AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



working animal was 13.5 at both of these dates; 

 but the average number of horses to one male 

 worker increased from 1.7 in 1880 to 2.3 in 

 1900." From these figures it appears that in the 

 last twenty years, by the aid of machinery, and 

 the substitution of horse power for hand labor, 

 the effectiveness of human labor on farms has 

 been increased to the extent of about thirty-three 

 per cent. "The special investigations of the 

 Labor Bureau have led to the conclusion that by 

 the use of machinery the effectiveness of human 

 labor has been nearly, if not quite, doubled since 

 the middle of the century." 1 



While the percentage of the population of the 

 country which was engaged in agriculture de- 

 clined 19.4 per cent, during the two decades from 

 1880 to 1900, the production of the staple food 

 crops per capita of the total population about 

 held its own. This is shown by the following 

 figures : 2 



1880 1900 



Wheat bu. per capita 9.16 8.66 



Cora " " 34.98 34.94 



Oats " " " 8.13 12.40 



Potatoes " " " 3.38 3-60 



Cattle head per capita .72 .69 



Hogs " " " .95 .83 



Sheep " " " .70 .52 



1 Twelfth Census, Vol. V., p. xxxi. 



2 United States Department of Agriculture, Division of 

 statistics, Bulletin No. 24. Relations of Population and 

 Food Products in the United States, pp. 20, 24, 30, 38, 57, 

 65, 70. 



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