Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-11-26


-. ASHINGToN, d. C.--The farms
EVAY OF the United States de-
IL " termlne its market bills. They
= fix the prices of our bread
ISGS<E9f and meat and whether they
S are increasing or decreasing
in number and size determines our food
1lpply. In regard to this l have just
/had long talk with F. Dana Durand,
the director of the census. DR.. Durand
Is now compiling the millions of figures
furnished by the census enumerators. He
has the latest data as to our national
A resources, and a large part of his most
7 important information relates to the
farms. l have before me a list Of the
questions which his agents have put to
every farmer as they worked their way
through the country counting the people.
These questions are so many that they
| would fill a page OF this newspaper, and
Nhe answers give all sorts of information.
Ms to the farms, they report their
size and their value. They show what
the buildings are, and what the farms
cost They tell you all about every tract
that is mortgaged, and also the expense
OF running each farm and the profit there
from.
Others of the answers relate to the
live stock of all kinds. The census
men have counted the horses cattle and
pigs, and the mules, goats and sheep as
we'll Uncle Sam has even taken count
of the chickens. He can tell you how
many fowls we are rearing, and how
many eggs these fowls produce. He has
full details as to the food crops, even to
such vegetables as onions, green peas
and celery. He has counted the orchards'
and even the nuts In fact, his infor-
nation is so widespread that l cannot
mention the classes
six Million Farms.
There are some things however that
are very important to know. One is that
our farm products are not increasing as
1apidly as our population. We have got
to sell less stuff abroad or draw in our
belt buckles hole or so tighter The
people are Increasing faster than the
nuSnber OF farms. In 1900 we had little
X than 100000 farms, and we now have
Anly a little over 100000. The rate Of
: increase has been just about 10 per cent,
while the Increase of our population has
been more than twice that amount. 1t
may be that our farms are raising more,
but il so our consumption has greatly
increased. for our exports of farm prod
ucts are rapidly falling 1t is certain
that we have fewer farmers from year
10 year.
Mr.. Durands figures show that there is
. a steady growth from the country to the
lrElty. In 1880 about IS per cent Of our
liquidation lived in the cities. In 1900
more than 20 per cent were away from
a. III. "A. l,,.-
is per cent higher. As II is now. of
every 100 men, women and children in
the United States more than forty-siX
are living in towns and the percentage is
20 increasing that it IS only a question
Of time when half OF all Uncle Sans
children viii be city dwellers, This
means that there. are more people TO eat
farm products and fewer people to raise
them. 1t must mean higher prices.
Furthermore, there is no doubt that
the cities are growing at the expense OF
the country. Mir. Durand tells me that
some Of the chief bread lands and market
gardens Of the United states are steadily
decreasing, so far as the number Of
farmers Is concerned. This Is so Of Iowa,
Illinois and others of our richest farm
ing states. IN Indiana, Iowa and Mis-
souri, more than half of the counties have
fallen off IN population. The same condi-
ton holds true OF eastern Kansas and
others Of our most important farming
sections.
How the Cities Grow.
On the other hand the cities are grow
- faster than Jonahs gourd, which
Srouted Up into a shade tree in a
y single night. Those which contained 5000
and over increased more than IS per cent
between 1900 and 1910. and this, notwith-
stShding there had been an increase Of
% per cent during the census preceding
some of the cities have had on seven
league boots. The growth OF Birming-
ham, Ala. has been more than PAS per
cent In a decade that of Los Angeles
2ll per cent and of Seattle 1874 per cent.
Spokane has grown 1853 per cent in the