10 



BULLETIN 850, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



In the Kansas area 25 per cent of the records taken related to such 

 farmers. In the latter case the lack of improvements did not affect 

 the share of the crop given for the use of the land. In none of the 

 other regions visited did such a large percentage of the tenants rent 

 additional land without buildings, and when renting such land they 

 usually gave a smaller share of the crop, or received hay and pas- 

 ture either free or for less than their actual value. 



LEASES. 



In both the Kansas and Nebraska areas there were more oral 

 than written leases; in South Dakota written and oral leases were 

 about of equal frequency; but in North Dakota and in Minnesota 

 most leases were written. As seen from Table V, there was a greater 

 percentage of parent landlords in Kansas, Nebraska, and South 

 Dakota than in the other States. The fact that leases on farms 

 rented by parent landlords are nearly always oral accounts in part 

 for the preponderance of the oral lease in these States. Landlords 

 hi general desire experience with a tenant before entrusting him with 

 their farms without the written contract. This fact can also be seen 

 from Table V, where it is shown that tenants on farms for the first 

 year are usually under a written contract. 



Table V. — Comparative data concerning leases and the lease period. 





Proportion of leases — 



Locality. 



Written. 



Verbal. 



Yearly. 



For longer 



time 



than 

 one year. 



Given by 

 parent 

 land- 

 lords. 



For first year on 

 farm — 





Written. 



Verbal. 



Kansas: Barton Count v 



Nebraska: Clay County 



South Dakota: Spink County . . 

 North Dakota: Barnes County . 

 Minnesota: Ren ville County... 



Per cent. 

 25 

 40 



4S 

 60 

 59 



Per cent. 

 75 

 60 

 52 

 40 

 41 



Per cent. 

 90 

 97 

 95 

 73 

 75 



Per cent. 

 10 

 3 

 5 

 27 

 25 



Per cent. 

 25 

 25 

 20 

 16 

 15 



Per cent. 

 44 

 53 

 100 

 92 

 76 



Per cent. 

 56 

 47 

 

 8 

 24 



THE LEASE YEAR. 



In the Kansas area visited the chief crop (wheat) is usually thrashed 

 and disposed of by August 1, and the lease year usually begins on that 

 date. Eighty-eight per cent of the tenants visited in the Kansas 

 area stated that their lease year begins August 1 and only 12 per cent 

 that it begins in the spring. In the Nebraska area the lease year 

 begins in the spring, the period on nearly all tenant farms running 

 from March to March. In the South Dakota area, with 27 per cent 

 of the tenants the leases begin in the spring, usually March 1, while 

 with 73 per cent the leases begin in the fall, usually on October 1. 

 In the North Dakota area 54 per cent of the leases begin in the spring 

 and 46 per cent in the fall. 



