The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-12-20
NEW FARM QUESTIONS.
Nature Of Those in the Thirteenth Cen
sus Agricultural Schedule.

sus Agricultural Schedule.
Washington, D. O.. Dec. 20.- United
States Census Director Durand states
that the new inquiries in the general
agricultural schedule for the census Of
1910 are expected to develop important
data on the questions whether pr not
the native American farmer is holding
his own against the foreign-b0rn home
maker ia this country; the age period
when the hired farm hand" becomes an
independent farmer himself; the age
when the tenant farmer ceases 70 be q
renter and becomes an owner; and also
concerning other vital facts relative 10
the social and industrial tendencies
among the millions Of tillers Of the soil
in the first decade Of the twentieth CEN
fury.
The new questions were added TO the
farm schedule by authority Of the act Of
Congress providing for the thirteenth
and subsequent deeennal censuses, but
United States Census Director Durand
was instructed to determine the form
and subdivision Of the inquries-in other
words, to frame the main questions and
the snbinquiries concerning the fifty
eight groups Of topics embraced in the
schedule.
As approximate accuracy In the re-
turns from the enumeration depends not
only upon the supervisors and enumer-
ators, but largely also upon the form
Of the schedule. Census Director Durand
called into consultation with himself and
his administrative staff this summer a
number Of farm economists and farm
management experts, who assisted in
the preparation Of the questions with a
view to simplicity and clarity Of Ian
giage and the avoidance OF technical
terms not in common use. A comparison
Of the new schedule with the one used
Hin the census OF 1900 shows that great
progress has been made In this direction
It Is believed that the enumerators will
have less difficulty In understanding what
information the 1910 schedule Is trying
4 to bring ont and that the farmers viii
be able to give fnlier and more accurate
1 replies The new schedule will also facil-
itate The use Of more thorough system
Of office checking, whereby inaccuracies
may be discovered
Three Glasses Of New Questions.
The new inquiries fall into three
classes; First, those seeking informa-
ton not obtained BY former censuses;
second, those calling for more extensive
data on previous censns topics; and,
finally, those concerning conditions or in
dustries which have arisen since the last
census.
In the first class ara those inquiries
concerning the age Of the farmer and
the country Of his birth; mortgage in
debtedness; acreage to be planted to
crops in the year 1910; breed Of pure
bred animals; and acreage Of mixed tim
othy and clover hay
In the second class are the inquiries
relative to the amount Of feed purchased
for livestock and the amount and value
OF livestock purchased; the value Of eggs
sold; value Of wax sold. separate from
honey; and amount Of pasture land I'M
| der irrigation
In the third class. the new questions
provide for the separation OF wheat into
III various varieties-comrnon spring,
common winter, Durum or maearoni, I'm.
mer, and spelt; for the increase Of the
number Of the varieties Of vegetables
from seven 10 twelve; for the addition
Of guinea fowls and pigeons to the pom
try list; for the statement or the amount
received for standing timber; for the
amount Of woodland On TIRE farm; and
for the amount received for pasturing
domestic animals
The farmers answers concerning their
ages should throw much light on social
conditions IN agriculture. From these II
will be possible to calculate with reason
able accuracy the age when young man
passes out OF tho ranks OF the "hired
farm hands and becomes either tenant
or owner Of a farm, possessing his own
implements, machinery. live stock and
property The answers wifi help Ak the
age at which farmer may expect to
stop being renter and arrive at the
dignity q ownership Of the soil Wheth
er or not IL IL becoming more ard more
difficult for an Amarican farmer 10 rise
from the tenant class TO that Of farm
ownership will be pretty clearly indicat.
ed by the classification Of fnorteaeed
farms by age periods RI farmers under
So have. relatively, the greatest mort.
gage Indebtedness Il viii be fair for
statisticians to assume that the inaebt.
edness has been incurred in the purcha
Of the fam.
The Nativity Of the Farmers.
The inquiry concerning the country in
which the farmer was born is also Of
great social significance The replies
should show whether or not the native
American Is holding his own in agricul-
ture. They will, for the frst time, en-
able comparisons between the various
nationalities 10 ascertain which are the
most successful 10 agriculture, as indi-
Gated BY the size Of their farms ard the
value Of their crops per acre This iii.
quiry viii have nm important bearing on
the immigration problem II viii show
what nationalities are going into agri
culture and which Of these are the most
likely to become owners Of farms If
this information IL classified for counties
II Will throw Hight on the relation be-.
tween nationality and social activity. r.
Il the native American the German. the
Scandinavian, or farmer Of some other
nationality who is most actively taking
up agricultural cooperation or develop
ing better rural schooli
The inquiry for the acreage Of crops
to be harvested in 1910 il an important
innovation. It not only enables the CEN
sus bureau to get data a year later than
usual, bat It viii permit the United
States department Of agriculture to
check up the estimates Of its special
agents as to the area Of the various
crops Very soon after the federal farm
census is taken, the winter wheat har
vest will begin, and this acreaCe data
will at once he available for checking the |