The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-05-08
IMPROVED FARM LAND
NOW QUARTER OF ALL
Total Value of All the Plantation
Property Now Reaches
$40,991, OOO,0 900

WASHINGTON, May 4.-There are
in the United States 6,3s1,5O2 farms
containing a total of s7s,79s, 900 acres,
of which 47S,452.O00 acres are i'm
proved. The land in farms repre-
sents somewhat less than one-half,
46.2 per cent of the total land area
land represents somewhat over one
half, 564 per cent of the total acre
age OF land in farms. Improved land
thus represents almost exactly one
fourth of the total land area of the
country. The average size of farm
Is 1881 acres, of which, on the aver
age, 1872 acres are improved
The total value of farm property
reaches the enormous sum of $40,-
991. 100000, of which over two-thirds
represents the value of land, about
one-sixth the value of buildings and
about another one-sixth the combined
value of implements and machinery
and of livestock. The average value
Of all farm property reporting $6444
The average value of all farm prop
erty by acre of land in farms Is
1864. and the average value Of land
itoOll per acre PoA.&U.
1t Is significant fact that whereas
the total population increased FL per
cent since 1900, the urban population
increased 34.6 per cent and the rural
population only 11.2 per cent The
number and acreage of farms in
creased much less rapidly than the
total population, but more nearly
Kept pace with the rural population
movement. The number of farms in
creased 1913 per cent while rural pop
ulation increased 11.2 per cent.
The total farm acreage increased
only AS per cent. This, however, is
less significant than the increase in
acreage of improved farm land,
which amounted to 1874 per cent,
showing a. greater percentage of in
crease than the numb Der of farms or
rural population, but still falling ap-
parently behind the increase in total
population. 1t should be noted that
rural population" is. a much broader
term than agricultural population. -
Rural as here used includes the en-
tire population outside of incorpor-
ated places Cor New England
"towns') having $500 or more in
habitants.
increase in Improved Acreage
Inc average size of a farm de-
creased from 1852 acres in 1900 to
1881 acres in 1910, but the average
acreage of improved land per farm
was somewhat greater in the latter
year than in the earlier. 1t is posi-
Bile that the reported increase in the
proportion of land improved, from
49.4 per cent in 1900 to 544 in 1910
is partly due to differences of inter-
pretations as to what constitutes inn
proved land
The total value of farm property a
little more than doubled during the
decade 1900 to 1910. The greater
part of this extraordinary increase
has been In farm land, the value OF
which increased no less than 1881 per
cent, and this in turn was largely due
to the advance in the price of land
the average value per acre being
more than twice as high in 1910 as in
1900, S32. 40 as compared with s15.57
There have. however, been reYnarka
Die increases also, in the value OF
farm buildings and equipment, the
value of buildings having increased
it.S per cent. that of implements and
machinery 1877 per cent, and that OF
livestock SOL per cent The increase
In the value of buildings and of i'm
plements and machinery is due in
large part to actual additions to and
improvements in the equipment OF
farms, although 1t is doubtless due In
part also to the increased prices OF
commodities in general. The increase
in the value of farm land per acre
is In some part attributable to the
large Increase in acreage of improved
land, and to other improvements
such as more and better fences
drains and the like, but is due in
much greater part to the higher
prices of farm products and other
causes, which make the land as land
more valuable. The increase in
the aggregate value of livestock is al
most wholly due to higher value a
head.
In spite of the decrease in the aver
age size of farms, the average value
of all farm property per farm in
creased from $500 in 1900 to $6444
in 1910, or sos per cent.