Evening journal., 1913-01-22
Farm Values Have In
creased 55.2 Per Cent.
Although Properties are
SmaIIer--10, 836 Farms
Here Are Valued at
$63,17o,2O


WASHINGTON. d. c., Jan. pa
supplementary report to the 1910
census. dealing exclusively with farms
and farm property. live stock, princi-
pie crops and farm expenses in Della
ware, being prepared under the super
vision of lie Grand Powers. chief
statistician for agriculture, at the di-
rection Of e. Dana Durand. director
Of the census, will show that the
farms in Delaware are being reduced
in size; that farm values have in
creased during the past ten years
nearly S22,500,000, or about 55.2 per
cent, and that farm crops have in
creased in value, though there was
decrease in the number of acres culti-
waited the increase being due to more
intense cultivation and the general in
crease in prices of all commodities
in the last ten years. The supplement
tary report will be printed within the
next two or three months and will
contain much valuable information TO
Delaware agriculturlsts.
The report will state that between
1900 and 1910 there was an increase
Of 1857. or 9.5 per cent in the popu-
lation of the State, and an increase
of Lac, or 11.9 per cent in the num-
Der of farms, while there was a de-
crease Of more than $1,000 acres. or
2.6 per cent, in the acreage Of farm
land, and a decrease OF about 40500
acres, or 81 per cent in the improved
land in farms The average size Of
the farms decreased from I101 to $50
acres II is through the decrease in
the size of farms that the number OF
farms increased. while the acreage
under cultivation decreased. The re-
port will also state that while a con-
siderable part of the population of the
State lives in a manufacturing centre.
meaning Wilmington. Delaware Is a
distinctly agricultural State OF the
States entire land area, ABOUT four
ffths is in farms.
Farm property, which includes land,
buildings, implements and machinery
and live stock, has increased in value
during the decade nearly 22.500000, or
552 per cent Almost half of this
great increase was due to land. which
advanced 100000 or AZ per cent.
IN value; and about third to an in
crease of 1851 900 or 70.S per cent
in the value of buildings. There was
also an increase of more than $1,000
900 in the value of implements and
machinery. and of more than $780,
900 in the value of live stock
The average value OF a farm and
It's equipment in 1900 was slightly
more than $4,000. while ten years
later It was more than $500 The
average value of land alone rose from
% % per acre in 1900 to 1883 in
1910 for the whole State. while the
average for the individual counties
ranges from PAS per acre in Sussex
county to S52.62 in New Castle county.
Farms on the Increase.
The number Of farms in Delaware,
which I'm 1910 for the first time ex-
coed 10000. showed slightly greater
increase in number from 1900 to 1910
than during any decade, this increase
amounting to 1,149 farms. or an aver
age Of nearly lis per year. The rate
Of increase during the decade in the
different counties were 81 per cent.
I'm New Castle 10.9 per cent in Kent.
and 15.1 per cent. in Sussex. increas-
ing thus from North to South The
relative increase for the state as a
whole was greatest in the decades be-
tween 1860 and 1880.
The land surface OF Delaware is
approximately 1.257.60O acres. or
this area. 1.03S.S66 acres. or S2.6 per
cent, are included in farms. OF the
farm acreage, 1883 acres. or 6S.7
per cent, are reported as improved
land. representing SCI per cent. Of
the total land area of the state. The
reported acreage Of improved land in
farms shows q little more than twice
as great a relative decrease as the
total acreage in farms. the percent
age Of farm land improved being
slightly lower than in 1900.
The total farm acreage shows a
continuous increase during the first
thirty years for which figures are OBJ
tainable. but for the last thirty years
the acreage has been. on the whole,
decreasing, due to the tendency to
make farms smaller.
The total wealth in the form OF
farm property is S63.179.00O Of which
SAL per cent. is represented by land
| and buildings. 81 per cent by imple-
ments and machinery. and 10.S per
cent. by live stock. During the de-
oade from 1900 to 1910 the relative
gain was greater than during any
other decade since 1860 The abso-
lue amount of the gain from 1900 to
1910 was more than one and one-half
times that reported for any other de-
cade
In average size the Delaware farm
has continuously decreased from
1911 acres in 1850 TO $50 acres in
1910 more than sixty acres in sixty
years: The decrease during the last
decade, ZAP acres was the largest
/ for any decade during the period
while that for the preceding decad.
IA acres. was the smallest. The
average value for the several classes
or farm property. except implements
/ and machinery increased most rap.
idly during the first and last decades
L shown the increase between 1900 and
1910 being greater than the net in
|, crease for the preceding half century
as a whole. While the average value
|, OF a Delaware farm is more thar
$500 as stated above. $4,000 Of thai
value is represented in land ans
buildings, while 1929 is in value OF
live stock. and 1926 is in value of i'm.
Elements and machinery.
i Pay on Many Mortgages.
Regarding farm mortgages the re-
port will say that there are more
farms free from mortgage now than
there we're in either 1890 or 1900. the
number having increased from 1886
/ to S,s17. or 1873 per cent, during the
two decades from 1890. The average
debt of mortgaged farms has also de.
/ creased in the twenty years from
s2,147 to sl,51s, or 2s.3 per cent: the
average value of such farms decreas.