Evening journal., 1914-07-01
Statistics Show The Amazing Value of Rural Delaware

pied by It's owner. The same class OF
information was secured by the pop 4
ulation schedules Of the twelfth cen
sus C1900l The agricultural sched-
ules Of the thirteenth census (1900) +
secured practically the same infor-
nation, except that the basis was |
owned farms" instead OF owned I
farm homes"-a difference involving. |
however, no appreciable. incompara-
bility
According to the foregoing figures
the actual and relative number OF
mortgaged farms has increased con-
tinuously since 1890, the increase Ia
number being from 1l395, IN 1880, TO
l,6ll, in 1900, and 2.264 dn 1910. The
proportion mortgRged increased from
294 per cent IN 1890, to 36.5 per cent.
~ 1900. There was a slight increase
IN the proportion during the last dec
ade, the present proportion of farms
mortgaged being 37.2 per cent. There
are now more farms free from mort
gage than in 1890. the number having
increased from $3.50 to S,S17. or 1873
per cent during the two decades.
Ihe statement of mortgage debt
and Of the value OF mortgaged farm
property is restricted to the farms of
those farmers who own all OF their
land and report the amount as well
as the fact Of Indebtedness OF the
S,164 farms reported as mortgaged,
z.ls6 are wholly owned by the far
mers, and for 2,021 OF these the
amount OF mortgage debt is reported.
only these last mentioned farms are
included under 1910 IN the next table.
which presents data relating to mort
gagged farms for 1910 and 1890. In
this connection II should be noted
that IN 1890 the amount OF mortgage
debt Of farms with incomplete re-
! ports was estimated according to the
percentages and averages obtained
from farms with full reports. but
/ that no such estimate IL here made
/ for 1910. The table gives a compar-
ative statement OF the value Of mort
1 gagged farms owned entirely by their
/ operators and the amount OF indebt-
edness, together with the average
value OF such farms, the average debt
per farm and the average equity per
farm for 1910 and 1890. Data regard
ing the amount OF mortgage debt were
not obtained in 1900.
The average debt of mortgaged
farms decreased In the 20 years from
S2,l47 to st,51s, or 293 per cent: the
average value Of such farms de-
creased from S4.s75 to s4.S55, or 107
per cent. Thus the owners equity in
creased from $2.72s to s2,S37, or 4
per cent. AS a result OF the greater
relative increase in farm value than
IN farm debt, the mortgage indebted
ness, which was "A per cent of the
value Of the mortgaged farms in 1890.
has decreased 70 $40 per cent OF the
value In 1910
Over half Of the farms In Delaware
are between so and ia acres in size.
and nearly three-fourths are between
20 TO ia acres. The "S to o. acres
group of farms is more than twice as
large as In 1900. The 10 to 1g acres"
group comprises one and half times
as many farms as In 1900 and the
20 to 49 acres" group one and a
quarter times as many. The number
Of farms IN groups above go to %
acres has decreased since 1890. with
the exception Of the group OF "1,00G
acres and over"
Domestic Animals Increase.
hoAAcsAic dhlihuirs poultry ana uee
increased in value S2,706,000. or 05.s pc
cent. during the decade. Every separ
ate class specified in the. above tabii
increased in value except sheep, goat
and bees, which decreased, these classes
being, however, of relatively little i'm,
portance. Nearly two-thirds Of the to-
tai increase in value since 1900 arose
from the approximate doubling in the
value Of horses and colts. Mules and
mule colts also more than doubled in
value.
The value Of horses and colts tSS,452,
Continued on next page.