The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-04-19

we belong, 279; the Western l66
| The most instructive comparisons are
with states showing soil and crop
rotation similar to our own county:
Illinois 1913; Kansas 49,; Nebraska
500; Iowa $40; South Dakota els
Docs this procession, from 21.S pei
cent rented farms in South Dakota
and Southern Minnesota. 10 $40 In
Iowa, and 1913 in Illinois, represent
! a general law for prairie land, that
the longer the country is settled, the
greater is the proportion of rented
farms? Our personal observations
certainly make this probable. The
I pioneer, not the first conner in all
cases but the man who clears the
land, il timbered, and in any case
breaks and improves it, is apt TO
retire to town when past middle life
and his son sells out to take cheaper
4 land elsewhere. A further study oil
the figures seems TO bear out this
impression. Southern Minnesota 10
day is where Iowa was twenty years
ago in the proportion of rented
farms, and where Illinois was thirty
years ago. II the present tendency
continues, in another ten years our
percentage will be about where
Iowa's was in the census of 1900
and IllinoisTin the census OF 1890,
that is "a per cent. | think that
the settlement OF the states might be
considered to he separated by about
these periods.
Land Held For investment.
The figures by states. for ten years
ago. indicate that about twothirds
OF al the rented farms in Minnesota
and the same proportion held true
throughout the middle west-were
owned in the county in which they
were located. This generally indi-
Gates the retired farmer, though
there are a good many instances in
i this county of land held by Mankato
parties as an investment The cor
respondence which | have had
through Blue Earth county in prep
aration for this paper indicates that
the proportion Of farms owned in the
/ county at the present time is very
much larger than two-thirds. Beau
ford and Cambria each report only
j one farm owned outside the county,
i lie Ray none that ! know Of" Lyra
"only three" number of others
very few" Recent sales to Iowa
onl IjIinc;c no rtiao hava probahIv ra.
duced the figures somewhat. (This
/ Illinois immigration, by the way,
would form an interesting studyo
One correspondent says: OF the
land rented out, about one-third is
wheer the owner lives ON the farm
/ and keeps few COWS and chickens
and hogs, while he lets his neighbors
work his tillable soil. About one
third is where the old people go TO
town and rent their farms to some
of their children, sons or sons-in-law.
The other one-third is worked by
! movable renters"
/ Out of the 24,866 rented farms In
Minnesota, 5,31G were owned in the
state but in 4 different county, and
| 2,4T0 outside the state, including
thirty-nine in foreign countries. Land
! owned outside the county, one-third
of the total generally indicates specu
lation. OF The holders of rented farms
in Minnesota, 1896 were owners oil
single farm, 1.224 owners of two
farms, 342 owners of from three 10
five farms, 81 owners of from five Il
ten, 90 owners OF from ten to twenty
and two owners OF over %. This
includes, of course, land held in the
Red River valley.
The proportion OF share-tenants, oil
troopers" has been decreasing in
the state. Forty years ago share
tenancy was more than five and one
!! half times as frequent. as cash ten
ancy. Now the two classes are near
ly even. Not counting the share
cash tenants. the percentage for Min
nesota is sos per cent for the 3r(
congressional district 52.i. for the
first 5i.S, for the second substitutinc
as before, 56.7. The percentage foi
this county, 69, is abnormal. Ius
why share-renancy should be NOR,
common here than in Southern Min
nesota as whole | do not know
Ii is probably matter of local SEMI
ment and custom. Waseca county ii
about normal. troopers being 3d.:
per cent OF the total tenants. Th'
share-tenants streak is not confined
to Blue Earth. however. Nicolle
shows 6l.5 and Brown &C.
Decrease in Share Tenancy.
The country rs whole shows /:
decrease in share-tenancy, parable
to that in Minnesota. Ten years az,
the figures for the North Contra
group OF states as 41.2, twenty year
ago 4S6. The reasons for the chang,
are obvious. 1t is difficult TO collec
an honest SHIRE, especially ii tn,
, owner lives at distance, and Their,
: is n constant temptation TO dishones
, ty on the part OF the sharetennnt
: We see this even in Biblical times, Il
, the case OF Jacob and Laban. Share
tenancy is a gambling proposition
; IL there is good crop, both owne
and renter are satisfied. or ought Il
, be; ] never heard that they were
; tbapa ic haI crpn fba purna.