4 
BULLETIN 1432, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Supplemental information bearing on the status of owners of 
rented farms on January 1, 1920, was obtained by addressing ques- 
tionnaires to a large porportion of the owners of rented farms in the 
184 counties studied. 
Considerable difference exists between the various counties and 
areas studied with respect to the average acreage and value per farm 
and value per acre of farm land. For example, in the Dakota area 
the farms contained an average of 406 acres, whereas in the Missis- 
sippi area the farms contained an average of only 22 acres. Owner- 
ship of 400 rented acres in the Dakota area would therefore suggest 
the ownership of one rented farm of about the average size, whereas 
the owner of 400 rented acres in the Mississippi area might be ex- 
pected to have 18 tenants if each tenant has a farm of about average 
size. 
To illustrate the marked difference in value of the tenant farms in 
the different areas studied, comparison may be made between the 
area in central Illinois and the area centrally located along the boun- 
dary between Virginia and North Carolina. The amount of money 
requisite to own the land and buildings of a farm of average value in 
the central Illinois area would enable a buyer to acquire land and 
buildings enough in this tobacco -growing section of Virginia and 
North Carolina to rent to 18 tenants. (Table 1.) 
Table 1. — Areas in which the ownership of rented farms was indexed, 1920 
Counties 
studied 
Type of farming by 
group 
Average of rented farms, 
1920 2 
State and location 
Total 
Group ' 
Size 
Value of land and 
buildings 
Per 
farm 
Per 
acre 
New York, western 
Num- 
ber 
5 
3 
2 
9 
11 
11 
10 
8 
6 
7 
11 
10 
1 
10 
3 
9 
2 
4 
5 
4 
2 
6 
3 
8 
3 
5 
4 
4 
5 
4 
9 
Num- 
ber 
1 
2 
3 
4 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
Fruit and general 
>Dairy.__ 
Acres 
112 
146 
82 
107 
164 
173 
118 
132 
192 
167 
406 
272 
118 
131 
51 
71 
47 
42 
46 
50 
34 
22 
64 
92 
168 
87 
258 
$11, 616 
8,149 
8,781 
16, 398 
38, 347 
54,854 
10, 551 
19, 275 
55, 315 
44,595 
29, 828 
22, 198 
7,746 
9,483 
7,976 
3,138 
3,850 
3,867 
4,638 
10, 397 
840 
4,617 
4,723 
5,639 
8,162 
11, 216 
34, 263 
$104 
New York, scattered . 
General and dairy 
Pennsylvania, southeastern 
107 
153 
Illinois, northern 
Corn, oats, dairy 
Corn, oats . 
233 
317 
Dairy and general 
Dairy. 
89 
146 
Corn, oats, livestock 
do 
288 
267 
North Dakota, eastern- _. ... ... 
J-Small grains 
73 
South Dakota, northeastern 
Small grains and corn... 
Dairy and general 
Truck and general 
Truck 
82 
65 
72 
156 
>Tobacco and eorn.. 
\ Cotton and corn.. „ 
do 
Tobacco and corn 
Tobacco and general 
Cotton.. 
44 
82 
92 
North Carolina, north central 
North Carloina, south centra] 
South Carolina, north central 
102 
209 
25 
do 
Rice and cotton 
214 
74 
Cotton.. .. .. 
62 
Cotton and general 
Cotton 
48 
129 
General and horticul- 
tural. 
Average ._ 
133 
184 
31 
105 
16, 001 
152 
See footnote 4 on page 3. 
Obtained from acreage and value totals reported by the Bureau of the Census. 
