1012 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



In nearly all counties the number of farms increased in the last 

 decade. Eleven counties report slight decreases. Except in eight 

 counties, situated mostly in the southern part of the State, the total 

 farm acreage also shows a general increase since 1890. The decrease 

 in improved acreage reported in a number of counties, is due to a 

 more intensive cultivation of smaller area®, and to the use of a more 

 strict construction of the term "improved land" by the Twelfth than 

 by any preceding census. The average size of farms for the State is 

 86.4 acres, and varies from 33.6 acres in Philadelphia county, to 149.8 

 acres iu Huntingdon county. It is smallest in the extreme south- 

 eastern counties, which are devoted to dairying and truck farming, 

 and contain a majority of the florists' establishments of the State. 



Vov the State, the average value of farms is |4,006. Less than 

 half of the counties report increases iu farm values since 1890, but 

 an increase in the value of implements and raachinerj' is reported in 

 all counties. The value of live stock averages |457 per farm, having 

 increased since 1890 in more than half of the counties. 



The average expenditure for labor in 1899 was |74 per farm. It 

 was greatest in the counties where floriculture, dairying, and market 

 gardening prevailed. The average expenditure for fertilizers in- 

 crease. , 



Farm Tenure. 



Table 4 gives a comparative statement of farm tenure for 1880, 

 and 1900. Tenants are divided into two groups: ''Cash tenants," 

 who pay a rental in cash, or a stated amount of labor or farm pro- 

 duce, and ''share tenants," who pay as rental a stated share of the 

 products. 



In Table 5 the tenure of farms in 1900 is given by race of farmer, 

 and ''farms operated by owners" are subdivided into four groups, 

 designated as "owners," "part owner®," "owners and tenants," and 

 "managers." These terms denote, respectively: (1) Farms operated 

 by individuals who own all the land they cultivate; (2) farms operated 

 by individuals who own a part of the land and rent the remainder 

 from others; (3) farms operated under the joint direction and by the 

 united labor of two or more individuals, one owning the farm or a 

 part of it, and the other, or others, owning no part, but receiving for 

 supervision or labor a share of the products; and (4) farnie operated 

 by individuals who receive for their supervision and other services a 

 fixed salarv from the owners. 



