The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-05-19
MOVING HANDICAPS
FARMERS PROGRESS
About One Half of Those in the United
States Had Occupied Their Farms
Less Than Five Years When
Questioned in 1910.

Less Than Five Years When
Questioned in 1910.
Washington, ID. G., May l9.-Do farm
ers in the United States move from farm
to farm, from home to home, as much
as city people? If 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 community These are some of the
questions affecting rural communities
that are coming to the foreground, and
for the first time a partial answer can
be given with authority.
During the agricultural census of
1910, the following question was submit
ted to each farmer in the United States
for answer; "How long have you lived
on this farm?" OF the 6,36l SOP farm
operators in the United States April Is.
1910, 5,794,76S, or 81 per cent, answered
the question satisfactorily. From the
data obtained from the answers to this
inquiry, bulletin will be issued soon by
Director William ]. Harris of the bureau
OF the census, department OF commerce.
1t was prepared under the supervision OF
John Lee Coulter, expert special agent in
charge Of agriculture.
The statistics in this bulletin will show
the length of the periods Of occupancy of
farms in the United States by states,
geographic divisions and sections, for
different periods of time ranging from
less than one year to 10 years, and over,
and these data are further classified ac-
cording to the character of the tenure
and of the color of the farm operators.
The statistics are given for 1910 only,
as no corresponding data have been col
lected heretofore.
Period of Occupancy.
One of the most important facts to be
shown in this bulletin is that approx
mately 50 per cent of all the farmers
who answered the question satisfactorily
had occupied their farms less than five
years. This percentage applies to all
farmers, white and colored whose an
swers were recorded, and for the entire
United States. This short period of oe-
cupaney for over half of all the farm
ers in this country becomes all the more
significant when it is taken into consid-
Grafton that it requires three or four
years for farmer to become acquaint-
ed with the various conditions on his
farm, such as soil, climate, etc, and put
it in good condition for raising crops.
Another important fact to be brought
out in this bulletin is that different con
ditions are found in different sections of
the country. In the North 81 per cent,
or nearly three-fifths of the farmers. had
operated their farms for five years or
longer, while only % per cent had been
there one year or less. In the West the
were A and 81 per cent, re-
spectively; while in the South only IL
per cent had been on the same farm five
years or longer, and "a per cent, or over
one third, had been there one year or
less. A greater number of farmers had
operated their farms "less than one
year" than from five to nine years. in
elusive" More than 100000 farmers
that they had operated their
farms "less than one year; about $685.
900 reported residence of zone year." an (
average of about $4,000 reported res
idence of "two years" "three years" and
-four years; and an average of less |
than 100000 reported residence for pc
RODS of five to nine years"
White and Colored Farmers.
With respect to the comparison be-
tween white and colored farmers, wide
differences also appear. For the entire
United States, 1916 per cent of white
farmers reported that they had been on
their farms less than five years, while
40 per cent of all eolored farmers made
he same report. In the cases of farm
,rs showing occupancy for five years and
,ver, the opposite is the case. In the
South p per cent of all white farmers
md % per cent of all colored farmers
we're reported as having been on their
arms less than one year, and ll.5 per
,ent of all white farmers as compared
With 1877 per cent of all colored farmers
lad been there only one year. However,
considerably larger number of white
armers than of colored farmers re-
NAMED on the same farm as operators
or a period of 10 years and over, the
being q per cent and 10 per
ent, respectively. One third-33 per
ent--of the white and 80 per cent of
he eolored farmers of the South had
een residents of the same farm one year
nd less, indicating that approximately
he same proportion of the two races
as ol Jile Class ui NHdI might De tdlitu /
floating" farmers.
Tenancy.
The figures returned by this "occu-
ancy of farm" census also show that
he farmers classified as "owners. free"
love from farm to farm much less fire.
uently than the "share tenants''-farm-
RS who rent farms on shares. For ex-
mple. for the United States as whole
My 1853 per cent of Owners, free" are
eported as having occupied their farms
ne year or less, while 1927 per cent
share tenants" are reported as hav
ig occupied their farms for the same
myth of time. For the l0-year period
nd over the showing was equally as sig
ificant. Whereas As per cent of Gown
RS, free" reported that they had oc-
Ipied their farms for 10 years and over,
My six per cent of share tenants" had
,cupied their farms for the same length
/ time.
Effect on Crop Production.
The showing OF greater stability of
,cupancy by the farmers in the North
,,0r,, ~, rod he in thp