428 Missouri Afjrirtdl iirai Iii[)'>tl. 



THE LABOR PROBLEM. 



As has been shown by reports received from correspondents, the 

 labor problem is regarded as one of the most serious with which the 

 farmer must contend. It is the belief of 88 per cent, of those who 

 answered the question, "Is it now harder to get help on the farm than 

 it was ten years ago?" that it is more difficult; while 95 per cent, think 

 it harder to get help in the house. During this decade, marked by a 

 growing scarcity of help, it is estimated that wages for farm hands ad- 

 vanced 41 per cent, and for help in the house 46 per cent. The average 

 monthly wages paid help in the house, taking the state as a whole, is 

 said to be less than $10 — $9.78, to be exact. By sections, we have: 

 Northeast, $10.62; northwest, $12.08; central, $9.17; southwest, $8.63; 

 southeast, $8.41. The average monthly wages paid farm hands who 

 also have bed and board provided is given as $21.12, the figures by sec- 

 tions being, northeast, $22.56 ; northwest, $24.83 ; central, $20.13 ; south- 

 west, $19.30 ; southeast, $18.80. Where house is provided for man and 

 family but he boards himself the average wages for the state are given 

 as $27.85. The sections show : northeast, $29 ; northwest, $30.66 ; central, 

 $25.82 ; southwest, $26.60 ; southeast, $27.18. Daily wages, except at 

 harvest time, show an average of $1.12 for the state — northeast, $1.19 ; 

 northwest, $1.25; central, $1.07; southwest, $1.04, southeast, ^1.06. 

 Harvest wages for the year 1910 show $1.67 average for the State. 



COST OF FARM EQUIPMENT. 



According to reports received from between 500 and 600 Missouri 

 farmers, the cost of equipping a farm (meaning by equipment, teams, 

 farm machinery, etc.) has increased 62.5 per cent during the last ten 

 years, the increase by sections being as follows : Northeast, 53 ; north- 

 west, 56 ; central, 69 ; southwest, 61 ; southeast, 73. 



CENSUS BUREAU FARM DATA. 



On January 26, 1911, Census Director Durand issued the first 

 official statement from the Census Bureau relative to the agricultural 

 statistics of the State of Missouri, collected at the thirteenth decennial 

 census. It is based on a preliminary comparative summary submitted 

 to the director by Dr. LeGrand Powers, chief statistician of the division 

 of agriculture in the Bureau of the Census. This summary shows for 

 both the census of 1910 and that of 1900 the reported total value of farm 



