FARM MAC 11INKRY 79 



The Department of Agriculture has also reported on the 

 " wages of farm labor per month, by year or season, with board," 

 for the year 1902.! The average rate for the whole United 

 States is given as $16.40; but the average rates for the several 

 geographical divisions are not given. In a letter dated September 

 1 6, 1904, the secretary states that it was deemed unwise for the 

 department so to extend the report on this last investigation. Ik- 

 suggests, however, that for the purposes of this study it would 

 be allowable to make use of such "apparent" averages as are 

 indicated by the published report. Agreeable to this suggestion, 

 I have averaged the wages reported for the states in the & 

 groups and secured the following as the average wage nit 

 1902: Kastern States, $19.85; Middle States, $16.61 ; South- 

 ern States, $11.85; Western States, $19.48; Mountain Si 

 $28.91 ; Pacific States, $27.90. These figures are averages of 

 averages and must, therefore, be taken with some allowance. 

 Accepting as true the average rate for the several states as re- 

 ported by the department, the rate here given for the Middle 

 States is clearly too low, since Delaware, whose wage rate was 

 i, is given equal weight with New York, whose wage rate 

 -19.65. The rate here given for the Pacific States is like- 

 tOQ low. since Oregon, whose wage rate was $25.98, is . 

 equal weight with California, whose wage rate was $29.38. 

 the- Southern and for the Western States the rate here given is 

 probably too high, the highest rates being reported for thi- 

 populous states. For the other groups the rates line i;i\en are 

 approximately correct. 



Hy reference to the accompanying tables it may readily be- 

 that the average rate of wages for the whole of the United > 



/.ona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho; Faci/ic A/ < >rcgon, 



Hrpt. A .'.!.. iMvi.sioll "1 M.itlsUCS, MlSC. Htlllt ' 



i.tt.i for the years prior to 1879 have been changed to a gold basis and a 

 correction has been made, of what was evidently a clerical error, in ihe rale 



<1 for the Western States in 1866. For the purpose of making this > 

 tion the cost of board in tin \VrsU-rn 1866, was assumed to ha\< 



:ne as in tli< >tatea where wages without board we i 



: th.it d.itc .is in the Western States. 



ustics, Mine, r.ullrtin No. 26, p. 15. 



