MEANS OF ACQUIRING LAND 



TABLE 5. THE PERCENTAGE OF OWNED FARM HOMES 



WHICH WERE KNOWN TO BE ENCUMBERED, IN THE 



NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION, IN 1890 AND 



1900, CLASSIFIED BY THE AGE 



OF THE OWNERS. 



A( ,- Percentage Encumbered 



1890 1900 



Under 25 years t 40.7 43.6 



25 to 34 years 49.5 48.3 



35 to 44 years 49.1 48.3 



45 to 54 years 44.5 41.5 



55 years and over , 32. i 32.2 



From these figures it will be seen that the per- 

 centage of encumbrance increases from youth to 

 middle age, and declines from middle age to old 

 age. This fact, and also the relation between the 

 increase in the percentage of mortgages and the 

 decline in the percentage of tenancy, is shown 

 more clearly in the following table in which the 

 one state of Illinois is considered, Illinois being 

 the one of the northern states in which the per- 

 centage of tenancy is the highest : 



TABLE 6. THE PERCENTAGE OF OWNED FARM HOMES 

 WHICH WERE KNOWN TO BE ENCUMBERED, AND THE PER- 

 CENTAGE OF ALL FARM HOMES WHICH WERE KNOWN 

 TO BE HIRED, IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, 

 FOR THE YEAR 1900. 



A_- Encumbered Hired 



Aee Homes Homes 



Under 25 years 40. i 74.64 



25 to 34 years 47-9 63.25 



35 to 44 years 46.2 42.50 



45 to 54 years 38.8 29.8 



55 to 64 years 31.2 18.29 



$5 years and over 21.9 10.60 



223 



