Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-05-02
INCREASE Of
Agriculture
Comparative Statistics Pre-.
pared by the National
Census Bureau

/. uElISuS Du[t0u
WASHINGTON, D. c., May I'll
: the advance bulletin on agriculture il
the United States, which will be is
sued soon by Director Durand of tn
Bureau of the Census, department o
Commerce and Labor, there is givel
, the increase since 1850 in the numbe
of farms in the total farm acreage, II
improved farm acreage, and in thu
value of farm property.
The greatest increase in the mum
Der of farms and also in the improved
farm acreage took place in the decade
1870 to 1880, but the greatest increase
in the total farm acreage was in the
decade 1890 to 1900, and by far the
greatest increase in the value of farm
property was in the last decade, 1900
to 1910.
Agriculture Abreast Of PopuIatiin.
1t will be seen by comparing the
figures for 1850 with those of 1910 that
the agricultural industry of the coun'
try has on the whole kept fairly
abreast of the increase of population.
While the percentage of increase dur.
ing the 60 year period in total acre
age of farm lands falls considerably
below that in population, the acreage
of improved farm land has increased
by a greater percentage than popula-
ton. and On the whole improved farm
land represents best the capabilities
n rorn1111fSnn IN 10
other hand, comparisons of the two
80 year periods show that, while from
1850 to 1880 the agricultural industry
more than kept pace with the popula-
ton, it has on the whole failed to do
so since 1880. While the population
increased between 1850 and 1880, 49,
3 per cent, improved farm land in
creased 1919 per cent, but from 1880
to 1910 populations increased 1874 per
cent and improved farm land only 68
per cent. 1t is possible that the fig
ures for acreage Of farms and improv-
ed acreage in 1880 are, in some slight
measure, out of line with those for
both the earlier and later censuses, as
the definitions used at that census
were unusually broad, but the margin
of incomparabiMty, if any, is not SUI
f1cient to affect mbaterially the gen.
eral conclusions just stated.
Fam Land Area's STEADY increase
The percentage Of the total area of
the country represented by farm land
has steadily increased from census to
census. 1t was 10 6 per cent in 1850
and 46.2 per cent in 1910. The most
marked increase in this percentage
took place between 1890 and 1900. and
was due largely to the inclusion as
farms of great areas of land which
had formerly been free public ranges.
The proportion Of farm land improved
increased steadily from 9S5 per cent
In 1850 to 57.4 per cent in 1890. but
because of the fact just stated it fell
of in 1900, and. even 1910 was some
what lower than in 1890, namely 54.4
per cent. The proportion of the total
land area Of the country represented
by improved farm land has risen
steadily from ~ per cent in 1850 to
25.1 per cent in 1910.
Average Size Of Farms.
The average size of farms fell from
'2O2.6 acres in 1850 to 1897 acres In
1880, this decline being accentuated
by the breaking up of the plantations
in the South. From 1880 to 1910, on
account of the inclusion In large
ranches Of land which had formerly
been free public domain, the average
size Of farms increased somewhat,
reaching 1862 acres in 1900, since
which time it has again decreased on
account of the breaking up of ranches
and the further breaking up of planta.
tions in the South The average
acreage Of improved land per farm has
been comparatively stationary from
census to census; it was Is acres in
1850 and 75.2 acres in 1910.
The value Of farm property In 1910
was considerably more than ten times
as great as in 1850. but the greater
part of the total increase has taken
place in the last decade alone. The
increase in farm values was very "a
'pid from 1850 to 1860, and was then
more gradual until 1900. The value
OF farm property somewhat more than
trebled between 1850 and 1880, and
again more than trebled between 1880
and 1910. Prior to 1900 the census
did not distinguish between the value
Of land and that of buildings The
changes in the value Of land and build
ings combine have been substantially
parallel to those In the total value of
farm property. The value of imple-
ments and machinery in 1910 was
nearly eight times as great as in 1850
and the value Of domestic animals.
joultry, and bees about nine times as
great.
The average value Of farm property
per farm increased rapidly from 1850
to 1860, but fell of in 1870 and 1880,
On account Of the decrease in the av.
erage size Of farms. There was not
a moderate increase in the average
value Of farms from 1880 to 1900 and
a very great increase during the past
decade, so that the average for 1910
is considerably more than double that
of 1880.
The average value Of farm property