xxvi AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



$17,259 in 1910. Of the value in 1910, $15,008 represents land and build- 

 ings, $1,811 live stock, and $440 implements and machinery. Farm 

 values in Iowa have, in fact, increased steadily and rapidly since the 

 first census of agriculture was taken in 1850. At that time the average 

 value of the farm with equipment was only $1,454, or hardly one-twelfth 

 ■of what it is to-day. In no other decade, however, has the increase been 

 as great as it was between 1900 and 1910. The value per farm of farm 

 ■equipment, which includes implements and machinery and live stock, 

 is now nearly seven times as great as 60 years ago. 



Farm tenure: 1880 to 1910. — The following table shows the distribu- 

 tion of the farms of the state according to character of tenure at each 

 census since 1880: 



Number of all farm? 



Farms operated by owners and managers 



Farms consisting of owned land only 



Farms consisting of owned and hired land- 

 Farms operated by managers 



Farms operated by tenants- 

 Share tenants 



Share-cash tenantst 



fash tenants 



Tenure not specifledj ___ 



Per cent of farms operated by- 

 Owners and managers 



Tenants 



Share and share-cash 



Cash and nonspecified 



1880 



217.044 I 228,622 201,903 I 185,351 



141,177 



82,115 

 20,935 

 14,129 

 43,394 

 3,657 



62.2 

 37.8 

 16.2 

 21.7 



79,736 

 35,234 



44,502 



65.1 

 34.9 

 15.4 

 19.5 



56,720 

 31,780 



24,940 



71.9 

 28.1 

 15.7 

 12.4 



44,174 

 35,753 



76.2 



23.8 



19.3 



4.5 



*Xot reported separately. 



tshare-cash tenants were doubtless largely included with share tenants in 1900, 1890 

 and 1880. 



iPrior to 1910 nonspecified tenants were included with cash tenants. 



It is significant that while the total number of farms decreased 11,578 

 during the last decade, the number operated by owners and managers 

 decreased 13,957, the number operated by tenants having increased 2,379. 



In 1880 approximately one farm out of every four was operated by 

 a tenant, since which time the proportion has increased until it is now 

 slightly more than three out of eight. 



The number of share (including share-cash) tenants is about the same 

 as in 1880, although during the interval the number has fluctuated some- 

 what and has decreased slightly since 1900. On the other hand, the 

 number of cash (including nonspecified) tenants has increased rapidly 

 and in 1900 and 1910 exceeded the number of share tenants. In 1880 

 share tenants were over four times as numerous as cash tenants, but 

 in 1910 the latter (including those with unspecified tenure) were one 

 and one-third times more numerous than the former. 



Farm mortgages: 1890 to 1910— The Eleventh Census (1890) was the 

 first to collect data relating to mortgage debt on farms. The basis of the 



