The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-04-04
1910 Farm Census
Will Reveal Status
OfU.S. Agriculture

directly home to each OF the 1872, OO0,O 900
of us, the Census Bureau here explains
the vital inquiries being made. This ar
ficIe discusses the agricultural phase" OF
the 1910 Census)
THE census of agriculture, which
= is being taken along with the pop
ulation census, will complete the sta
tistical story of 100 years of Ameri-
can agriculture. The first farm CEN
SuS was taken in 1910.
In this 100-year period the number
of producing farms has increased
from l " million to nearly Z million.
Farm acreage has increased from
less than 300 million acres to more
than ! billion acres. Farm values
have increased from around 3 bill
lions of dollars to nearly 33 billions.
The value of land and buildings per
acre has gone up from $11 to more
than $31.
But the 80 billions of value shown
in the last farm census showed ire
mendous decrease from the high
value of over Sc billion dollars as
shown in the 1920 census. This high
point reflected the effect of postwar
prices on farm products. During
the subsequent years when farm
values reduced by one-half, farm in
debtedness became troublesome;
farm tenancy increased to such an
extent that more than 100000
farms were in the hands of tenants
nearly one-half-and the value of
farms operated by full owners was
less than Is billion dollars and the
value of farms operated by tenants
was nearly II billion dollars.
Gross Income of $1,000.
The last farm census showed that
approximately one-half of all of the
farms had gross income from the
sale of products of $1,000 and less
per farm, per year.
The questions asked of farmers in
the 1910 census are designed to fur
nish more information which might
help in the solution of the farm
problem. The census shows that
many factors have been contribut-
ing to the economic difficulties of
the farmer. Efforts of foreign ma
tons to make themselves self-suffi-
cient in preparation for war have
reduced exports; reduction of horses
and mules in the U. S. from q mill
lion to Is million has made it neces-
sary to find cash crops for the 30
million acres of land which former
ly raised horse feed; changed habits
of diet and dress have reduced the
consumption of staple farm products
such as wheat and cotton; reduc-
ton of physical labor in industry as
result of machinery, has reduced
the demand for the more substan-
tial food products.
The questions asked of farmers
this year were selected with an eye
to finding answers to some of the
perplexing problems which confront
the farmer. These questions were
agreed upon after conferences be-
tween representatives of the census
bureau, active farmers, representa-
tives of the three leading farm or
CARNATIONS, editors of farm jour-
mails and leading farm economists.
Land Use Classifcations.
In 1910, of the total acres in each
farm, six ''land use" classifications
are applied to all farms. Thus will
be shown acres devoted to crops,
whether harvested or failure; pas
ture land; land lying idle or fallow;
woodland; and all other land in the
way of farmyards, feed lots, and
waste land. Without knowledge of
land uses, especially that available
for crops, it would be difficult to de-
termine the potential crop resources
of the country. In 1890 the farm
land was classified only as 'im-
proved" and unimproved."
The census bureau is always on
the alert to take notice Of any new
grain, cereal, or forage plant which
is coming into quantity production.
Crop changes sometimes come
about almost unnoticed, but they
have a very definite effect on the
planting program and even on the
type of farming in many sections.
Thus, numerous crops appear on the
1910 schedule that were total strang-
ers to the farm a decade or two ago.
In the early days, clover and tim
othy were the old standbys for hay,
but today they have keen competi-
ton from alfalfa and lespedeza. The
use of forage crops for hay and
silage for stock feed has grown
apace in recent years. One inquiry
on the schedule asks the acreage
and tons of hay obtained from cow
peas, peanuts, Canadian peas, Aus
trian peas, other peas, vetches, GRO
talaria, soybeans, velvenbeans,
horsebeans, mungbeans, other
beans, beggarweed, and lupines.
In the first census of agriculture,
taken 100 years ago, the yield was
given only for the big six of "cereal
grain" crops-Indian corn, wheat,
barley, oats, rye, and buckwheat.
Space on the new schedule is CIV
en- to fruits, nuts, and vegetables,
which are taking on the importance
of major crops.
AS the census of agriculture has
been of great assistance in formu-
lating plans for crop allotment, soil
conservation and erosion, and leg
islation having to do with farm
ing, it is a matter of self-interest to
help the enumerator get accurate in
formation. This furnishes the basis
for crop adjustments by the indi-
vidual farmer to avoid the low prices
of over-production, while it points
the way to new markets.