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 Xorth 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 hi part 
for the preponderance of the oral lease in these States. Landlords 
in 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 concernvng leases and the lease period. 
Localitv. 
Proportion of leases- 
Written. 
Verbal. 
Yearlv. 
For longer 
time 
than 
one year. 
Given by 
parent" 
land- 
lords. 
For first year on 
farm — 
Written. Verbal. 
Kansas : Barton County 
Nebraska: Clay County 
South Dakota:' Spink County. . 
Xorth Dakota: Barnes County. 
Mi nnesota : Renville County .'. . 
Per cent. 
25 
40 
60 
Per cent. 
75 
60 
52 
40 
41 
Per cent. 
90 
97 
95 
73 
Per cent. 
10 
3 
5 
27 
25 
Per cent. 
25 
25 
20 
16 
15 
Per cent. 
44 
53 
100 
92 
Per cent. 
56 
47 

s 
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 then 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 Xorth Dakota area 54 per cent of the leases begin in the spring 
and 46 per cent in the fall. 
