OTHER FACTORS IN DIFFERENT REGIONS 281 



The population of this county rose rapidly until 1890. 

 It was a little larger in 1900, but decreased 8 per cent in 

 the next ten years. To those who have not studied the 

 situation, this appears as a great calamity, but it is an 

 indication of the greatly increased efficiency of farmers, 

 due to machinery and education. Probably the highest 

 point in population was reached in the early nineties. 

 Until this time, very few men drove over two horses on any 

 farm machinery except on the grain binder and, occasion- 

 ally, on a smoothing harrow. The two-horse team was 

 the regular way of farming. Considerable corn cultivation 

 was still done with one horse. During the nineties, men 

 began to drive four-horse teams on discs, gang plows, and 

 smoothing harrows. This practice has continued to 

 increase, but has not yet reached its limit. We shall 

 expect the driving of three, four, and five horses to con- 

 tinue to increase. 



When a farm family with only $156 worth of help raises 

 58 acres of corn, 31 of small grain, and 23 of hay, besides 

 caring for 8 horses and mules, 27 cattle, 30 mature hogs 

 and their pigs, and 110 poultry, we do not need so many 

 farmers as when it requires one man to drive each horse. 

 To do this amount of work would probably have required 

 two families in 1880. The population of rural Iowa has 

 decreased because the farmers have learned how one man 

 may do almost as much work as two did before, and do 

 it better. Nearly one-fifth of the farmers who own their 

 own farms rent additional land. This is because they find 

 that they can farm more land without having to increase 

 their horses, machinery, or labor to any great extent. 



In spite of other types of farming near cities, Iowa as 

 a whole shows the same changes. The farms of 20-49 

 acres decreased in number 27 per cent .in the ten years from 



