Oxford Democrat., 1911-09-19

| 81, 1853 in 1910, the average mortgage
debt increasing from $532 to $S45 pei
farm. The debt increased less than the
value of the farm property; accordingly
the equity in the average mortgaged
farm las Increased, advancing from S9l7
per farm In 1890 10 $2,01S in 1910. In
1890 the mortgage indebtedness was equi-
valsnt to 36.7 per cent Of the total value
of the mortgaged farms. By 1910 this
percentage had diminished to 29.5.
AVERAGE SIZE OF FARMS, AND cLAssI-
FICATIoN OF FARMERS.
A study of the figures classifying farms
according to the number OF acres sug-
gests a slight tendency toward smaller
farms, which is also reflected in the de-
cline in the average size Of farms, the
average size of farms in 1900 being 1862
acres, as compared to 104. 9 acres in 1910.
There has been a considerable increase
in the number of farms ranging between
8 and 40 acres, and decrease In the
number ranging from so to ia acres.
Especially noteworthy is the relatively
large increase in the number of farms
from 8 to 8 acres. In 1900 there were
2,O42 such farms and in 1910, 81 456. The
number of farms between 10 and 10 acres
increased % 5 per cent; the number OF
farms from 20 to 40 acres increased "a
per cent. OF the total number of farms
in the state, 29S per cent are between 80
and 90 acres, 277 per cent between 100
and ia acres, and IS 8 per cent between
20 and 40 acres; these three groups ac-
counting for 1873 per cent, or nearly
three fourths of all farms. The farms
having between 8 and 10 acres represent
IT. per cent of the total number OF
farms, and the farms of 175 acres or
over represent 14S per cent.
OF the farmers in the state, 9l.7 per
cent are native white and S.3 per cent
foreign born white. Only 20, or less
than oue-tenth of per cent of all farm
ers, are other than white; of these, 2S
are negroes and l is an Indian.
VALUE OF PRINCIPAL CROPS AND Ex-
PENDrrURR FOR LABOR, ETC.
OF the farm crops raised in Maine, the
most important by far is the hay crop,
the total value of the hay and forage crop
in the crop year 1909 being SIS, ll5 ,S2l.
The next most important crop is the po-
tato crop, the value of which was
s1O. .224.7i4. Then comes the oat crop,
81, 293, ,947; corn, S434, ,S34; and beans,
s275, 1874. Wheat has almost disappear
ed as farm crop in Maine, the acreage
Of wheat being only 3,407 acres in 1909,
as compared with an acreage of 43, S29
acres in 1879. The acreage of oats, on
the other hand, has increased since 1879,
being 70, 1856 acres in that year, as com
pared with 12O,99l acres invested in 1909:
Nearly all farmers reported hay and
forage; more than fourfifths of them
reported potatoes; about one-fourth re-
ported beans, among their crops. Only
one farmer in six raises corn; about one
farmer in 25 raises barley. Many farm
products, such as fruits, poultry, eggs,
etc., are not included in these figures,
the tabulation not having been com.
pleted.
According to this bulletin, the farmers
Of Maine in the year 1909 expended
IS, ,633, ,1O8 for labor, S7,267, ,S54 for feed,
and S4,O69,479 for fertilizers. The
amount reported for labor is more than
twice as great as it was 10 years ago, and
he amount of fertilizers is almost five
times as great.