24 



BPLLETIX G33, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGEICULTUEE. 



proper mixture of coarser material, such as corn fodder, is just as 

 good as cowpea hay. Another very important point is that soy 

 beans can be used for hog pasture at any time, for hogs will eat the 

 leaves on soy beans greedily, while cowpeas are good hog pasture only 

 when the seed is ripe. Soy beans are also excellent human food. 



The subject of legumes is discussed here somewhat in detail be- 

 cause of the great need for means of building up soil fertility in this 

 region. In view of the fact that clover is not satisfactory, it is 

 believed that it would be very distinctly advantageous for these 

 farmers to sow cowpeas or soy beans, or at least some crop that will 

 make a growth that can be turned under after wheat that is to be 

 followed by corn. 



TENURE. 



One hundred and thirty-two of the farms studied in this survey 

 were operated by their owners ; 88 were operated by owners renting 

 additional land: 21 were operated by tenants. Of 30 of the larger 

 farms, part was rented out, the owner having more land than he 

 could operate satisfactorily. Of the 88 owners renting additional 

 land, 53 were in the group of grain and live-stock farmers and 18 in 

 the group of grain farmers. Exactly half of the tenants were on 

 grain farms, 9 on grain and live-stock farms, 2 on grain and fruit 

 farms, and 1 on a fruit farm. Less than 10 per cent of the farms m 

 this region are operated by tenants. This is much lower than the 

 general average of tenant farming in the Middle West, or for tiiat 

 matter in any large area in the country. This is due partly to the 

 average small incomes made on farms in the region. A tenant farm 

 ordinarily must contribute to the living of two families. Hence 

 tenant farming is not common outside of the plantation system in 

 the South except where the farms are fairly large and productive. 



Table 10 gives some interesting facts about land tenure in this 

 region. 



Table 10. — Relation of tenure to profits (132 farms near Monett, Mo.). 



Item. 



Owners. 



Owners, 



Owners, 





renting 

 addi- 



part 

 rented 



Tenant. 



tional. 



out. 





88 



30 



24 



87.8 



89.2 



83.4 



6,519 



10,370 



1,061 



748 



603 



477 



5.8 



3.5 



18.7 



Landlord. 



Number of farms 



Crop area acres. . 



Capital dollars. 



Farm income do. . . 



Percentage on investment 1 per cent. 



132 

 76. 5 

 9, 130 

 765 

 5.2 



24 



83.4 



7,144 



232 



3.2 



1 After deducting operator's labor from farm income. 



Tenant farms, on the average, have a larger crop acreage than 

 owner farms. Tenants, with a capital only one-ninth that of the 

 owners, obtained an income more than half as large. By deducting 





