The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1912-01-11
the requirements of the wheat grow
ers and live stock farmers.

now $zo.S4 per acre, or more Cnan
twice as much as ten years ago. Be-
tween 1890 and 1900 the average value
per farm of all farm property increases
from 3,649 to IS, ,63l, in the next de-
cade it increased to $13, ,1O9, or about
two and one-half fold.
Of the total number of farms in
North Dakota, 1871 per cent are be-
tween 260 and 489 acres, and 300 per
cent are between 100 and 174 acres.
Farms of It's or more acres increased
at much more rapid rate during the
last decade than farms under that size.
OF the total absolute increase in the
number of farms more than four-tenths
was in farms between 260 and 499
acres. Over 81 per cent of the farms
haYe 100 acres or more each.
The number OF farms under fifty
acres which has always been insigni-
ficant, is not much more than half as
great as ten years ago. This is prob
ably due to an actual decrease in small
scale farming, but in the very small
groups may be due partly to different
Interpretation by the enumerators as
to what constitutes a small farm.
Each of the higher groups show con-
siderable actual and relative increase.
TENANTRY INCREASING
AS if usual in newly settled sections
of the county the proportion of farms
in North Dakota which are operated
by tenants is still small. being only
half as great as the proportion of farms
operated by tenants in the north cen
trail states as group, and a little less
than two-ffths as great as the propor-
tion reported for the whole United
States. The comparatively small pro-
portion. of farms in North Dakota
which are operated by tenants is largely
the result of the low price of land in
that state and of the recent acquisition
OF a considerable number of farms
from the government in the form of
homesteads.
The proportion, however, as we'll as
the actual number of such farms, has
increased in the last twenty years. In
1890 only 60 per cent Of all the farms
in the state were operated by tenants;
in 1900, 8.5 per cent of all the farms
were so operated; and in 1910, 14.3 per
cent. The proportion of farms operated
by owners and managers has declined
from 93.1 per cent in 1890 to 85.7 per
cent in 1910. In 1910 farms operated
by owners and managers were about
two and one half times as numerous as
in 1890, whereas, farms operated by
tenants were more than five and one
half times as numerous. Of the latter,
almost eight-tenths are rented either
wholly or in part for share of
the products. This proportion is less
than it was in 1900, but greater than
it was in 1890. Of all farms in the
state, ILL per cent are rented wholly
or in part for a share of the product,
and a.2 per cent for cash, including,
nonspecified.
FARM MORTGAGES 1880 to 1910.
The eleventh census $500 was the
first to collect data relating to mort
debt on farm home" occupied by its
owner. The same class of information
was secured by the population schedules
of the twelfth census $1,000. The
4 agricultural schedules of the thirteenth
census Q91O secured practically the
same information except that the basis
was "owned homes" instead Of "ownec
farm homes"-a difference involving,
however, no appreciable incompar'
ability.
In 1910 the total number of farms
owned in whole or in part by the oper.
ators was 63, 212. Of this number 3d..
651 were reported as free from mort
gage. 81, ,727 were reported as mort
gagged and for 1874 no report relative te
mortgage Indebtedness was obtained
The number of mortgaged farms con
stituted 500 per cent of the total mum.
of owned farms exclusive of those fol
which no mortgage report was OBJ.
tained. In 1900 such farms constituted
31.4 per cent and in 1890, 48.7 per cent
1t may be noted that the percentage
given for the three censuses are com
parable but that the number of mort
gagged and unmortgaged farms reported
in 1890 in not entirely comparable will
the numbers reported at the later cen
sus because at the census of 1890 the
farms for which no reports were Sc
cured were distributed between thu
j two classes of mortgaged and unmort
gagged farms. 1t is evident however
that the number of mortgaged farm.
decreased slightly from 1890 to 1900
but increased greatly from 1900 tt
1910.
FARM DEBT DECREASED.
The average debt of mortgaged farm.
has increased in the last twenty years
from 1902 to So, 493, or 1904 per cent
while the average value of such farm,
rose from $2,486 to II. 1856 or 347.9 pc
cent. Thus the owners equity in
creased from $1.5s4 to $s,642. $445. 6 PEI
cent. AS q result Of the greater rela
tive increase in farm value than ii
farm debt. the mortgage indebtedness