TENANCY IN THE NORTH CENTRAL STATES 519 



is preeminent in the dairy business, but ranks comparatively low 

 in grain. Unquestionably there are other factors than those here 

 discussed which must receive attention in a treatise on tenancy. 

 Among these is the matter of nationality of the farmer, and the 

 affinity for land of the Germans and Norwegians, so numerous 

 in Wisconsin, is proverbial. 



Passing to Minnesota, the chances for long furrows and a 

 smaller variety of operations for a given farm increase greatly. 

 And immediately tenancy is more frequently found. In a few of 

 the choicest counties 45 per cent and over of the farmers are 

 tenants. Why, it may be asked, since wheat farming is of the 

 extensive sort even more than corn, does not the same amount of 

 tenancy develop in connection with it ? The answer is not diffi- 

 cult. Up to the present time wheat has been a pioneer crop. It 

 has been raised for a comparatively few years, ten, twenty, or 

 thirty, after which it fails to yield as well as before, and is fol- 

 lowed by a more diversified system of agriculture. During the 

 wheat regime the value of the land is low. There is other land 

 not very different which can be homesteaded, or bought at gov- 

 ernment price, or on long time from a railroad company. While 

 these conditions obtain, there are indeed always a great many 

 speculators, non-resident landholders, who would be glad to let 

 their land on almost any terms. But the farmer can buy for 

 himself, and does, but no one can be found to take the specu- 

 lator's land. 



Ten years ago there was very little tenancy in North Dakota. 

 At present there is a great deal in the eastern part of the state, 

 but the western half is a poor place to hold land with the expecta- 

 tion of lively competition for it on the part of tenants. The same 

 is true to a much smaller degree of western Nebraska and Kan- 

 sas. These states, with land lower in price than that of Iowa, 

 have about the same proportion of tenancy. Here again is the 

 contrast between the more and the less diversified farming. It is 

 not certain diversified agriculture cannot develop in these states, 

 as in those to the east of them ; but it is certain that for the pres- 

 ent they lend themselves more readily to exploitation under a one- 

 crop or two-crop system. Here, especially, the tenant keeps few 



