Farmers in England" He
gathered the information for his
present study of conditions in Wis
consin at first hand, going from
county to county, meeting the farm
ers who are interested in renting
land, and gaining from them COM
plete and accurate information upon
which to base his conclusions.
In the course of his investigation
Professor Taylor discovered a num-
Der of interesting facts, as, for in
stance, that there were in 1900
1859, 795 farms in the state, of which
1896 were opera ted by tenants.
These, with the 21,216 owners OF
rented farms make total of more
than A 900 people in Wisconsin who
are directly interested in the present
l
methods of letting farm land. Yet in
comparison with the state of Illinois,
where nearly 40 per cent OF the farm
lands are rented, Wise onsin's per-
centage of tenancy is low, being but
| 1876 per cent of the total number OF
| farms of the state.
In the northern eighteen counties
of the state but per cent of the
farms are run by tenants. This,
however, is easily explained by the
relatively low land values and the
regency of settlement. A decade has
nearly doubled the number of farms
in these counties, while in the older
part of the state there has been
practically no increase in numbers.
In the twelve counties in the
| extreme southern part of the state
during the decade preceding 1900 the
number of rented farms increased
from {, 431 to 1892. The seven years
that have since elapsed, Professor
Taylor finds, have considerably
| augmented these numbers. His COM
parison of conditions of rental in
these counties for 1900 and 1900 are
extremely interesting.
The facts brought out by the Prof.
Talor's investigation might indicate
on first thought that farmers had
not been prospecting during this era
OF general prosperity, but they are
| CLC Wei pCOpIC w llO pt OOpCAC0
and are now able to move to town
and "take life easy" living off the
proceeds of the old farm which they
have rented to some neighbours son.
No small part of the increase in the
number of rented farms has been
brought about in this way.
The effect of this condition is to
drive the progressive young farmer,
who has an ambition to create a
home for his family, away from the
older settled localities to the newly
opened counties of the northern part
of the state, where he can pay for the
land while clearing it up.