054 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



While most tenants are young men, the average age of the tenants 

 is raised by some aged men, who, through misfortune, are still renting 

 land. At the average age of fifty-six years, the landlords are at the 

 most productive period of their lives. As about three-fourths of them 

 live on their rented farms or in an adjoining town, their capital and 

 experience should be used. This can best be done under a system of 

 renting which enables them to retain part of the supervision of the 

 farm and share directly in the net profits. The stock-share method 

 of renting is practical. 



Farmers in some of the dairy counties in the northeastern part of 

 the state estimate that from one-third to one-half of the rented farms 

 in their counties are leased on the stock-share plan. 



As the landlord takes an active part in the buying and selling, he 

 should live near the farm. From a recent survey of 525 tenant farms, 

 more than 17 out of every 20 landlords live within 12 miles of their 

 farms, while 2 out of every 3 live on the rented farms or in adjoining 

 towns. Between the ages of fifty and sixty the landlord is capable 

 of managing the farm business as well or better than at any time in 

 life. Having obtained his rich fund of experience and having lived 

 so many years on the farm, he naturally wishes to keep in touch with 

 the farm work, if someone will assume the responsibility of the manual 

 labor. 



Present economic conditions make the use of the stock-share 

 method of renting a necessity. The advance in the price of land, the 

 increase in the size of the farm, and the necessary equipment and 

 labor properly to manage it require about $6,000, or more capital from 

 the tenant than he unaided can furnish. The landlords are generally 

 prepared to advance some credit to the tenant, but as they have little 

 supervision of the farm business under the cash and share-cash plans, 

 they do not wish to assume the risk of poor management, and the 

 farm business is not so profitable. The stock-share landlord has an 

 interest in the productive livestock, obtains one-half of the net receipts, 

 and often advances all the money to buy the stock. Sometimes he 

 takes the promissory note of the tenant for much of the working 

 capital necessary properly to equip and operate the farm. 



The average tenant between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five 

 years lacks the experience to manage such a large and intricate busi- 

 ness. Yet, under the cash and share-cash methods he assumes most 

 if not all the buying and selling, as well as the management of field 

 work. The stock-share method enables the tenant to give most of 



