Growth of Cities 



The upward trend of the farm market has been 

 profoundly influenced by the rapid growth of cities. 

 Not only is the total population increasing more 

 rapidly than acreage of improved land, but city popu- 

 lation is increasing more rapidly than rural. In 1880 

 30 per cent of the population of the United States 

 lived in cities and incorporated villages, while 70 per 

 cent lived on farms and in unincorporated villages. 

 But as shown on Chart 6, the city population in- 

 creased more rapidly than the rural until in 1910 it 

 made up 55 per cent of the total. As a matter of fact, 

 if from the 45 per cent representing the rural the 

 number of families living in unincorporated villages 

 is subtracted, it will be found that less than one-third 

 of the population of the United States is now living on 

 farms. That is, in 1880 one farm family needed to 

 raise enough food to sustain itself and a fraction of 

 another family, while in 1910 one farm family needed 

 to raise enough food to sustain itself and two other 

 families. 



Population Gainfully Employed 



The same situation is portrayed by the chart of 

 population gainfully employed. See Chart 7, While 

 the number of people gainfully employed on the farm 

 has increased from decade to decade, it has fallen be- 

 hind in proportion to the total from 44 per cent in 

 1880 to 33 per cent in 1910. On the other hand the 

 population gainfully employed in manufacturing in- 

 creased from 22 per cent to 28 per cent, and in trans- 

 portation from 11 per cent to 20 per cent. In other 

 words, in 1910 one-third of the population gainfully 

 employed on the farms had to raise enough food 

 and raw materials to sustain itself and the two-thirds 

 of the population gainfully employed elsewhere. 



[19] 



