36 BULLETIN 41, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
In Table X-XIX is given the average yield for corn, oats, and 
wheat on the owner and tenant farms in the three States studied. 
TABLE XXIX.—Compdarison of crop yields on owner and tenant farms in Indiana, 
Illinois, and Iowa, 
Yield per acre (bushels). 
State. Corn. Oats. Wheat. 
| 
Owner. | Tenant. | Owner. | Tenant. | Owner. | Tenant. 
47.8 | 45. 
JINGUENIES See pe St Oe Jen ease Bm ce eae eer aee 52.5 52.2 5 19.5 | 19.0 
Mim OIE heed kee ee asec ares 54.5 52.2 8024 30a coum Lied 15.4 
LON Ee, Ses a On pine eta ee Sia Sans 37.9 36.4 34.9 32. 6 1oe74 16.8 
Nyeragerc. 185: Sty aH 8 48.3 | 46.9| 40.3 39.3 18.9 | 17.1 
| 
The farms operated by owners averaged about 2 per cent better 
yield than those operated by tenants. The difference is small, much 
less than many persons imagine. Given equally productive soil, 
the tenant farmer will grow as good crops as the owner. The tenant 
has to work for what he gets, while the owner, often having large 
real estate holdings, does not need to hustle as much, because a return 
of even 2 per cent on his capital is sufficient to give him a good living. 
The tenant farmer is unjustly criticized for conditions over which 
he has no control. He is compelled to agree to terms of lease whereby 
the landlord sells his half of the products regardless of the wishes 
of the tenant. With most of the farms rented on half shares the 
landlord and not the tenant is largely responsible for the wasteful 
system of farming. 
RELATION OF THE INCOME TO THE AGE OF THE FARMER. 
Under average conditions the farm is no place for the weak or 
for those unable to direct work. The man who intends to spend his 
working life in the country should start early, for success is not 
gained in a moment but by many years of persistent effort. It is 
true that some farmers have made small fortunes in a short time, but 
this is usually through a phenomenal rise in land values. Few men 
have become rich from the real profits of the land. Those who have 
done so usually needed a lifetime in which to work. Through skill 
in management and by hard labor a comfortable living and mod- 
erate profits may be expected. Those persons who are turning to the 
farm with the idea of reaping large incomes are doomed to severe 
disappointment. 
The average age of the farm owners and the number of years they 
have been farming are given in Table XXX. 
