Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-26
FARM TENANTRY INCREASES
Most States Gain Tho Some Sho"
Decrease Of Renters.

| BY Associated Press.
Chicago, Oct. 26.--The increase IN
farm tenantry which has become
an issue In Kansas does not appear
uniform turnout the central west, ac-
cording to reports received here from
a number Of agricultural authorities.
| While the majority OF the several
| states heard from report an advance
Wisconsin notes no change, owing 70
| the opening Of new farms, and Okla :
homa declares a decrease.
Illinois, Minnesota. Nebraska and
Ohio show decreases. The situation
| in the various states named Is thus
indicated:
! Farm tenantry In Oklahoma has
shown decrease of 7 per cent dur
ing the ten years since 1910, accord
| ing to figures from each county COM
piled by IL. H. Schultz. federal sta
| tistician for the state. In 1910. farm
| owners made up IL per cent OF tho
| tillers of the soil. and renters 90 per
| cent, while now owners represent 81
per cent and renters IS per cent.
Nearly every section of the state
showed decrease In the number OF
renters, according to Mr.. Shutz. who
based his report on returns from all
farms In the state, numbering ap-
proximately $4,000. Mr.. Schultz noted
| a growing tendency on the part OF
renters to buy small tract. from
ten to twenty acres, and rent adj9in-
ing land. He said high crop Prices
have enabled many renters to swing
into the owner column.
| THE percentage Of rented farms
has remained the same and. in few
cases. has increased somewhat in the
| southern half of Wisconsin, so the
| economic condition there is not very
| different from the condition in the
corn belt states" Joseph A. Becker,
agricultural statictician at Madison,
Wis, writes. However, the large
number of new farms being opened
| up in the northern part of the state,
| practically all of which are operated
by owners, has more than kept up
the percentage Of owned farms.
| Summing up, there has been some
| tendency toward an increase in farm
tenancy, but the opening up tof new
farms operated by owners in the
| northern part of the state has more
| than Offset this In wisconsin"
Farm tenantry increased four per-
cent in Illinois in the ten year
period from 1909 to 1919, according
to figures compiled by the state de-
partment Of agriculture at Spring
field. Tenancy In 1919 was estimated
at 45.5 per cent.
! Farm tenancy in Ohio will show
only Slight increase" over 1910. In
the opinion Of A. @. F'alconer, head OF
the rural economics department at
Ohio State University. 1t will not
be more than per cent. he esti-
mates.
Farm tenantry in Minnesota is
steadily increasing because Of the
advanced prices of farm lands and a
hesitancy on the part of many re-
firing farmers to relinquish title tC
| their lands, according to NJ. J. Holm
berg, state commissioner of agricul-
ture. A material increase in ten
antry Is reported in the southern
counties, where the cost Of land Il
\ relatively high. In the northern Sec
ton the increase is not SO marked
Mr.. Holmberga said. because the land
lively low price and the influx OF
immigrants is large.
In Nebraska the increase Of about
per cent in tenant owned farms
from 1910 to 1919 is shown in figures
supplied by Leo Stuhr secretary OF
the state department Of agriculture,