RENT CONTRACTS IN THE WHEAT BELT. 



11 



In Renville County, Minn., about half of the leases on the farms 

 visited begin in the spring (March or April), while half of them begin 

 in the fall (October or November) . A few df the leases here begin in 

 the spring and end in the fall or winter, or vice versa, the lease period 

 in these cases being for more than one year. 



TENANTS' PREFERENCES AND PROSPECTS. 



PREFERENCE AS TO LEASE PERIOD AND SHARE OR CASH RENT TO BE PAID. 



As seen from Table VI, from 60 to 86 per cent of the tenants in the 

 localities visited prefer the long lease, and from 85 to 100 per cent 

 prefer share to cash renting. 



Table VI. — Tenants' preferences as to length of lease and cash or share rent. 





Proportion of tenants — 



Locality. 



Who prefer — 



Indiffer- 

 ent as to 

 length of 

 lease. 



Who prefer — 



Indiffer- 





The long 

 lease (5 to 

 10 years) . 



The short 

 lease. 



Share rent. 



Cash rent. 



ent as 

 to how 

 paid. 





Per cent. 

 70 

 86 

 77 

 60 

 70 



Per cent. 

 20 

 2 



20 

 23 



Per cent. 

 10 

 12 

 20 

 20 

 7 



Per cent. 

 96 

 93 

 96 

 100 

 85 



Per cent. 

 1 

 2 

 

 

 15 



Per cent. 

 3 





5 



South Dakota: Spink County 



North Dakota: Barnes County 



4 

 

 



THE LANDLORD'S OPINION AS TO THE LONG LEASE. 



Landlords were seldom questioned in any of the areas visited, but 

 some expressions were obtained from them as to the proper lease 

 period. The following quotation from a letter of one of the owners 

 of a number of rented farms in North Dakota shows the general 

 attitude of the landlord toward the lease period: 



It is our custom to make annual leases only and. in this we differ from many authori- 

 ties who think it better to lease for a term of years. Our rule is ' ' Give the old tenant 

 the first chance at the farm if his work has been good." Under this plan the tenant 

 knows he can remain on the farm if his record is good, and it is up to him to do his 

 work so that he will not be displaced. 



We aim to keep the buildings in good condition of repair. This is a simple matter, 

 but one which seems to keep the feminine end of the family in a contented frame of 

 mind. We try to provide facilities for live stock, poultry, garden, etc., in which 

 we are not directly interested but which help the tenant in a financial way. 



PROSPECTIVE OWNERSHIP BY TENANTS. 



In each of the localities visited there were many tenants who 

 owned some land. In most cases this land was situated in sections 

 where the price of land was lower than where the tenant was located. 

 As seen from Table. VII, tenants who had bought in their present 

 localities purchased in an average time of from 5.5 years, in Minne- 

 sota, to 9.9 years, in Nebraska, after they had started renting. 



