FARM MACHINERY 



41 



farmers have both increased in numbers at the same rate as 

 people engaged in other occupations and have expanded their 

 holdings, which is not at all true. It will be noted that the number 

 of horses per acre of cultivated land was the same in 1900 as in 

 1880. Horses and crop acreage have therefore increased at an 

 equal rate. Either these have increased at an extraordinary rate 

 or the third term (male workers) has increased at less than the 

 normal rate. It will be shown farther on (pp. 58-60) that this 

 latter hypothesis is the true one. The increased crop acreage 

 per worker is, therefore, to be looked upon not so much as 

 an expansion of farm holdings as a contraction in the number 

 of workers. 



The average number of acres in all farm crops per farm 

 worker (agricultural laborers, farmers, planters, and overseers) 

 male and female as returned by the censuses of 1 880, 1 890, 

 and 1900 was as follows : 



1900 



1890 



1880 



United States ^ . . . . 

 North Atlantic division 

 South Atlantic division 

 North Central division . 

 South Central division . 

 Western division . . . 



27.0 

 21.3 



13-3 

 45.2 

 16.5 

 39-6 



25.9 

 21.2 

 14.2 

 40.4 

 15-9 

 337 



21.8 

 21.7 

 13.8 



319 

 14.2 



34-2 



Presented from the basis of a common denominator, the data 

 shown in the foregoing table appear as follows : 



1 In the various tables presented in this essay the term " United States " is 

 used to signify only the five principal geographical divisions taken collectively. 

 Data from the Census Reports have been modified, when necessary, to make 

 them conform to such restricted meaning. 



