Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-05-18
CENSUS BUREAU COMPLIES STA
TIsTlcs REGARDING TEN
ACY OF LANDS.
LESS THAN 100000 REPORT
RESIDENCE OF OVERS YEARS
Farmers Who Rent on Shares Shown
to Move More Frequently Than Free
Tenants"-Effect Of Crop Production
to Be Gone Into Extensively BY Fed
eral Experts.

farm, from nome 20 home, as much as
city people? II they move every few
years. are they as efficient farmers,
and can they know their farms as they
should? Would constant change mean
low yields OF crops. and little interest
in the com munity? These are some OF
the questions affecting rural communi-
ties that are coming to the foreground.
and for the first time partial answer
can be given with authority.
During the agricultural census Of
1910. the following question was sub
mitted each farmer in the United
States for answer: How long have
you lived on this farm?" OF the $751;
5O2 farm operators in the United
States April Is. 1910. 5,7s4,76s, or VI
per cent answered the question salts
factorily. From the data obtained from
the answers to this inquiry. a bulletin
will be issued soon by the bureau OF the
census.
The statistics In this bulletin will
show the length Of the periods Of occu-
pancy OF farms in the United States
by states, geographic divisions. and
sections, for different periods OF time
ranging from less than one year to ten
years and over. and these data are fur
Their classified according 20 the charac-
ter Of the tenure and OF the color OF
the farm operators. The statistics are
given FOR 1910 only. as no correspond
ing data have been collected hereto
fore.
Period Of Occupancy.
One Of the most important facts to
be shown In this bulletin is that ap-
proxinlateIy 80 per cent OF all the far
mers who answered the question satis-
factorily had occupied their farms less
than five years. This percentage ap-
plies to all farmers. white and colored.
whose answers were recorded. and for
the entire United States. This short
period Of occupancy for over nait OF
all the farmers in this country becomes
all the more significant when II 10
taken into consideration that II re-
quires three or four years for farmer
to become acquainted with the various
conditions on his farm, such az SOIL.
climate. etc. md put It In good condition
for raising crops.
Another i'm portant fact to be brought
out in this bulletin is that different
conditions are found in different sec
tons of the country. In the north %
per cent. or nearly three-hfths or the
farmers. had operated their farms ior
five years or longer. while only 20 per
cent had been there one year or less.
In the west the proportions were -
and o. per cent respectively: while In
the south only Al per cent had been on
the same farm Ave years or longer, and
"a per cent or over one-thlrd. nau
been there one year or less. greater
number Of farmers had operated their
farms 'Iess than one year" than from
five 20 nine years. inclusive" More
than .ooo, 900 farmers reported that
they had operated their farms Tess
than one year: about $4,000 reported
residences OF "one year" an average OF
about $4,000 reported a residence or
two years" three years" and Tour
years: and an average of less than
200, 900 reported residence for periods
of five TO nine years.
White and colored Farmers.
With respect to the comparison be-
tween white and colored farmers, wac
differences also appear For the en-
tire United States. 1876 per cent OF
white farmers reported that they had
been on their farms less that Ave years
while s4.5 per cent Of all colored farm
ers made the same report. IN the cases
~ farmers showing occupancy for f1ve
wears and over. the opposite is the
case. In the south 90 per cent OF all
white farmers and % per cent OF all
co,ored farmers were reported as nav
ing been on their farms less than one
wear. and lis per cent OF all white
farmers as compared with III per cent
Of all colored farmers had been there
only one year. However. considera-
bly larger number Of white farmers
than OF colored farmers remained on
the same farm as operators for per-
iod Of ten years and over the proper
tjon being - per cent and 10 per cent,
respectively One Thirds per cent
OF the white and SO per cent OF the
colored farmers OF the south mad peen
reaidents Of the same farm one year
and less. indicating that approximate
ly,the same proportion u the two races
was OF the class Of what might be
called floating" farmers.
Tenancy.
The figures returned by this "occu-
pancy OF farm census also show that
the farmers classified az Owners. free.
move from farm to farm much less ire
ouently than the Share tenants Tar
mers who rent farms or shares. For
example, for the United States as
whole only $3.50 per cent OF owners.
free" are reported as having occupied
their farms 1 year or less. while 52.Z'
per cent Of share tenants" are report
ed as having occupied their farms fof
the same length Of time. For the ten
year period and over the showing was
equally significant. Whereas 4s per
cent OF Owners. free" reported tnat
they had occupied their farms for ten
years and over. only per cent OF
| share tenants" had occupied their
farms for the same length OF time.
Effect Of Crop Production.
The showing of greater stability OF
/ occupancy by the farmers in the north
J as compared with the farmers IN the
south and the west Is more signincant
when comparisons are made OF the pro-
duction Of farm crops. Corn 10 grown
| extensively both in the north ana IN
the south and probably>1s the best crop
! TO use AZ basis Of comparison. Ac-
| cordine 70 figures from the reports OF
Line census. the average Weld OF corr
] 49, 49, - 4 ono in the Nav Angta0d