TENANCY 55 



"A decreasing number of farms, an increasing size, requiring more expen- 

 sive equipment, and this more than doubling of values, means that an impas- 

 sable barrier has been erected between the landless farmer and the instruments 

 essential to his existence. 



"It is scarcely necessary to turn to the section of the census bulletin that 

 deals with tenantry to be assured that such a condition would separate pro- 

 ducer and possession. In each of these states there has been a steady increase 

 in the number of farms operated by tenants for the last thirty years. 



"The one big fact that stands out from an examination of the agricultural 

 situation in the north and south, is that it is about time to quit talking about 

 maintaining the small farmer in the ownership of his farm. Capitalism is 

 abolishing that condition in agriculture as it already has in industry." 3 



Very clearly all is not well with agriculture in the United 

 States. Thoughtful persons are pointing out changes in our land 

 tenure situation which are fraught with very real and very immi- 

 nent dangers. Let us examine in detail the Tenancy and the 

 Mortgage questions, and then the two or three other matters 

 involved in these two problems. 



Tenancy. Our theory of a sound agriculture has quite gener- 

 ally been that every man should dwell under his own vine and fig 

 tree. And this happy situation actually existed for a short while 

 at the beginning of our great Republic. But now, at a progressively 

 increasing rate, we are departing from it. And the strange thing 

 in the situation is that our powerful neighbor, Canada, forming 

 with us an ethnological and economic unit, is moving in the oppo- 

 site direction. Renters are few in Canada, and are becoming 

 fewer. Renters are many in the United States, and are fast 

 becoming the majority of occupiers of farms. 



Putting side by side the census figures from each country, the 

 situation is very vivid. 



Farm Tenancy in Canada and the United States. Per Cent of Total Occupiers 



Who are Tenants 

 Canada United States 



Year Per cent Year Per cent 



1891 15.42 1880... .25.6 



1901 12.90 1890 28.4 



1911 11.40 1900 35.3 



1910 37.0 



The fact is well established that tenant farming is increasing 

 in the United States. In a few counties .it exceeds 90 per cent of 

 all the farms. The conclusion is also reached by our best students 

 of the problem that farm tenancy will continue to increase in the 

 United States in the future. The position of the Federal govern- 

 ment investigators on this subject is very interesting. Thus we 



3 Brauerei Arbeiter Zeitung, May 18, 1912, p. 2, " Recent Tendencies in 

 Agriculture," by A. M. Simons. 



