16 
BULLETIN 1433, IT. g. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Table 14. — Extent to which rented farms of the North Central States were owned by 
landlords with $25,000 worth or more, 1900 and 1920 
19001 
1920 
States and areas studied 
Holdings of $25,000 or more 
State 
Number and location 
of counties 
Average value 
of tenant farms 
Owners 
Farms 
Acre- 
age 
Value 
Per 
acre 
Per 
farm 
Ohio--.. 
All 
All 
Dollars 
44 
59 
37 
44 
43 
17 
14 
18 
Dollars 
4,089 
7,182 
3,500 
5,586 
6,210 
5,746 
4,213 
2,990 
Per 
cent 
1.1 
5.3 
.5 
1.4 
2.1 
2.0 
1.0 
.6 
Per 
cent 
3.2 
12.7 
1.0 
2.4 
6.6 
4.4 
4.8 
3.2 
Per 
cent 
6.1 
21.0 
2.2 
4.5 
10.2 
10.7 
6.4 
6.0 
Per 
cent 
12.3 
27 7 
Michigan 
Wisconsin 
Iowa 
North Dakota 
South Dakota . .._ 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
6.2 
9.4 
11.7 
13.6 
7.0 
Kansas 
All 
7.4 
12 North Central States 
All... 
36 
4,627 
1.9 
5.7 
10.0 
15.8 
Ohio. 
153 
233 
317 
89 
146 
288 
267 
73 
82 
16, 398 
38, 347 
54,854 
10, 551 
19, 275 
55, 315 
44,595 
29, 828 
22, 198 
21.3 
83'. 1 
5.0 
28.1 
88.4 
75.9 
52.3 
35.9 
28.5 
74.0 
86.9 
7.0 
31.8 
90.7 
79.6 
58.6 
46.1 
45.8 
84.7 
94.2 
12.2 
47.1 
95.6 
89.8 
72.2 
60.9 
50.6 
89.1 
96.3 
16.1 
Wisconsin .... 
51.6 
7 northwestern 
97.1 
92.9 
North Dakota and South 
77.4 
Dakota. 
Kansas . 
10 central _ .... 
63.3 
191 
34, 661 
54.6 
61.1 
74.4 
85.4 
' The 1900 figures are for farm landlords resident in the named States, but concern rented farm property 
owned anywhere in the United States. 
2 The 1920 figures are for farm landlords owning in the 85 counties studied and concern rented farm prop- 
erty in the 85 counties. 
RESIDENCE OF LANDLORDS AND EXTENT OF ABSENTEEISM 
The extent of absenteeism on the part of the owner is an important 
consideration in the study of the problems of farm tenancy. Gener- 
ally speaking the more distant the landlord's residence the more 
difficult for landlord and tenant to remain on satisfactory terms, to 
the injury of the farm, to the community, and to the profits of both 
landlord and tenant. Moreover, if landlords five near their farms 
they are much more likely to contribute in various ways to the success 
of the farm business and the upkeep of the property than if they live 
at a great distance. 
Statistics which have to do with the location of rented farms in 
relation to residence of the owners maj^ be used with less misgiving on 
the score of accuracy and representativeness than is the case with 
statistics which have to do with the extent to which the ownership of 
rented farms is concentrated in the hands of those who own the 
greatest holdings. The relative amount of absenteeism can be 
studied regardless of whether there is for each and every rented farm 
a knowledge of the total holdings of rented farms which are in the 
hands of the owners. 
