XXII. AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, AND FISHERIES AGRICULTURE E. W. ALLEN AGRICULTURE IN THE THIR TEENTH CENSUS The census returns for agriculture form one of the most interesting features of the year. The figures given out in September are preliminary, but the additions to be made will not materially modify the results. Number of Farms.-The increase in the number of farms in the decade since the last census did not keep pace with the increase in population. The latter amounted to 21 per cent.; while the number of farms increased from 5,737,372 in 1900 to 6,340,357 in 1910, or a gain of 602,935 farms, equivalent to 10.5 per cent. This is the lowest rate of increase since the number of farms began to be recorded, in 1850. It is not compensated for by any growth in the size of farms, the average acreage per farm having decreased from 146 acres in 1900 to 138 in 1910. Farm Areas.-The total area in farms is reported at 873,729,000 acres, as compared with 838,592,000 acres in 1900. This represents an increase in the total acreage devoted to agriculture of only 35,137,000 acres, or 4.2 per cent. The area of improved land, however, has increased more rapidly, amounting to 15.2 per cent. in 10 years, and totaling 477,448,000 acres. The percentage of improved land was 55 in 1910 as against 49 in 1900. This gain falls considerably short of the increase in population, which means that the number of acres in cultivation and used for producing crops has not kept pace with the increase in the number of people. Value of Farm Property.-The value of farm property shows an enormous advance, farm land, exclusive of buildings, having doubled in value in the last 10 years. The total value is returned at $28,386,770,000, an increase of $15,328,762,000, or 117.4 per cent. The average value of farm land per acre increased from $15.57 in 1900 to $32.49 in 1910, a gain of 108.7 per cent. This is due, in part at least, to the advancing prices of agricultural products which have increased the income-producing power of the land. Added to this is the effect of a widespread land boom and inflated prices in some sections, which are to be regarded as speculative. In this connection the cost of improving what was previously unimproved land, amounting to nearly 63,000,000 acres, is a factor to be considered. There has also been a large gain in the value of buildings. These are valued in 1910 at $6,294,737,000, representing an increase in the decade of 77 per cent. Implements and machinery showed a corresponding advance, the total for 1910 amounting to $1,262,022,000, or 68.3 per cent. more than in 1900. Rural Population. Of the total number of farms, 85.5 per cent. were operated by white farmers and 14.5 per cent. by negro and other nonwhite people. There was an increase in the latter proportion of about one per cent. Taking the country as a whole, the system of tenant farming showed a smaller increase than was expected. The proportion of farms operated by owners was 63.7 per cent. in 1900 and 62 per cent. in 1910; while the proportion operated by tenants was 35.3 per cent. in 1900 and 37.1 per cent. in 1910. The expenditure for hired labor on farms amounted to $645,612,000, rep- | difference of 19 per cent.; while the resenting an increase in 10 years of over 80 per cent. The expenditures for fertilizers were more than doubled, being $53,432,000 in 1900 and $114,277,000 in 1910. The continued movement from the land to the towns and cities is forcibly brought out by the census returns. Taking a population of 2,500 as the dividing line between rural and urban communities, the figures show that 46.3 per cent. of the population of continental United States lived in urban territory in 1910, as compared with 40.5 per cent. in 1900, and 36.1 per cent. in 1890. The increase in urban population in the past ten years was 34.9 per cent., while in the rural population it was only 11.1 per cent. The percentage gain was, therefore, three times as great in the large towns and cities as in rural territory. Every state and territory showed an increase in the urban population, while in seven states there was an actual decrease in rural population. Such states as Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri are found in the latter list. In all but two states--Montana and Wyoming-the urban population increased faster than the rural. The largest increases in urban population since 1900 were in the Pacific, west-south-central, and mountain divisions, in the order named; and the largest percentage of increase in rural population in the decade occurred in the mountain, Pacific and west-southcentral divisions respectively. The above figures for the rural population include, as stated, all persons living in towns or villages of less than 2,500. The actual decrease in population in the open country is not shown by the census. (See III, Urban and Rural Population.) In connection with the problem of production in the cotton states, the report of the census on the movement of white and negro population is instructive. The belief is general in the South that the negroes are moving to the towns and cities far more readily than the whites, but the census figures show the opposite to be true. The rate of increase for the urban whites advanced from 27.6 per t. in 1900 to 46.6 in 1910, or a rate for the urban negroes advanced from 23.2 to 30.5, or a difference of 7.2 per cent. In many sections the number of farms operated by whites has materially decreased while the number of colored tenant farmers has shown a large increase; and this condition is not confined to regions adjacent to large industrial centers. The value of wealth produced on farms is reported by the U. S. Department of Agriculture on estimates made by it and by the Census Bureau since 1879. In the latter year the amount was $2,213,000,000, which increased steadily by decades until it amounted to $8,926,000,000 in 1910. The apparent balance of trade in favor of the United States on farm products was $366,644,580 at the close of the fiscal year, June 30, 1911, and $53,976,340 on forest products. The exports of farm products amounted to $1,030,893,751 as compared with $871,107,067 in 1910, and of forest products to $103,025,039. (See XXII, Live Stock.) THE YEAR 1911 Climate. The growing season of 1911 was one of unusual drought and heat over a considerable part of the United States. This seriously affected many crops and upset the expectations of the early part of the season. The unfavorable conditions were especially severe in the central and north-central states, while in the Gulf states and the Pacific Northwest the conditions were quite favorable up to the opening of fall. In much of the dry-farming region the drought was especially disastrous, because it followed two dry years in which there had been insufficient opportunity to store up moisture for a subsequent crop. Crop Conditions.-On Sept. 1 the condition of all crops combined was approximately 15.2 per cent. below the average conditions for that date, whereas on Aug. 1 general conditions were about 14.6 per cent. below average, on July 1 about 10.7 per cent. below, and on June 1 about 2.8 per cent. below average conditions. The crop season, therefore, continued unfavorable as it progressed toward har vest. Taking into account both the acreage and the condition of crops, the indications as given out by the Bureau of Statistics on Sept. 9 were that the wheat crop would be 5 per cent. less than the average annual production for the past five years, corn about 3 per cent. less, oats 9.6 per cent. less, barley 14 per cent. less, potatoes 19 per cent. less, tobacco 21 per cent. less, and hay 26 per cent. less than the average for five years. (See XIII, Business Conditions in 1911.) Prices of Farm Products. The prices paid to farmers in the United States on Sept. 1, compared with Sept. 1, 1910, averaged 56 per cent. higher for potatoes, 34.6 per cent. higher for barley, 23.1 per cent. higher for hay, 5.2 per cent. higher for oats, 3.8 per cent. higher for rye, 0.6 per cent. lower for corn, 11.5 per cent. lower for wheat, 18.1 per cent. lower for cotton, 6.7 per cent. lower for chickens, 10.3 per cent. lower for eggs, and 8.3 per cent. lower for butter. Sanders, a member of the board, in studying the general conditions of the wool industry from Texas to the far western states, an expert was sent to South America to investigate the conditions of wool production, and data was collected from other countries. The report of the commission has been received with great interest, for never in the history of the country has so broad a study been undertaken of the approximate cost of production and the conditions which favor or work against economical production, and the extent to which such conditions deserve to be recognized in the tariff adjustment. a National Soil Fertility League.Quite in line with the above is the formation of a National Soil Fertility League, to promote the plan of furnishing personal advice and assistance to the farmers of every agricultural community, through corps of capable men provided for that purpose. This league was or ganized during the past summer, and has established headquarters in Chicago. Its president is Howard N. Gross, and its advisory committee includes a list of men prominent in agriculture, finance, transportation, manufacturing, and education, headed by James J. Hill of St. Paul. Canadian Reciprocity. The proposed reciprocity legislation aroused widespread opposition from farmers and their organizations, especially along the border states. The agricultural press was divided upon this point, many leading editors minimizing the permanent danger to the Alabama State Board of Agriculfarming interests and favoring a trial ture.-A State Board of Agriculture of the measure, while a large number was established in Alabama under the saw in it the danger of reduced provisions of an act of the last legisprices on agricultural products, ow-lature, granting an annual approing to the competition of Canadian priation of $25,000 derived from the agriculture, without compensating fertilizer tag tax, for use in farm advantages to the American farmer. demonstration work. Opposition to the measure did not cease with the passage of the act by Congress, and the failure of Canada to join the United States in this step was greeted with satisfaction by a large element of the farming in terests in the North. (See IV, Reciprocity; and XIV, Public Finance.) Tariff Board.-The Tariff Board appointed by President Taft prosecuted its studies actively during the year, giving much attention to the cost of agricultural production with Silcs. The year witnessed great activity in silo building in the Mississippi Valley and the corn states of the Central West. This grows out of the attempt to economize labor by harvesting the corn and ears and ensiling them together, and the practice of using larger quantities of silage for growing and fattening cattle. While silage has been fed in small quantities for a long time, larger quantities, up to 30 or 40 lb. per head daily, are now being fed with satisfactory results. Wooden silos are being erected extensively, but concrete and brick silos have many advocates, and in Iowa the experiment station has designed a silo built of hollow tile, which is proving economical, durable, and very efficient for storing silage, the air space preventing sudden changes in temperature. This silo is built of large blocks made from burnt clay, four inches in thickness, and is reinforced with rods laid between each course of blocks. Bome cases a water tower is built on In top of the silo. The clay block is much cheaper in that country than concrete block. (See XXII, Live Stock.) Immigrants. A report on "Recent Immigrants in Agriculture" has been issued in abstract form by the U. S. Immigration Commission. port is prepared by Dr. Alexander E. The reCance, of the Massachusetts Agricultural College. The object of this investigation was an inquiry into the extent, the racial character, and the economic, social, and political status of certain more or less recent immigrants in agriculture. Racially, the study included only those races coming from southern or eastern Europe and the Japanese. With a few exceptions every important rural settlement in the states east of the Mississippi River was visited and taken into consideration. A general survey is given of the races employed in agriculture and of the seasonal agricultural laborers, together with a general sociological survey of the immigrants in rural communities from whom information was secured. The report presents much of interest and value to the student of such subjects. Farm Labor in California.-An important report on farm labor in California has been issued by the State Labor Commissioner, provided for by a special act of the legislature. The investigation covered over farms. It was found that the aver4,000 age duration of employment in a given locality was less than two months in the year, and that only 16.6 per cent. of the whites and 10.7 per cent. of the Japanese were employed permanently. This accounts for the large extent of itinerant labor. The wages of Japanese laborers were practically equal to those paid to whites, but the consensus of opinion in all parts of the state was that white laborers of good character are preferable to any of the alien races, although the supply is not equal to the demand. The aggregate appropriation made by U. S. Department of Agriculture.— Congress for the fiscal year 1911-12 is $16,900,016, an increase of nearly three and one-half million dollars over the previous year. cludes the $1,440,000 for the state This inexperiment stations, which is administered through the Department, and fighting and preventing forest fires an emergency item of $1,000,000 for in the national forests, to be used in case it is needed. The latter is tion of $150,000 for fire fighting unin addition to the regular appropriader ordinary conditions, and supplements deficiency appropriations of over $900,000 incurred as a result of disastrous forest fires in the summer of 1910. 484 (See XXII, Forestry.) exclusive of the emergency approThe total for the Forest Service, priation, is $5,533,100, the largest amount assigned to any one bureau. To the permanent annual appropriation of $3,000,000 for the federal meat inspection, $155,000 is added. The fund for the eradication of the Texas fever cattle tick in the southern states is $250,000, that for the cotton boll-weevil campaign $350,000, and for the campaign against the gipsy and brown-tail moths in New England $284,840. Among new provisions are $87,000 for the enforcement of the Insecticide Act, which became effective January 1, 1911, and investigation to determine possible an appropriation for exploration and sources of potash, nitrates, and other natural fertilizers in States. the United Legislation.) (See XXII, Agricultural already withdrawn from entry the Fertilizers.-The Government has following areas of public land containing phosphate deposits: Montana, 33,950 acres; Florida, 37,439 acres; Idaho, 1,101,517 acres; Utah, 107,745 acres; and Wyoming, 1,267,494 acres; a total of 2,548,145 acres. It was found that these phosphate beds located on public lands were passing into the hands of private owners, and that more than half the American production was going out |