10 BULLETIN 874, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
TaBLeE V.—Purchasers and sellers of farms, classified by occupations. 4 
Buyers. Sellers. 
Occupation. Sa 
Number. | Percent.b| Number.| Percent.b 
IBAnMCPS >. . {22 2S ee bes Sa eee Sas eas Sees Sees eae ee wee eee 662 65.3 513 56.3 
Retired farmers yirigan County. 9 2-se 2 ce eee 18 1.8 138 15.2 
Retireddarmers livingin towns 2222 -- noe oo eee ee eo 47 4.6 a 
IRGO TL GSURYRD MNS 665-5 code ces cease sScceessscescoscoseseoscsases= 70 6.9 104 HSS 
Bankers Siac coca towels Soca Sesion ae eee Se ene erate 61 6.0 30 eo 
WIRD I= as Soe oc cos dooUD Ee NoOnco ses Saco sseaneRGscencocadoeee 42 4.1 29 Bae 
Commission men, produce dealers, auctioneers, and traveling 
SPICES NBN So neh cS a ashok soso ocagsssssS5sse ene sce assesses 22 201 24 PETE 
Government employees and other salaried persons. ........----- 23 2.2 15 127 
Physicians, dentists; and veterinarians... --2-:3.-.--=2---2------ 14 1.3 14 1.5 
Capitalists with no other occupation .........-..-..------------ 11 ct 11 slag 
Mechanics and small shopkeepers. ..........--..--------------- 11 SD 12 1.2 
Stock: Dyers eae ace a oe eee ee eee ee eee eee ae i il a2 2 oe 
IVE WAVES ep Soca steeds ses cages seseen ss552 ssoncecosscSseccerons 9 9 9 -0 
Miscellaneous urbanj occupations =<. 2-2-2 5 see a ee z 12 1.3 9 1.0 
Total knows OCCUpPabiONS 222 se sae ee a e 1,013 100. 0 910 100.0 
Unknown: joint OF mixed occu pahlonSie sae = aes oe ee ee 7p eae ee ane 14a aber 
Hstatesisold tor settlement 28 as aes se na oe er ee |e Senet seers de) ee 2 
Potal farins. ce Ee ee SE ees Can | 938 |... eee 
Total ruraloccupations sae eee sae eee ere ee 727 71.8 651 72.3 
TotalambaniocecuUpationsS sxe see = eee ee ee ee 286 28.2 259 Zi 
a Persons retired are classed according to their former occupatious. 
b The percentages are based on the total of known occupations. 
One of the most striking facts indicated by the table is that farmers 
were apparently more active as buyers than as sellers of farms, con- 
stituting 65.3 per cent of the buying class and only 57 per cent 
of the selling class. On the other hand, retired farmers were very 
much more active as sellers than as buyers, while the same tendency 
was true of rea] estate men. Bankers, merchants, and stock buyers 
bought more extensively than they sold. EKighty-three per cent of 
the sales were made by three classes—farmers, retired farmers, and 
real estate men, while nearly 80 per cent of the purchases were made 
by these classes. 
‘INTENTIONS OF BUYERS WITH RESPECT TO FARMS BOUGHT. 
In order to ascertain to what extent the purchases and sales were 
of a speculative character, the buyers were asked to indicate their 
intentions with respect to disposition of the farms bought, and sellers 
were asked their principal reasons for selling. Table VI summarizes 
the results of the firstinquiry. The various answers are classified in 
eight groups. Of the total of 988 cases in which the intentions of 
buyers were indicated it appears that 665, or practically two-thirds, 
had bought without intention of reselling, while 244, or a little more 
than one-fourth, bought with the definite intention of reselling. 
Ninety-nine, or about 10 per cent, bought with the intention of 
reselling, if possible, but with the expectation of operating or renting 
the farms in case they did not succeed in selling under favorable 
conditions. Probably. the majority of this last-mentioned group 
bought for speculative motives and desire to resell rather than to 
retain the property for permanent investment. 
