Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-17
BY MARTIN ". CALVIN
(Statistician Georgia Department of
A0ricu1ture(

The 'facts and figures" of the GEN.
SuS of 1920 are being accorded more
general attention than ever in the
history of the great work of that
bureau.
A large number of observant men
and women, never heretofore inter-
eSted in census development, are
making inquiries as to the bureaus
reports which treat of agricultural
economies and industrial progress
throughout the country.
There is a wider inquiry for facts
as to farm tenures-the aggregate
number of farms, how many operated
by owners, by managers and by TEN
ants. Another class of inquirer3
look to a closer study of the statis-
ties published by the government
all OF which, bearing on census facts,
are based on information given to
bureau agents by the people on
whom the agents called and whom
they quiZZed.
The people were perfectly honest
in the replies made to the questions
propounded about acreage, crops,
live stock, etc. And values. Just
there, the Just human" asserted it
self. Values are so closely related
to taxes, that to mention them is to
cause the receiver of tax returns and
the tax collector to doom in the dis
lance. This invariably results in re-
serve and in language of deprecia-
ton of values, etc, hence, it has
been found necessary, in many cases
which involved census figures, to add
30 per cent to estimated totals as to
acreage, crop yield, etc, in order to
arrive at the actual figures which
would be sustained by measure or
by weight. 1t is different with esti-
mates published by the government
crop-reporting board; for. the latter
is greatly assisted in it's important
work by the law of general average
in statistics.
Accurate Statistics Recognized
The immediate effect of the Incl.
dents, to which allusion has been
made, is that interest in census facts
and figures deepened and broadened
during the year last past. This
means that statistics, accurate and
as full as possible, are coming into
deserved recognition at the south
where they have been too long
neglected as a general rule Statis-
tics are coming into widespread use
throughout the south as they have
long been in acceptable and highly
beneficial use in the eastern and in
the western states. You must have
remarked the extent to which leading
banking houses, north and south, are
laying under contribution that e:ec-
tive method of distributing valuable
information.
A recently issued census bulletin
affords opportunity to study inter
est1ng facts which relate to the
number of farms in the several
states in 1920 compared with 1910
whether operated by the owners. by
managers or by tenants.
The purpose of this article is to
show, first the Georgia status; then
that of the Carolinas and Alabama {;
then the other cotton-producing
states.
In 1920, Georgia had 31O,132 farms.
an increase of 1905 or 81 per cent.
OF those farms. 102,123 were oper-
ated by their owners. an increase of
3,495, or 3.5 per cent. Managers oper-
| ated 1,734. an increase of 315. or 22. 1
| per cent. Tenants operated 2O6,S75.
! an increase of Is, 1895, or S3 per cent.
| Of the whole number of Georgia
| farms, 66.5 per cent were operated by
| tenants. In 1910. tenants operated
| $50 per cent of the total number of
| farms in the state.
In 1920. North Carolina had 269,-
+ 1853 farms, an increase of 16,03S, or
6.3 per cent. Of those. owners oper-
ated 1876. an increase of 5,056, or
per cent. Managers operated 928
| which was a decrease of 100. or 169
per cent. Tenants operated III. 459
an increase of 1912, or "a per cent
/ Of the total number of the farms
in the state. 43.5 per cent were op.
| Grated by tenants. In 1910, tenants
had APP per cent of the farms.
In 1920. South Carolina had 1872,