36 



BULLETIN 41, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



In Table XXIX is given the average yield for corn, oats, and 

 wheat on the owner and tenant farms in the three States studied. 



Tat*t..e XXIX. — Comparison of. crop yields on owner and tenant farms in Indiana, 



Illinois, and Iowa. 





State. 



Yield per acre (bushels). 





Corn. 



Oats. 



Wheat. 





Owner. 



Tenant. 



Owner. 



Tenant. 



Owner. 



Tenant. 





52.5 

 54.5 

 37.9 



52.2 



52.2 



,36.4 



47.8 

 38.2 

 34.9 



45.5 

 39.7 

 32.6 



19.5 

 17.4 

 19.7 



19.0 





15.4 



Iowa 





16.8 





48.3 



46.9 



40.3 



39.3 



18.9 



17.1 







The farms operated by owners averaged about 2 per cent better 

 yield than those operated by tenants. The difference is small, much 

 less than many persons imagine. Given equally productive soil, 

 the tenant farmer will grow as good crops as the owner. The tenant 

 has to work for what he gets, while the owner, often having large 

 real estate holdings, does not need to hustle as much, because a return 

 of even 2 per cent on his capital is sufficient to give him a good living. 

 The tenant farmer is unjustly criticized for conditions over which 

 he has no control. He is compelled to agree to terms of lease whereby 

 the landlord sells his half of the products regardless of the wishes 

 of the tenant. With most of the farms rented on half shares the 

 landlord and not the tenant is largely responsible for the wasteful 

 system of farming. 



RELATION OF THE INCOME TO THE AGE OF THE FARMER. 



Under average conditions the farm is no place for the weak or 

 for those unable to direct work. The man who intends to spend his 

 working life in the country should start early, for success is not 

 gained in a moment but by many years of persistent effort. It is 

 true that some farmers have made small fortunes in a short time, but 

 this is usually through a phenomenal rise in land values. Few men 

 have become rich from the real profits of the land. Those who have 

 done so usually needed a lifetime in which to work. Through skill 

 in management and by hard labor a comfortable living and mod- 

 erate profits may be expected. Those persons who are turning to the 

 fa lin with the idea of reaping large incomes are doomed to severe 

 disappointment. 



The average age of the farm owners and the number of years they 

 have been farming are given in Table XXX. 



