S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
The fact that the counties selected for study are for the most part in 
groups of contiguous counties greatly increases the possibility that 
all of the land owned by each landlord is accounted for. It is obvious 
that the more nearly the index of ownership includes properties 
owned in counties adjoining the one in which the landlord owns one 
farm, the more nearly the index comes to including every rented farm 
the landlord owns. Among the 85 counties indexed for ownership 
some are entirely surrounded by other of the indexed counties, whereas 
others are half surrounded, others only a third surrounded, etc. As 
shown later, nearly nine-tenths of all the farms studied are owned 
by landlords residing in the same county or an adjoining county. 
CONCENTRATION OF OWNERSHIP 
The question of concentration of ownership of rented farm prop- 
erty may be considered with three different measures — farms, acres, 
and value. In grouping farms according to number owned and 
acreage owned, the same group limits are employed for 1920 as for 
1900; but, because of a general increase in the value of farm property, 
the value groupings used to study concentration in 1900 could not well 
be employed without modification in the 1920 study. In the 1900 
tabulation the larger holdings were all included in a group of $25,000 
and more, whereas for 1920 it has been found desirable to make 
further subdivision for holdings of $25,000 or more and to combine 
some of the smallest groupings employed for 1900. 
OWNERSHIP IN THE NORTH CENTRAL STATES 
Leading facts about concentration of ownership of rented farms for 
the North Central States as a whole in 1900 and for the 85 counties 
which were studied to ascertain conditions in 1920, are given in 
Table l. 5 
Table 1. — Concentration of ownership of rented f 
and 1920 a 
arms, 
North Central 
States 
, 1900 
Total studied 
Percentage distribution by number of rented farms held 
Item and year 
1 farm 
lor 2 
farms 
Less 
than 5 
farms 
5 or 
more 
farms 
10 or 
more 
farms 
20 or 
more 
farms 
Total 
studied 
Landlords: 
1900 
Number 
474, 894 
71, 397 
570, 195 
85, 472 
72, 928, 715 
15, 012, 820 
Dollars 
2, 633, 833, 027 
2, 903, 038, 994 
Per cent 
88.42 
86.94 
73.64 
72. 71 
73.48 
70.47 
71.80 
67.48 
Per cent 
96.66 
96.57 
87.36 
88.68 
87.15 
86.79 
86.44 
85.20 
Per cent 
99.20 
99.45 
94.28 
96.34 
94.25 
95.30 
93.98 
94.77 
Per cent 
0.80 
.55 
5.72 
3.66 
5.75 
4.70 
6.02 
5.23 
Per cent 
0.14 
.09 
2.00 
1.39 
2.11 
1.66 
2.13 
1.91 
Per cent 
0.03 
.02 
.76 
.77 
.81 
.87 
.59 
.96 
Per cent 
100 
1920 
100 
Rented farms: 
1900 
100 
1920__ 
100 
Acres in rented farms: 
1900. 
100 
1920 
Value of rented farm land and 
buildings: 
1900 
1920 
100 
100 
100 
° The 1900 figures are for farm landlords resident in the North Central States and concern rented farms 
owned anywhere in the United States; the 1920 figures are for farm landlords owning rented farms in one 
or more of 85 counties. 
6 The census of 1900 in its tables showing how the rented farms were owned, gave the rented farm prop- 
erty in the United States owned by the residents of each State regardless of the location of the land owned. 
It is shown that 92.3 per cent of the rented farms of the North Central States were owned by persons 
resident in the State containing the farms. 
In the study of conditions of concentration of ownership in 1920 the farms, farm acreage, and farm values 
mentioned in connection with a given area pertain exclusively to property located wholly within that area. 
However, distinction is made of owners and their holdings based on all rented property which they owned 
in the 184 counties indexed for ownership of rented farms, 99 of which counties are not in the North Central 
States, 
