AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



xxiii 



The following table summarizes for the state the more significant facts 

 relating to population and land area, the number, value, and acreage of 

 farms, and the value of all other farm property in 1910 and 1900: 



Number, Area and Value 



of Farms 



1910 



(April 15) 



1900 

 (June 1) 



Increase* 



Per ct 



Population 



Number of all farms 



Approximate land area of the state 



acres 



l.anil in farms, acres 



Improved land in farms, acres 



Average acres per farm 



Value of farm property: 



Total 



Land 



Buildings 



Implements and machinery 



Domestic animals, poultry and 

 bees 



2,224,771 

 217,044 



35,575,040 



33,930,688 



29,491,199 



156.3 



2,231,853 

 228,622 



35,575,040 



34,574,337 



29,897,552 



151.2 



$3,745,860,544 1 $1 ,834 , 345 ,546 



1,256,751,980 

 240,802,810 

 57,960,660 



—7,082 

 —11,578 



-0.3 

 —5.1 



—643,649 —1.9 



—406,353 —1.4 



5.1 3.4 



$1,911,514,998 104.2 



2,801,973,729 

 455,405,671 

 95,477,948 



393,003,196 



Average value of all property per 

 farm 



Average value of land per acre 



$17,259 



$82.58 



278,830,096 



$8,023 

 $36.35 



1,545,221,749 

 214,602,861 

 37,517,288 



114,173,100 



$9,236 

 $46.23 



123.0 

 89.1 

 64.7 



40.9 



115.1 



127.2 



*A minus sign ( — ) denotes decrease. 



The average value of a farm with its equipment in 1900 was slightly 

 more than $8,000, while 10 years later it was over $17,000. The average 

 value of the land alone rose from $36.35 per acre in 1900 to $82.58 in 

 1910, this advance being accompanied by increases in the average value 

 per farm of buildings, of implements and machinery, and of live stock. 



Population, number of farms, and farm acreage, 1850 to 1910. — The table 

 following presents, for the state as a whole for each census from 1850 to 

 1910, inclusive, a statement of the total population, the number of farms, 

 and the acreage of farm land and of improved land in farms. It also 

 gives the percentage of the land area in farms, the percentage of farm 

 land improved, and the percentage of increase during each decade in the 

 number of farms and in the land in farms. 



In the 60 years since 1850 the population of the state has increased by 

 2,032,557, or more than tenfold, although, as already pointed out, there 

 has been a slight decrease during the last decade. 



There are 217,044 farms in Iowa, or almost fifteen times as many as in 

 1850. The increase was very rapid from 1850 to 1880, averaging 5,685 per 

 year. During the next 20 years the average yearly increase was 2,164, 

 but during the decade just past the number of farms has been decreasing 

 at the rate of 1,158 per year. This decrease was general throughout the 

 state, only 12 counties in different parts of the state showing even slight 

 increases. 



