Newark post., 1919-11-05
WHAT is A FARM?
Uncle Sam Gives Clear Inter-
pretation For Census
Purposes
What is a farm? L?

What is a farm?
Seems a foolish question to ask,
doesn't it? Almost anyone can tell
off hand just what farm is and
knows one when he sees it.
But do you happen to know the in
terpretation Uncle Sam places on the
word farm" for census purposes?
No? Then read how his Bureau of
Census defines the word:
"a farm for census purposes is all
the land which is directly farmed by
one person conducting agricultural
operations, either by his own labor or
with the assistance of members of
his household or hired employees"
In further explanation of this def
milton the Census Bureau points out
that the term agricultural opera
tions' is used as a general term re-
ferring to the work of growing crops,
producing other agricultural products
and raising domestic animals, poul-
try or bees.
From this definition it will be seen
that a farm may consist of single
tract of land or of number of sep
arate and distinct tracts. And these
several tracts may be held under diff
ferent tenures as, for instance, when
one tract is owned by the farmer and
another rented by him. Thus, if a
man who owns 100 acres rents an ad-
ditional ten acres from some one else
and operates both the 100 acres and
the ten acres, then his farm" in
cludes both tracts of land comprising
110 acres.
BY the same token when a landow-
ner has one or more tenants, renters,
croppers or managers, each different
tract of land operated by any such
tenant, renter, cropper or manager is
considered separate and distinct
farm by the Census Bureau Or, to
give an example, if a man owning 12O
acres of land rents 40 acres to
tenant and farms the remaining 80
acres himself, his farm is the so acres
which he operates, not the 120 acres
which he owns, while the 40 acre tract
which he rents to a tenant comprises
separate farm to be reported in the
came of the tenant.
Another question to be determined
is how important does an agricultural
a,1tn |, ax,Ia
cure recognition in the census as
farm? A small vegetable garden or
chicken yard accommodating a few
busy hens will not be allowed to quail
ify as farm" in the census no mat
ter with what pardonable pride and
satisfaction the proprietor may view
his agricultural enterprise.
But if the garden or chicken yard
expands until it covers not less than
three acres of ground, or until it re-
quires for it's care the continuous ser
vices of at least one person, or yields
products annually to the value of $3.50
or more, it cmes withion the census
definition of farm and will be re-
cogniZed as such and counted.
The agricultural schedule contains
many questions regarding farm val
ues, expenses and live stock as we'll as
the acreage and quaHtity of crops
raised in the year 1919. Cepsus Bur-
eau officials are urging farmers every
where to prepare for the census emu
merator by looking over their books
and records so that accurate answers
may be furnished to questions.
In this connection the Bureau of
the Census emphasizes the fact that
that information furnished to census
takers is absolutely confidential, made
so by Act of Congress, and that under
no circumstances can any such infor-
nation be used as a basis for taxa
ton.
"Co-operation between the farmers
and the census officials next January
is more necessary and vital than ever
before" declares Director of the Cen
Sus Sam L. Rogers. "The world war
and the part that the farmer played
in it and will continue to play in the
rehabilitation of Europe serve to
make the agricultural section of the
Fourteenth Decennial Census the most
important in the Nations history.
Absolute accuracy and completeness
in the census returns is the goal to-
ward which every citizen should
Ntrive."