Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-05-23
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.s~t'r.rFNT TENDENCIES IN
~ AGRICULTURE
(Ry A. M. smons3
(Ry A. M. simons.)

pee ,. ~ ~ waies. from their SIZE
t5l'd ~ :. .s,rleaa=at md uniform IN
psa Of .' s',. @yy serve as an
is:i.'l '-a' .ssd .reotion along which
pi'''l0a : rsy cya@:fg VIII travel;
bslss' o. ~ ,na.r Important of these
81 t' !. tn nat d ~ Upper Mississippi
r5uPi 5 NV, W. disregard cotton, then
Fl'I' .as.aa.t Of The agricultural
i''fI wv ~ +ss la.-a q States are pro
sa7s' . ~ 5uy A...r.jjs Of Chicago.
ia''d s. y. nriIs..as ~4so now available
lsa'u' ,,,ni,a. ss.ies in this terri
FL '1l TSsss 5u..sias show the same
SFE. la N c,e1s state. 1t is there
t'a'Sa as-.sis ia. NAat is true OF
fore ' 's.as q;,f aa.a good of this en-
tl''' .' VI and NJ. 0ably OF a much
ts .S, srsa These three states are
woe minis aud Iowa. In all OF
Ild-'p@ 10 average number of acres
NV ,..n 3s increasing. During the
~ l lsp years tie average area OF a. !.
81: w. 49,, has ugeeased from ISL to
~ M ,e ,r Of Indiana from 81 to SO
luD H''s1' ~. from 1874 to 1923
'' W., Increase IN size becomes still
- widen. waea more closely ex-
u% s.l in all .Aree Of these states
' 's largest Increase in the number OF
Wv. has been in hat of the little
' '1 cultivated garden patch OF
~. than ten acres. This would
-, tend to SOW a great de-
,.s,sa in the size Of farms were 1t
vt ,fse, By the lact that the second
..,n, Of FARMS " show a rapid rate
sincraase in number is that of those
',,,,isirg between .1r5 and 500 acres.
In ali three Of these states the
a., embraced in farms Of between
ud 100 acres shows a considerable
asssase during the last ten years. In
s,.,oso which in all respects, shows a
NM advanced stage Of development
n, any Of the others, this decrease
.rspds to farms OF less than IT'S
u-ss that has always been pointed
out proudly as the backbone OF
American agriculture, the great con-
xvstive element in our society, the
solid middle class farmer for whose
aystiH the politician loves to stand.
!DvsNu.ly that backbone" is being
broken.
The growth Of the garden patch
style Of farming indicates an increase
il Intensive agriculture, and marks
another equally important form Of
UBcentration vita That indicated by
the farm Of large acreage. That this
H.efpreta.ion IS correct is shown by
The fact that more money was expenG-
ed for farm labor In Cook county, the
county containing Chicago, than in any
Oler county in Illinois, yet this couu-
N isa very small one and, of course.
only small proportion of its area is
devoted to agriculture. But it is in
this locality that We find those hign.y
specialized intensive vegetable fac
tories where steam and glass and
Eaer pipes manufacture the weather
The other type. whose Importance
Is rapidly increasing. is that on which
l. is possible to utilize the most eff
Gent machinery. hitherto, this size
has been limited by the system OF
using animal power. With the ap-
peaTance Of the mechanical tractor
llesa farms WILL at first gain in i'm
p0EiASe, a1d taea, in all probability,
much larger size. The
lpp1Na Of power to farming will
It OScd increase the size of the farm
AN, Which car protitably be cult.
a'ea under a single management,
No Il is safe to say that the mex
saSuS will SHOW Il great acceleration
. all tendencies toward concentra
iol
Another Sc. Of facts evident in all
NEE Of these states lends support
I'd emphasis to The conclusion that
s nave en'eged upon a new era Of
- '-'N4'- AEON .N farming throughout
Is 'eFFstory. In spite of the rise in
que OF farm p-'ptaets, in spite of the
, :, OF saidtn patches near
lass and all tie general results of
= back 70 tie farm" movement,
-''s mas bee decided decrease in
= 0'al p.~ser. Of farms. In 1900
~. ~ '1ss' s.4vs contained 714,e7O
y, -lS, BY ~ these had shrunk to
'''s4V,
1'' While t,A arms had grown
's s IN s.42 ead fewer in number,
III value ~ acre had grown
W Inc farms of Indiana
- .4css : III aalue from s32 to SCI
4 acre taNS- Of Iowa FROM cog 70