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Vol. Ill - pi. 4
AGRICULTURE, 1954
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
(A Cooperative Report)
SPECIAL REPORTS
(J. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
1954
Census
Agriculture
L
&
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
WASHINGTON • T95<S
U. S. Department of Agriculture
Ezra Taff Benson, Secretary
Agricultural Research Service
Byron T. Shaw, Administrator
U. S. Department of Commerce
Sinclair Weeks, Secretary
Bureau of the Census
Robert W. Burgess, Director
United States
Census
of
Agriculture:
1954
Volume III
SPECIAL REPORTS
Part 4
Agriculture, 1954, A Graphic Summary
(A Cooperative Report)
LAND UTILIZATION • FARM MACHINERY and FACILITIES • FARM TENURE
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Robert W. Burgess, Director
AGRICULTURE DIVISION
Ray Hurley, Chief
Warder B. Jenkins, Assistant Chief
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
Byron T. Shaw, Administrator
DIVISION OF FARM AND LAND MANAGEMENT RESEARCH
Sherman E. Johnson, Director
PRODUCTION ECONOMICS RESEARCH BRANCH
Carl P. Heisig, Chief
Boston Public Library
Superintendent of Documents
OCT 3 -1957
#73/7 s/7**/
SUGGESTED IDENTIFICATION
U. S. Bureau of the Census. U. S. Census of Agriculture: 19H. Vol. Ill, Special Reports
Part 4, Agriculture, 1954, A Graphic Summary.
U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C, 1956.
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C.
or any of the Field Offices of the Department of Commerce, Price $1.25
n
PREFACE
Volume III, Special Reports, comprises a group of special compilations and summaries of data from
tie 1954 Census of Agriculture and related surveys. Part 4 of Volume III, "Agriculture 1954, A Graphic
Summary," presents in graphic form some of the significant facts regarding farms, land use, farm tenure,
and farm power and machinery as shown by the 1954 Census of Agriculture.
This report has been prepared cooperatively by the Bureau of the Census, U. S. Department of
Commerce, and the Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Chapter 1 presents some of the significant facts regarding the uses being made of agricultural land
both inside and outside of farm boundaries, and changes and developments in the use of agricultural lands.
This chapter was written by James R. Anderson, Agricultural Economist, Production Economics Research
Branch, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Agricultural production during the present century has been greatly influenced by the mechanization
of farms. Chapter 2 presents some of the significant facts regarding the extent of use of farm power,
machinery and facilities on farms, and changes and developments during recent years. This chapter was
written by Martin R. Cooper, assisted by Joe F. Davis, Paul E. Strickler, Albert P. Brodell, and Julius J.
Csorba, Agricultural Economists, Production Economics Research Branch, Agricultural Research Service,
U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Chapter 3 provides some of the significant facts regarding the extent and general nature of the various
forms of tenure under which farms are held and operated, and the changes and developments in farm
tenure, especially during the last two decades. This chapter was prepared by Gene L. Wunderlich,
Agricultural Economist, assisted by Marie B. Harmon, Production Economics Research Branch, Agricultural
Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, and by Hilton E. Robison, Supervisory Statistician,
Bureau of the Census, U. S. Department of Commerce.
The preparation of these reports was under the supervision of Ray Hurley, Chief of the Agriculture
Division of the Bureau of the Census, U. S. Department of Commerce. Charles F. Frazier, Ethel Lund.
Olive K. Britt, Emile Hooker, and Henry A. Tucker assisted in the preparation of maps, charts, and other
materials. Most of the maps were prepared under the supervision of Clarence E. Batschelet, Geographer,
Bureau of the Census, U. S. Department of Commerce.
December 1956. m
UNITED STATES CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE: 1954
REPORTS
Volume I. — Counties and State Economic Areas. Statistics for counties include number of farms, acreage, value, and farm operators ;
farms by color and tenure of operator ; facilities and equipment ; use of commercial fertilizer ; farm labor ; farm expenditures ; livestock
and livestock products ; specified crops harvested ; farms classified by type of farm and by economic class ; and value of products sold
by source.
Data for State economic areas include farms and farm characteristics by tenure of operator, by type of farm, and by economic class.
Volume I is published in 33 parts as follows:
Part
State or States
Part
State or States
Part
State or States
1
New England States:
West North Central:
East South Central — Continued
Maine.
8
Minnesota.
21
Alabama.
New Hampshire.
9
Iowa.
22
Mississippi.
Vermont.
10
Missouri.
West South Central:
Massachusetts.
11
North Dakota and South
23
Arkansas.
Rhode Island.
Dakota.
24
Louisiana.
Connecticut.
12
Nebraska.
25
Oklahoma.
2
Middle Atlantic States:
13
Kansas.
26
Texas.
New York.
South Atlantic:
Mountain:
New Jersey.
14
Delaware and Maryland.
27
Montana.
Pennsylvania.
15
Virginia and West Virginia.
28
Idaho.
East North Central.
16
North Carolina and South
29
Wyoming and Colorado.
3
Ohio.
Carolina.
30
New Mexico and Arizona.
4
Indiana.
17
Georgia.
31
Utah and Nevada.
5
Illinois.
18
Florida.
Pacific:
6
Michigan.
East South Central:
32
Washington and Oregon.
7
Wisconsin.
19
20
Kentucky.
Tennessee.
33
California.
Volume II. — General Report. Statistics by Subjects, U nited States Census of Agriculture, 1954. Summary data and analyses of
the data for States, for Geographic Divisions, and for the U nited States by subjects as illustrated by the chapter titles listed below :
Chapter
Title
Chapter
Title
I
Farms and Land in Farms.
VII
Field Crops and Vegetables.
II
Age, Residence, Years on Farm, Work Off Farm.
VIII
Fruits and Nuts, Horticultural Specialties,
Forest
III
Farm Facilities, Farm Equipment.
Products.
VI
Farm Labor, Use of Fertilizer, Farm Expenditures, and
IX
Value of Farm Products.
Cash Rent.
X
Color, Race, and Tenure of Farm Operator.
V
Size of Farm.
XI
Economic Class of Farm.
VI
Livestock and Livestock Products.
XII
Type of Farm.
Volume III. — Special Reports
Part 1. — Multiple-unit Operations. This report will be similar to
Part 2 of Volume V of the reports for the 1950 Census of
Agriculture. It will present statistics for approximately 900
counties and State economic areas in 12 Southern States and
Missouri for the number and characteristics of multiple-unit
operations and farms in multiple units.
Part 2. — Ranking Agricultural Counties. This special report will
present statistics for selected items of inventory and agricul-
tural production for the leading counties in the United States.
Part 3. — Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, District of Columbia, and
XT. S. Possessions. These areas were not included in the 1954
Census of Agriculture. The available current data from vari-
ous Government sources will be compiled and published in this
report.
Part 4. — Agriculture, 1954, a Graphic Summary. This report will
present graphically some of the significant facts regarding
agriculture and agricultural production as revealed by the 1954
Census of Agriculture.
Part 5. — Farm-mortgage Debt. This will be a cooperative study
by the Agricultural Research Service of the U. S. Department
of Agricluture and the Bureau of the Census. It will present,
by States, data based on the 1954 Census of Agriculture and a
special mail survey to be conducted in January 1956, on the
number of mortgaged farms, the amount of mortgage debt, and
the amount of debt held by principal lending agencies.
Part G. — Irrigation in Humid Areas. This cooperative report by
the Agricultural Research Service of the U. S. Department of
Agriculture and the Bureau of the Census will present data ob-
tained by a mail survey of operators of irrigated farms in 28
States on the source of water, method of applying water, num-
ber of pumps used, acres of crops irrigated in 1954 and 1955,
the number of times each crop was irrigated, and the cost of
irrigation equipment and the irrigation system.
Part 7. — Popular Report — The American Farmer in 1954. This
report is planned to be a general, easy-to-read publication for
the general public on the status and broad characteristics of
United States agriculture.
Part 8. — Size of Operation by Type of Farm. This will be a coop-
erative special report to be prepared in cooperation with the
Agricultural Research Service of the U. S. Department of Agri-
culture. This report will contain data for 119 economic sub-
regions, (essentially general type-of-f arming areas) showing the
general characteristics for each type of farm by economic class.
It will provide data for a current analysis of the differences
that exist among groups of farms of the same type. It will
furnish statistical basis for a realistic examination of produc-
tion of such commodities as wheat, cotton, and dairy products
in connection with actual or proposed governmental policies
and programs.
rv
CHAPTER 1
LAND UTILIZATION
CONTENTS
Page
Introduction 5
Sources of data 5
Scope, definitions, and explanations 5
Major uses of land 6
Land use — 1954 7
Changes in land use 8
Regional trends in land use 9
Cropland 11
Pastureland 15
Woodland and forest land 17
Regional patterns of land resources and uses 19
Type of farming 20
Major land-use regions 22
Major uses of all land by farm-production regions 23
Major uses of nonfarmland by farm-production regions 24
Land capability by farm-production regions 25
Page
Conservation, development, and improvement of land re-
sources 26
Irrigated land 27
Drainage 29
Land clearing and brush control 30
Pasture improvement 31
Soil-conserving practices 32
Farm resources and production 34
Farms and farmland 35
Farm population 41
Power and equipment 42
Agricultural production 44
Principal crops 49
Livestock 54
CHARTS AND MAPS
Page
Farm production regions 5
Map of the United States, showing geographic regions and
divisions 5
Major uses of land, 1954 7
The trend in land utilization 8
Land in farms, agricultural land and cropland harvested, by
regions, 1880-1954 9
Total cropland, acreage, 1954 10
Cropland harvested, acreage, 1954 10
Cropland used only for pasture, acreage, 1954 10
Cropland not harvested and not pastured, acreage, 1954 10
Cultivated summer fallow, acreage, 1954 10
Cropland harvested — increase and decrease, in acreage,
1949-1954 ' 11
Cropland harvested — increase and decrease, in acreage,
1899-1949 11
All land in farms and cropland harvested, for the United
States: 1850-1954 11
Cropland as a percent of total land area, 1954 12
Total cropland as a percent of all land in farms, 1954 13
Cropland harvested as a percent of the total land area, 1954. 14
Uses of cropland harvested 14
Total land pastured, acreage, 1954 15
Cropland used only for pasture, acreage, 1954 15
Pasture other than cropland and woodland, acreage, 1954. _ 15
Pasture and grazing land : 1900-1954 16
Woodland pastured, acreage, 1954 16
Farm operators with grazing permits, number, April 1, 1950. 16
Distribution of forest land, acreage, 1953 17
Woodland in farms, acreage, 1954 18
Woodland pastured, acreage, 1954 18
Woodland not pastured, acreage, 1954 18
Major types of farming in the United States 20
Type-of-farming areas, based on type accounting for 50 per-
cent or more of commercial farms, 1954 21
Major land use regions 22
Major uses of all land as compared with total land area, by
regions, 1954 23
Page
Major uses of nonfarmland as compared with total land area,
by regions, 1954 24
Land capability as compared with total land area, by regions,
1950 - 25
Irrigated land in farms, acreage, 1954 27
Irrigated acreage of specified crops and pasture in the 20
States: 1954 27
Irrigated land — increase and decrease, in acreage, 1949-1954. 27
Areas irrigated and irrigable 28
Acreage of irrigated land in the United States: 1889-1954 28
Farm drainage, acreage, 1947-53 29
Farm drainage in United States 29
Land cleared, acreage, 1954 30
Brush control, acreage, 1954 30
Seeding and reseeding of pasture, acreage, 1950-53 31
Seeding and reseeding of pasture, 3-year averages, United
States 31
Land in cover crops turned under for green manure, acreage,
1954 32
Land in row crops or close-seeded crops grown in strips for
wind erosion control, acreage, 1954 32
Cropland used for grain or row crops farmed on the contour,
acreage, 1954 33
Number of farms, 1954 35
Commercial farms, number, 1954 35
Other farms, number, 1954 35
Percent of total land area in farms, 1954 36
All land in farms, acreage, 1954 36
Land in farms, by tenure of operator, for the United States:
1954 36
Acreage of land in farms and not in farms, for the United
States: 1850-1954 36
Land in farms and number of farms for the United States:
1850-1954 37
Commercial farms as a percent of all farms, 1954 38
Average size of commercial farms, 1954 38
Average value of land and buildings per acre, 1954 39
CONTENTS
Page
Distribution of selected resources for the United States by
regions and by commercial and other farms within regions:
1954 40
Percent of total population represented by farm population,
April 1, 1950 41
United States farm population 41
Tractors on farms, number, 1954 42
Horses and mules, number, 1954 42
Tractors — increase and decrease, in number, 1950-1954 42
Horses and mules, and tractors on farms, January 1 42
Principal machines on farms, 1940 and 1955 43
Farm production per acre and per animal 44
Trends in population, cropland and farm output in United
States 44
Acreage on which commercial fertilizer was used, 1954 45
Changes in use of fertilizer and farm income 45
Average value of farm products sold per acre of all land in
farms, 1954 46
Value of all crops sold as a percent of all farm products
sold, 1954 46
Value of all farm products sold, dollars, 1954 47
Specified crops harvested — acreage and value of production,
for the United States: 1954 47
Acreages in food grains, feed grains, oil seed crops, and cotton,
for the United States: 1879-1954 48
Changes in harvested acres of principal crops, 1949-54 48
All wheat threshed, acreage, 1954 49
Oats threshed, acreage, 1954 49
Barley threshed, acreage, 1954 49
Rice threshed, acreage, 1954 49
Corn for all purposes, acreage, 1954 50
Sorghums for all purposes except for sirup, acreage, 1954 50
Soybeans grown for all purposes, acreage, 1954 50
Flax threshed, acreage, 1954 50
Page
Peanuts grown for all purposes, acreage, 1954 51
Cotton harvested, acreage, 1954 51
Tobacco harvested, acreage, 1954 51
Sugar beets harvested for sugar, acreage, 1954 51
Land in fruit orchards, groves, vineyards, and planted nut
trees, acreage, 1954 52
Vegetables harvested for sale, acreage, 1954 52
Irish potatoes, acreage, 1954 52
Dry field and seed beans harvestedjfor beans, acreage, 1954. 52
Land from which hay was cut, acreage, 1954 53
Wild hay cut, acreage, 1954 53
Alfalfa cut for hay, acreage, 1954 53
Clover or timothy cut for hay, acreage, 1954 53
Feed for all livestock, percentage of all feed from all concen-
trates, 1949-50 54
Feed for all livestock, percentage of all feed from hay, 1949-
50 54
Feed for all livestock, percentage of all feed from pasture and
grazing, 1949-50 54
Cattle on farms January 1 54
United States pig crops 54
Stock sheep and lambs on farms January 1 54
Cattle, number, 1954 55
Milk cows, number, 1954 55
Hogs, number, 1954 55
Sheep, number, 1954 55
Output of poultry and eggs compared to other products 56
Increases in efficiency in poultry industry 56
Poultry meat supply (ready-to-cook basis) 56
Broiler chick placements, for 1954 and 1955 production,
selected reporting areas 56
Chickens sold, number, 1954 56
Value of poultry and poultry products sold, dollars, 1954 56
INTRODUCTION
Since 1925, Censuses of Agriculture taken at 5-year intervals
have provided information on the major uses of land in farms.
The former Bureau of Agricultural Economics and the Produc-
tion Economics Research Branch, Agricultural Research Service
have compiled data at different times on the uses of land not in
farms. Graphic presentation of the basic information about land
use has accompanied the collection and tabulation of the basic
statistics for each of the Censuses of Agriculture since 1925.
Numerous uses are made of the graphic presentation of avail-
able statistics and other information on the utilization of land.
Facts relating to the present extent, location, and productivity
of land used for different purposes are needed in the analysis of
present and prospective agricultural or general economic condi-
tions for the country as a whole and for specific areas. Future
requirements for land resources need to be compared with present
uses in order to determine the best possibilities for meeting the
long-term demands for food and fiber required by an expanding
population with a desire for an improved level of living. Alter-
native means of increasing production when the occasion arises
will need to take account of possible shifts in land use that may
be needed to provide more of some kinds of commodities and less
of others as overall patterns of consumption change.
Current problems in the surplus production of some agricul-
tural commodities are related in part to the need for certain basic
shifts in land use. In order to approach an effective solution to
this problem, a thorough understanding of how the land is pres-
ently used is a necessary starting point. Historical perspective is
also required in order to arrive at satisfactory solutinns to such
problems of agriculture as the present overproduction of certain
crops.
Competitive demands for the use of land have attracted con-
siderable attention in recent years. Widely divergent opinions
are expressed about the need to deal with such problems as the
subdivision of good farmland for urban development, the need for
recreational space near large concentrations of population, and
the relationship between the improvement of farmland through
drainage and the need to maintain adequate habitats for wildlife.
If these and conflicts in use are to be resolved, a good basic knowl-
edge of how the land is presently being used will be needed.
Sources of data. — The maps and charts pertaining to land in
farms presented in this graphic summary are based principally
on statistical data published in reports of the 1954 Census of
Agriculture and in reports of earlier Censuses. Agricultural
FARM
PRODUCTION
REGIONS
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Research Service, Production Economics Research Branch, in
the United States Department of Agriculture, has collected, in-
tegrated, and analyzed data on land not in farms and has re-
lated this information to Census statistics for land in farms.
This information has been gathered from the records and reports
of State and Federal agencies. These records of public land-
owning and land-managing agencies, branches of State govern-
ments, and other sources were consulted in the preparation of
an inventory of major land uses by the Production Economics
Research Branch, Agricultural Research Service. Aerial photo-
graphs, topographic and other maps, soil surveys, and related
materials provided information necessary for the preparation
of some of the maps. The Soil Conservation Service supplied
information on land clearing and brush control in soil conserva-
tion districts for which technical assistance was provided. The
Agricultural Conservation Program Service provided county
data necessary for preparing maps on farm drainage and the
seeding and reseeding of pasture.
Scope, definitions, and explanations. — The graphic summary of
land utilization focuses attention on the major uses of land.
Attention is given to land not in farms as well as to land in
farms. Maps and charts showing present distribution and past
changes for the major land uses are included along with a brief
explanatory text. This report is not concerned primarily with
the distribution of crops and livestock and with changes in the
production of individual commodities. However, a selected
number of maps and charts dealing with some of the principal
crops and with the main livestock classes are presented to fa-
cilitate the use and interpretation of maps and charts on major
land uses. Care has been exercised in the selection of illustra-
tions in order to include the most significant changes taking
place as well as the present distribution of different land uses.
In the maps, charts, and text, terminology consistent with the
various definitions contained in the 1950 Census of Agriculture
is used. In describing and locating areas, commonly accepted
geographical terms are used. In presenting data by States, farm-
production regions or divisions are used in order to obtain more
agriculturally related combinations of States than the geographic
divisions used by the Census. This division permits the presen-
tation of significant regional differences in land use which are
obscured in Census data. Unless otherwise stated, the farm-
production regions are used throughout this graphic summary.
In order to avoid confusion, the comparative grouping of Census
geographic divisions and farm-production regions is shown by
the accompanying two maps.
MAP OF THE UNITED STATES. SHOWING GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS AND DIVISIONS
407763 — 57-
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
MAJOR USES OF LAND
Inventory of land uses. — In a country as large as the United
States, land is used for many diverse purposes. In the inventory
and study of land, the several uses are commonly grouped into
a few major categories designated as major uses. Cropland,
pasture and grazing land, forest and woodland, and special-use
areas and miscellaneous other laud are discussed as major uses
of land in this report. These major uses of land are explained
here so that those who use the maps and charts in this report will
understand more clearly some basic concepts about land use
and how different uses are interrelated.
The major uses of land are often separated broadly into land
in farms and land not in farms. Land iu farms includes land
used chiefly for agricultural purposes under direct, or sole con-
trol of the operators. Under this definition, land owned or leased
and operated individually for farming by farm operators is con-
sidered as land in farms. It includes considerable areas of land
not actually under cultivation and some land not used for pasture
or grazing that is intermingled with farms or part of tracts used
for farming. Large areas of timberland or other npnagricultural
land held by farm operators as separate enterprises, and not used
for pasture or any other farming purposes generally, are excluded
from land in farms. Indian land, whether operated by Indians
or leased out to others for agricultural purposes, is classified as
farmland. Public land used under permit is not included in
land in farms.
Nearly all of the cropland is a part of land in farms, although
some cropland undoubtedly exists that has not been reported by
the Census of Agriculture because of limitations of definition and
underenumeration. Pasture refers to land in farms used for pas-
turing livestock, except for forage obtained from the aftermath
of crops or by pasturing growing crops for short periods of time.
Grazing pertains to land not in farms which is grazed. Forest
and woodland may be either in farms or outside farm boundaries.
Most of the special-use areas, except farmsteads, are not in farms.
Miscellaneous unaccounted-for areas may be either a part of land
in farms or land not in farms.
The major uses of land are also subdivided on the basis of
actual vegetative cover on the land at the time of classification.
Thus, cropland may be broken down into cropland used for crops,
cropland used only for pasture, and cropland idle or used for
growing soil-improvement crops. Cropland used for crops in-
cludes cropland harvested, cropland on which crops failed, and
cropland used for cultivated summer fallow. Cropland used only
for pasture may also be considered as a part of the pasture area.
For the most part, cropland used only for pasture is pasture that
is grown in rotation with crops, although some of it may be crop-
land that is no longer used for producing crops and that may
eventually become idle cropland or permanent pastureland.
Pasture and grazing land has a great variety of vegetative
cover and varies widely in the amount of forage furnished to
livestock. Pasture in farms consists of open or nonforested pas-
ture, including cropland used only for pasture, other open grass-
land pasture (not cropland and not woodland), and woodland
pastured. Woodland or forest land that is pastured is also con-
sidered a part of the forest-land area. In some parts of the
country, the woodland in farms that is pastured may be com-
mercial forest land while in other areas it has little commercial
value.
Grazing land may be either forested or nonforested. Non-
forested range produces forage suitable for grazing without cul-
tivation, including mountain meadow, cutover land, and brush-
land on which the number or grouping of any brush and trees is
such that the land could not be considered forest land. In the
Western States, much of the grazing land not in farms is public
land that has never been privately owned. Seasonal use of the
nonfarm grazing land furnishes an important complementary
source of forage to that produced on farms and ranches. In
parts of the South, privately owned nonfarm forest land is ex-
tensively grazed, particularly in spring and early summer.
Forest and woodland may be considered in several ways. Some
forest types may be pastured or grazed ; other types may have
little value for forage. The farm and nonfarm breakdown of
forest and woodland is significant from the standpoint of forest
management. Private or public ownership is also an important
separation in any inventory of forest and woodland use. The
commercial and noncommercial value of forest and woodland
is needed for studies of timber resources.
By definition of the United States Forest Service, forest and
woodland includes: (1) Land 10 percent or more stocked with
trees of any size and capable of producing commercial timber
and other valuable wood products and services; (2) land from
which trees have been removed to less than 10 percent stocking
and which has not been developed for uses other than timber
production; (3) afforested areas (planted) ; and (4) arid wood-
land with dense cover, such as chaparral. Adherence to this
definition means that there may be some overlapping among the
major uses of land as cropland and open grassland pastureland
as reported by the Census of Agriculture may be included under
certain circumstances as forest land under the definition used
by the Forest Service in its inventory of forest land.
Special uses of land include a wide variety of uses, such as
urban sites, highways, railroads, airports, parks, national de-
fense areas, wildlife refuges, farmsteads, and farm roads and
lanes. For the most part, these uses are largely nonagricultural.
Much recent interest in this group of uses centers around the
question of whether or not it is desirable to use good agricultural
land for urban sites and other similar uses when less desirable
agricultural land suitable for such uses is available. The com-
peting demands for the use of land are particularly acute in
good farming areas where urban and industrial expansion have
been rapid.
Other miscellaneous unaccounted-for areas include deserts,
sand dunes, bare rock areas, and marshes. Some of the land
having these physical characteristics is used for military pur-
poses or for parks and wildlife refuges.
Some land may have two or more uses. When land is used
for multiple purposes, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish pri-
mary and secondary uses. The extent to which the exact area
or closely intermingled areas have more than one use may also
be hard to determine. In an inventory of land use, it is not al-
ways possible to eliminate completely duplications arising from
the multiple uses of land. But despite these difficulties, the pos-
sibilities of obtaining closer integration of such uses of land as
recreation, watershed uses, forage, timber, and wildlife must
be carefully explored in order that these uses may be geographi-
cally and economically available to the growing number of people
who desire to use them.
Contrasts in land quality. — In this report, most of the land-use
information is presented in terms of area used for different pur-
poses. Data are often not so readily available for certain quali-
tative aspects of land use. Considerable variation exists in the
quality of land used for different purposes. For example, nearly
a tenth of the present, cropland area should be converted to
grassland and woodland. Different limitations on use apply to
the land that is suitable for cropland.
Nearly nine-tenths of the production from pasture and grazing
land comes from the 647 million acres of pasture in farms. This
means that only a tenth of the forage comes from the 353 million
acres of grazing land not in farms. The 66 million acres of crop-
laud used only for pasture, which accounts for only about 7
percent of all pasture and grazing land, supplies approximately a
third of the total feed production from pasture and grazing land.
LAND UTILIZATION
Forest land has a similar wide variation in productivity. Of
the 64S million acres of forest land in continental United States
reported in the recent Timber Resource Review of the United
States Forest Service, only 484 million acres are classified as com-
mercial forest land. Of the commercial forest land, only 179 mil-
lion acres are in sawtimber stands and 42 million acres of the
commercial forest land are presently nonstocked.
Factors affecting land use. — The question of how land resources
are used and how much production comes from different major
uses is determined largely by four groups of factors affecting
land use : (1) Physical conditions — climate, soil, topography, and
vegetative cover; (2) control or ownership of the land; (3) re-
quirements for the different commodities produced on the land ;
and (4) the status of technology relevant to land use.
land use changes. — The historical background of land use must
also be studied as a significant part of each of the above factors.
For the United States, recognition of two general periods of land-
use development are especially significant in acquiring an under-
standing of the present land-use situation. Before World War I,
while new settlement of the land was still taking place, changes
in the major uses of land occurred rapidly. Forests were cleared
and the land was converted to cropland and pasture. Native
grasslands were plowed and used for crop production for the first
time. Mistakes were made in the selection of land suitable for
cultivation, but often these appeared to be of little importance
while new lands were still available.
During the last four decades, total acreages of cropland and
pasture and grazing land have not increased or decreased greatly,
but significant changes have nonetheless been taking place.
Shifts in cropland and pastureland among regions have occurred.
Cropland is becoming more concentrated on land with fertile soils
and level topography. Land that is rough or otherwise physically
ill-suited for crop production is reverting to pasture and forest.
Gradual improvement of land being used for cropland and pasture
is taking place through irrigation, drainage, clearing^ and flood
control. In some areas, urban, industrial, and related nonagri-
cultural uses are encroaching on land formerly farmed.
The present lack of balance between crops grown and the types
of products in strongest demand indicates that future basic ad-
justments in land use are likely to occur. Careful study of the
present patterns and past shifts of land use as these are affected
by different factors or conditions will facilitate future changes
that are needed in the major uses of land.
LAND USE— 1954
Distribution of the 1,904 million acres of land in the continental
United States among the major uses is shown in the accompany-
ing chart. The total land in farms reported by the 1954 Census
of Agriculture was 1,15S million acres, which is nearly identical
with that reported for 1950. However, the distribution of the
land in farms among the major uses has changed considerably.
The 746 million acres of land not in farms also break down into
the various major uses differently in 1954 from the estimates
made for 1950 by the former Bureau of Agricultural Economics.
Some of these shifts in acreage among the major uses represent
actual changes while others are related in part to difficulties in
classification and definition.
If the division between land in farms and land not in farms is
omitted, the total land in each of the five major uses would be
allocated as follows :
Million
acres
Cropland (including that used only for pasture) 460
Pasture and grazing land (including woodland and for-
est land pastured or grazed) 934
Forest and woodland not pastured or grazed 314
Special-use areas (cities, parks, highways, railroads,
airports, wildlife refuges, defense areas, farmsteads,
farm lanes, and related uses) 110
Miscellaneous other land (deserts, swamps, sand dunes,
bare-rock areas, beaches, etc.) 86
Total 1, 904
MAJOR USES OF LAND, 1954
Total U.S. Acreage = 1,904 Mil. Acres
Cropland •
25%
Grassland posture
and grazing land
■ 33%
:iuoes cnopLtHB usee OHLt eon etsrune o Bestir, sutup. ot/*ts, ere
t r»»wsre»os. mews, ptnpotos. unstn nets. Pitts, ere
A eteiuees rotesr itno in Hues **o orne* eesetree tests
Cropland is made up of cropland harvested (333 million
acres), cropland used only for pasture (66 million acres), and
cropland not harvested and not pastured (61 million acres).
Cropland not harvested and not pastured includes cultivated
summer fallow, land on which all crops failed, land in soil-
improvement crops only, and land seeded to crops for harvest
after 1954. Cultivated summer fallow totaled 29 million acres
in 1954. This was 3 million acres more than was reported by the
1950 Census of Agriculture. This increase may be attributed
principally to acreage allotments on wheat and cotton that were
in effect for 1954 but were not applicable for these crops in 1949.
Land on which crops failed in 1954 totaled about 13 million acres
according to estimates prepared by the Production Economics
Research Branch, Agricultural Research Service, United States
Department of Agriculture.
In order to obtain the total acreage of all pasture and grazing
land, the 66 million acres of cropland used only for pasture can
be added to the 934 million acres of other pasture and grazing
land. This makes a total of 1 billion acres used for pasture and
grazing. Pasture in farms totals 647 million acres and grazing
land not in farms accounts for the remaining 353 million acres.
Woodland and forest land total 615 million acres. This total
is obtained by adding the 301 million acres of woodland and forest
pastured or grazed to the 314 million acres not used for that
purpose. Woodland and forest land in farms totals 197 million
acres, while that not in farms accounts for 418 million acres. The
615 million acres of woodland and forest land does not include
26 million acres of reserved forest land that is set apart in parks,
wildlife refuges, and other special uses.
Special-use areas in the aggregate occupy only about 5 percent
of the total land area, but the competition between such uses
and agricultural uses is an important problem in many areas.
Frequently, good agricultural land may be diverted to these uses
when land of lower agricultural value is available. Whether or
not this is in the best interests of the Nation is a question that
needs to be answered.
The 86 million acres of land classified under miscellaneous
other uses is for the most part land that is not used for other
purposes. Of this 86 million acres of miscellaneous other land,
it is estimated that 20 million acres is wasteland in farms. It
does not include all deserts, swamps, sand dunes, beaches, and
bare-rock areas. Frequently, such areas are a part of national
defense areas, parks, w'ildlife areas, and other related uses.
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
THE TREND IN LAND UTILIZATION
1930
1940
I960
CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES EXCLUSIVE OF ALASKA
1 EXCLUDES FORESTED AREAS RESERVED FOR PARKS AND RELATEO USES AND ARID WOODLAND. BRUSHLAND, AND FOREST LAND
USEO FOR GRAZING .
2 121 MILLION ACRES WERE REPORTED PASTURED IN 1954.
3 INCLUDES GRASSLAND. ARID WOODLAND. BRUSHLAND, AND FOREST LAND GRAZED
4 OPEN PASTURE IN FARMS, INCLUDING CROPLANO USED ONLY FOR PASTURE AND OTHER PLOWABLE PASTURE.
5 INCLUDES SOIL IMPROVEMENT CROPS. SUMMER FALLOW, AND LAND SEEDED TO CROPS FOR HARVEST THE SUCCEEDING YEAR,
CROPLAND ACREAGES ARE FOR THE YEAR PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE CENSUS EXCEPT FOR 1954.
CHANGES IN LAND USE
The Trend in Land Utilization
[Continental United States exclusive of Alaska]
Uses of land
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1954
Million
acres
319
276
768
191
175
174
Million
acres
347
284
739
191
162
180
Million
acres
402
328
661
158
160
184
Million
acres
413
379
578
150
208
175
Million
acres
399
461
504
157
203
181
Million
acres
409
485
400
220
201
189
Million
acres
394
526
Grazing land not In
358
Farm woodland (pas-
tured and not pastures-
Forest land not in farms
(not grazed) '... __
Farmsteads, roads, rail-
roads, urban areas,
parks, and other land..
197
238
196
Total
1,903
1.903
1,903
1,903
1,905
1,904
1,904
1 Includes soil-improvement crops, summer fallow, and land seeded to crops for
harvest the succeeding year. Cropland acreages are for the year preceding the date of
the Census except for 1954.
1 Open pasture in farms, including cropland used only for pasture and other plowable
pasture.
» Includes grassland, arid woodland, brushland, and forest land grazed.
4 Excludes forested areas reserved for parks and related uses and arid woodland, brush-
land, and forest land used for grazing.
Historical changes in the major uses of land in the United
States can be grouped into two periods. The first period lasted
until about 1920. This was the settlement or pioneer period
which came to a close with the expansion of the cropland area
into the subhumid parts of the Great Plains during and follow-
ing World War I. From 1880 to 1920, the acreage of cropland
harvested was more than doubled as it increased from 178 to 362
million acres. This rapid expansion in the acreage of cropland
was accompanied by large decreases in the area of native grass-
land. Grazing land not in farms, which includes idle grassland
and arid woodland and brushland grazed, was reduced by about
380 million acres between 1880 and 1920. Part of this grazing
land was converted to cropland and part of it has since been
included as land in farms. Clearing of forest land also continued
during this period as cropland and open pastureland were added
to farms in the 31 Eastern States and in parts of the Pacific
Northwest. The forest area was reduced by 50 to 75 million
acres between 1880 and 1920.
A greater degree of stabilization in the major categories of
land use has characterized the period since 1920. Fluctuation
rather than a continued increase in acreage of cropland has pre-
vailed. But significant regional shifts in distribution of cropland
have occurred. Land development and improvement through
drainage, irrigation, and clearing of forests has continued to ex-
pand the acreage of cropland in some areas bypassed or only
partially developed during the settlement period. Reversion to
woodland and conversion to such nonagricultural uses as cities,
highways, airports, parks, defense areas, and related uses have
offset some of the additions to cropland and improved pasture
through the development of new land. More of the grazing land
not in farms has become a part of the pasture area in farms.
This is partly explained by the inclusion of more public land in
farms. If the grazing land is leased, it is reported in farms ;
but if it is used under permit, it is not included as a part of the
land in farms as defined for the Census of Agriculture.
LAND UTILIZATION
LAND IN FARMS, AGRICULTURAL LAND* AND CROPLAND HARVESTED
By Regions 1880-1954
o
500
WES
rERN
1
' ■
:
J
1
1 "
1
855888^
0
I860
1900
I CROPLAND HARVESTED
I FARMS EXCLUDING WOODLAND
j AGRICULTURAL LAND
OTHER THAN CROPLAND
HARVESTED
1930 1940
KSSgj! WOOOLANO IN FARMS
I960
REGIONAL TRENDS IN LAND USE
The general trends of land in farms, agricultural land (ex-
cludes woodland), and cropland harvested are shown for the
Northern, Southern, and Western States in the accompanying
chart. In all three groups of States, land in farms and agricul-
tural land increased in nearly all decades until 1940. Cropland
harvested reached a peak acreage in the Northern and Southern
regions in 1930, while the peak acreage for the Western States
was reported by the 1950 Census of Agriculture.
Several important contrasts in trends exist among farm-pro-
duction regions within these three groups of States. These re-
gional changes in land in farms, agricultural land, and cropland
harvested are summarized briefly:
Northern States:
(1) Northeastern States. — Nearly uninterrupted decline since
1900 in land in farms, agricultural land, and cropland har-
vested characterizes this region. Abandonment of agricultural
land in the face of competition from midwestern agricultural
areas and urban and industrial expansion into agricultural
areas have contributed greatly to this decline.
(2) lake States. — Substantial increase occurred until 1920.
Fluctuation in land in farms and agricultural land has pre-
vailed since 1920. Cropland harvested more than doubled be-
tween 18S0 and 1920. During the last 35 years, it has increased
from 35 to 37 million acres.
(3) Corn Belt. — Land in farms reached a peak of 147 million
acres in 1900 and since then it has fluctuated between 146 and
138 million acres. Agricultural land reached its first peak in
1910 and since has ranged between 119 and 127 million acres.
Cropland harvested reached a peak of 80 million acres in 1920.
After some decline in intervening years, cropland harvested
totaled 77 million acres in 1954.
(4) Northern Plains. — Nearly uninterrupted increase of land
in farms and agricultural land characterizes this region. Crop-
land harvested reached a high point of 85 million acres in 1930.
Drought frequently reduced the acreage harvested during the
1930's, but since World War II crops have been harvested from
nearly 80 million acres of cropland each year.
Southern States:
(5) Appalachian. — Land in farms has dropped from a high
of 96 million acres in 1900 to 76 million acres in 1954. Agri-
cultural land accounted for 50 to 55 million acres between 1900
and 1950. In 1954, it dropped to 46 million acres. Cropland
harvested has fluctuated between a high of 25 million acres and
a low of 19 million acres in 1954.
(6) Southeastern States. — Land in farms reached a peak in
1950 largely because large grazing areas in Florida have been
included as land in farms in recent years. Cropland harvested
has declined by S million acres from a peak of 24 million acres
in 1920.
(7) Mississippi Delta. — The highest acreage of 51 million
acres of land in farms was reported in 1950. Agricultural
land increased from 15 million acres in 1SS0 to 32 million acres
in 1940, 1945, and 1950, and then declined slightly in 1954.
Cropland harvested has declined 3% million acres from the
1940 peak.
(8) Southern Plains. — A fivefold increase in land in farms
during the last 75 years characterizes this region. Pronounced
fluctuations in the acreage of agricultural land are explained
in part by difficulties in applying definitions of open and wood-
land pasture in the areas of brush infestation in Texas. Crop-
land harvested has declined about 11 million acres from the
peak of 46 million acres reached in 1930.
Western States:
(9) Mountain States. — Land in farms, agricultural land, and
cropland harvested have all increased during the 75-year period.
The inclusion of more of the grazing area in farms, gains in
the acreage irrigated, and development of dry-farming prac-
tices are responsible for these increases.
(10) Pacific States. — The trend in the three Pacific States has
been very similar to that in the Mountain States. Land in
farms, agricultural land, and cropland harvested have all more
than tripled during the 75-year period covered by the accom-
panying chart.
10
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
/VJ^*~
TOTAL CROPLAND*
ACREAGE, 1954
UNITED STATES TOTAL
459,648,961
'cropland harvested, cropland used only for pastl
plus cropland not harvested and not pastured
DOT=25,000 ACRES
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54-I24
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
CROPLAND HARVESTED
ACREAGE. 1954
CROPLAND USED ONLY FOR PASTURE
ACREAGE. 1954
CROPLAND NOT HARVESTED AND NOT PASTURED
ACREAGE. 1954
CULTIVATED SUMMER FALLOW
ACREAGE. 1954
LAND UTILIZATION
11
CROPLAND HARVESTED-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN ACREAGE, 1949-1954
CROPLAND HARVESTED*-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN ACREAGE. 1899-1949
CROPLAND
Almost three-fourths of the agricultural production of our
country is derived from that part of the land resources that are
used to produce crops. The total area of cropland contained 460
million acres in 1954, which accounts for a fourth of the total
land area. Cropland used only for pasture is included in this
total cropland area.
The decrease in total acreage of cropland between 1949 and
1954 amounted to 18 million acres. Several different factors ac-
count for this change. The decrease in cropland harvested be-
tween 1949 and 1954 represents in part an actual decrease in
land used for that purpose. Acreage allotments on wheat, cotton,
and corn which were in effect in 1954 but not in 1949 encouraged
a diversion of part of the acreage used in preceding years to grow
these crops to production of nonallotment crops. But part of the
acreage was diverted to pasture and part of it remained idle.
The decrease in cropland used only for pasture and in idle crop-
land may be due partly to the fact that cropland used only for
pasture in 1949 which was not actually in rotation with crops was
less frequently reported as cropland in 1954. This shift is
particularly evident in parts of the South where the seeding of
pastures on cropland taken out of crop production proceeded
rapidly after World War II. Much of this cropland, which had
been seeded for only a short time when the 1950 Census of
Agriculture was taken, has remained in pasture and by 1954 it
was generally considered as permanent grassland pasture.
Looking at a longer period of time, cropland used for crops or
idle as reported at 5-year intervals by the 8 Censuses of Agricul-
ture from 1920 to 1954 has averaged 403 million acres. The 1954
acreage of cropland used for crops or idle was 2 percent below
this average while the 1950 acreage was about 1 percent above the
average. This stability in acreage of cropland has been an im-
portant characteristic of agricultural land use since the end of
World War I.
Although the overall changes in cropland area have been
comparatively small, a considerable amount of change in distri-
bution and kind of land used for crops has taken place. The
distribution of total cropland and its component parts are shown
by the accompanying maps along with a chart and map showing
changes in cropland harvested, which is the most important part
of the cropland area.
Total cropland. — The heavy concentration of cropland in the
Corn Belt and in the eastern part of the Great Plains is a striking
characteristic of any map showing the distribution of cropland
in the United States. The 11 Corn Belt and Great Plains States
have 245 million acres of cropland or more than half of the total
acreage of cropland. Yet the land area of these 11 States ac-
counts for only a fourth of the total land area of the country.
Other concentrations of cropland are less extensive but they are
significant and are observable on the accompanying map. The
ribbon of concentration along the lower Mississippi River and the
extension of the high density cropland area of the Corn Belt
into the Lake States are two other areas in the Eastern States.
In the 11 Western States, cropland area is closely associated with
situations in which irrigation and dry-farming are practiced. Ex-
cept for parts of the Pacific Northwest, crops are not widely
grown in the Western States without reliance upon either irriga-
tion or conservation of moisture by fallowing.
Cropland harvested. — The distribution of cropland harvested is
very similar to that of total cropland. Parts of the country
which have very little cropland include extensive areas in the
West that are too dry and areas in the East that are too rough,
too wet, or have soils too poor for profitable use. Prominent
among these areas are the Southern Appalachian, Adirondack,
and Ozark Mountain areas, the Maine woods, the northern part
of the Lake States, and the flatwoods of the Southeast.
ALL LAN0 IN FARMS AND CROPLAND HARVESTED,
FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1850-1954
MILLIONS OF ACRES
0 200 400 600 800 1000
1954
1950
I94S
1940
1933
1930
1925
1920
1910
1900
1890
1880
1870
I860
1850
•^^^^^^^^n^tt_
Ktffi
mmmmmmimmillMllirm
imimiiMMMMiiMMMrrm
mimmiimmiiiMMMMn
^w^^MiimtimirrrMMimMMiiii7\
IIIIIMIM
MIM1IIII,
■MM
mtmiMMMF\
222
MMMMiMmMimmwMiM-r*
11II1IIMMM1MMMI
-mmmmmli
■zzzzrzz.
mmmmllj-rm\
mnmiiMlllll
mmmmmrrrr.
nmmnmmm\
mmmlllli
54C-002
•NOT AVAILABLE
irr7i TOTAL LAND IN FARMS
■M CROPLAND HARVESTED, 1925-1954, ACRES OF CROPS HARVESTED 1880-1920
Cropland used only for pasture. — Included in the total cropland
area are 06 million acres of pasture that is for the most part in
rotation with crops. Some cropland may be occupied by pasture
during the transition period between its use for crops and a state
of idleness, which will probably be followed by reversion to
permanent pasture or to woodland. From the map it may be ob-
served that the highest density of cropland used only for pasture
is in Kentucky. There it is associated with limestone soils and
moderately sloping land.
12
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Cropland not harvested and not pastured.— This category of
cropland, which totaled 61 million acres in 1954, includes culti-
vated summer fallow, cropland on which crops failed, cropland
used for soil-improvement crops, and idle cropland. As most of
the cultivated summer fallow and much of the crop failure is
reported in the 17 Western States, the major concentrations of
cropland not harvested and not pastured are nearly all in these
States. Cropland used for soil-improvement crops and idle
cropland account for most of the cropland not harvested and not
pastured in the 31 Eastern States. In 1954, less than a third of
the crop failure occurred in the 31 Eastern States.
Cultivated summer fallow.— The practice of summer fallowing
land is closely associated with growing wheat in the drier parts
of the major wheat belts. By letting the land lie fallow for a
crop season and by cultivating it to keep it free of weeds, the
accumulation of soil moisture is sufficient to result in higher
yields per acre. Cultivated summer fallow is widely used in the
drier parts of both the spring and winter wheat belts.
Cropland harvested — increase and decrease, 1949-54. — Changes
in the acreage of cropland harvested were widespread between
1949 and 1954. Counties in which a decrease in acreage occurred
are most heavily concentrated in the Southern States. Most of
the change that took place in the Northeastern States was a de-
cline in acreage. Counties in which increases occurred were
located principally in the spring wheat-producing area of North
Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana; in the central valley of
California ; the Columbia Basin; the rice-producing area of north-
eastern Arkansas ; and the Corn Belt.
All land in farms and cropland harvested, 1850-1954. — The long-
run trend in cropland harvested is compared with that for laud
in farms in the accompanying chart. Fluctuation rather than
progressive change has characterized the acreage of cropland
harvested since about 1920. Before that time the acreage
steadily increased during the period of settlement. The high
proportion of land in farms that is not used for growing crops
is also emphasized by this chart.
Cropland harvested — increase and decrease, 1899-1949. — De-
creases in cropland harvested that occurred over a 50-year period
between 1899 and 1949 are found mainly east of the Great Plains.
The decline is associated chiefly with hilly areas in which soil
erosion and depletion have taken place. The most extensive
areas of decrease are located in the Northeastern States, southern
Piedmont, hill-land fringe of the Ohio Valley, eastern Texas, and
the Ozark-Ouachita Highlands and adjacent hilly areas. Several
small areas of sharp decline are largely associated with the growth
of cities, as in northeastern Illinois and parts of southern
Michigan.
The most widespread and heaviest increase occurred in the
Great Plains. In the South, acreage in cropland harvested
has expanded mainly in the Mississippi Delta, Coastal Plain,
and in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The Mississippi Delta,
with its improved flood protection and drainage, greatly expanded
acreage in cotton and other crops. In the Coastal Plain, use
of fertilizers ; drainage of land ; suitability of soils for producing
bright tobacco in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia ;
expansion of peanut acreage in Alabama and Georgia ; increased
production of citrus fruits and vegetables ; and additional acreages
devoted to rice in Louisiana and Texas, have contributed to the
increase in cropland. In the Lower Rio Grande Valley the acre-
age of cropland has been greatly expanded through irrigation. In
the Corn Belt and Lake States, cropland has been added largely
through drainage of wet lands on existing farms. In the 11
Western States, the increase in acreage of cropland harvested
is associated chiefly with the development of irrigation and dry-
farming.
CR0PLAND**AS A PERCENT OF TOTAL LAND AREA, 1954.
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
I I UNDER 20
W//A 20 TO 39
40 TO 59
*N0 FARMS
* * CROPLAND HARVESTED. CROPLAND USED ONLY FOR PASTURE
AND CROPLAND NOT HARVESTED AND NOT PASTURED
u S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54- 118
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
LAND UTILIZATION
13
TOTAL CROPLAND**AS A PERCENT OF ALL LAND IN FARMS. 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
Cropland as a percentage of total land area. — This map shows
the proportion of the total land area occupied by cropland. Two
extremes stand out. On the one hand, there is the comparatively
compact area in the North Central States in which nearly all
of the counties have 60 percent or more of their total area in
cropland. Counties with less than 20 percent of the total land
area are at the other extreme. These counties are more widely
scattered than are counties having high proportions of cropland.
Very few counties in the Western States have more than a fifth
of their total area in cropland. This is partly because of their
large size and partly because of the widespread climatic limita-
tions to crop production. In the East, counties with a low pro-
portion of the total area in cropland are found in most States.
The largest areas are associated mainly with rough topography,
poor soils, and inadequate natural drainage. In some areas of
contiguous counties, such as those in southern New England and
in many scattered counties, urbanization has proceeded so far
that cropland has become a minor use of land.
Since a county-unit basis is used on this map, several important
details are obscured. For example, the high proportion of crop-
land in irrigated areas in the Western States is not clearly indi-
cated. Small areas of rough forested land and poorly drained
areas in the Eastern States cannot always be distinctly associated
with the physical conditions that limit their use for crop pro-
duction.
Some of the distinctive physical features that are related to
the low proportion of cropland shown by this map are the Sand
Hills of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia ; the Sand
Hills of Nebraska ; the ridge and valley section of the Appalachian
Mountains ; the Adirondack Mountains ; the Cross Timbers of
Texas ; the Knobstone Belt in southern Indiana ; unglaciated
southeastern Ohio ; and many other areas with relatively little
cropland. Many of the unshaded areas in the East are used only
to a limited extent for farming. In the West, grazing is the pre-
dominant use of the land over extensive areas.
Small areas with a high proportion of land used as cropland
that do not stand out distinctly on a county-unit basis are the
many small irrigated areas in the West, the Black Prairies of
Texas, the Inner Bluegrass and the Pennyroyal areas of Ken-
tucky, the southern shore of Lake Ontario, and the southern and
eastern shores of Lake Okeechobee in Florida.
Total cropland as a percentage of all land in farms. — Essentially
the same overall pattern is found represented in this map as that
for cropland as a percentage of total land area. The map indi-
cates the importance of cropland relative to other uses of farm-
land. In the West, ranches with large acreages used for pasture
tend to obscure the much higher proportions of cropland on most
irrigated farms. In the South, Northeast, and Lake States,
much land in farms remains in forest. In some type-of-farining
situations, the high proportion of forest land is associated with
production of crops with high labor requirements, such as tobacco
or cotton which are often concentrated on a few acres of the
best farmland. In such instances, little attention is given to the
rest of the farm.
14
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
*kj^-~ CROPLAND HARVESTED AS A PERCENT OF THE TOTAL LAND AREA. 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
I I UNDER 10
fc'^3 10 TO 19
■:': £S 20 TO 39
*N0 FARMS
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54-I20
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Cropland harvested as a percentage of the total land area. —
Most of the counties with more than 60 percent of the total land
area used for harvested cropland are concentrated in the North
Central States. Only a few additional counties in Texas and in
the Mississippi Delta fall into this category. Immediately sur-
rounding this core of high-density counties are found most of the
USES OF CROPLAND HARVESTED
MIL. ACRES-
400
300
200
_ Crop acres harvested
/ i
1910 1920 1930 1940
1950
IM ANE> HON
i. 1. tl'-Bi.l.t ot AGRICULTURE
-»•» AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
counties with 40 to 59 percent of the land area in cropland har-
vested. Counties with less than 10 percent of the total land area
used for cropland harvested are numerous in the Western States,
the mountainous and hilly areas of the Eastern States, the Coastal
Plain flatwoods, and in the heavily forested counties of northern
New England, and the northern parts of the Lake States.
Uses of cropland harvested. — Most of the Nation's cropland is
now used to produce products for domestic use. From 1950 to
1954, about 85 percent of the acreage of crops harvested was used
in domestic consumption. The other 15 percent was used to pro-
duce exports and feed for horses and mules. Acreage used for
producing exports during this 5-year period averaged 40 million
acres and that used for feed for all horses and mules averaged
15 million acres. This represents a significant drop from the
1945—49 period when an average of 46 million acres were used for
export production and 27 million acres were needed to feed all
horses and mules.
From 1910 to 1914 only 60 percent of the acreage was used to
produce domestic products. About 44 million acres were used
to produce exports in the 1910-14 period. This means that the
principal change in the disposition of production from the acre-
age of crops harvested has been the marked reduction in the
acreage used to produce feed for horses and mules. The acreage
used to feed horses and mules has declined by about 76 million
acres between the 1910-14 and 1950-54 periods.
LAND UTILIZATION
15
TOTAL LAND PASTURED"
ACREAGE, 1954
UNITED STATES TOTAL
647,100,398
CROPLAND USED ONLY FOR PASTURE.
WOODLAND PASTURED PLUS OTHER PASTURE
US. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54-I6I
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
JvJW^
CROPLAND USED ONLY FOR PASTURE
ACREAGE. 1954
■^--Ww^M^w
v \ 7 •
j — r * . i , ,, _ j&i
I ' \ I ^-Y" — ^"~ N. f
^^M^-J /
UNITED STATES TOTAL
V ^--'■^&^f>
66,069,830
\ -f IQ0T-25.OOO ACRES V '■ J
tCOWNr* uwi Basra \^ J
lis HHmwiii v couMcnu
"" ■« *S« M ■' 4*f*l V "
« U-SUl
PASTURE OTHER THAN CROPLAND AND WOODLAND
ACREAGE, 1954
PASTURELAND
Total land pastured. — Nearly every part of the United States
has some pastureland. The total acreage of all pasture in farms
reported by the 1954 Census of Agriculture was 647 million acres.
If the 353 million acres of grazing land not in farms is added to
the acreage of pastureland in farms, the total acreage of all
pasture and grazing land is about 1 billion acres. If the distribu-
tion of the grazing land not in farms were added to the map of
total land pastured in farms, many of the areas not occupied by
dots would be filled in. This would be particularly true in the
Western and Southern States where most of the grazing land
not in farms is located.
Cropland used only for pasture. — On the whole, cropland used
only for pasture constitutes the most productive part of the
pastureland area. Generally, it is pasture that is being grown
in rotation with crops. As the accompanying map shows, this
kind of pasture is especially concentrated in the Corn Belt, Delta,
Southern Plains, and the western part of the Appalachian States.
The major concentration in the Western States is located in the
Central Valley of California.
Pasture other than cropland and woodland. — The pastureland
included in this category differs widely in quality. Some of it
has been improved by liming, fertilizing, and seeding. Extensive
areas of the unimproved part of this open permanent pasture are
parts of the native rangelands which are now included in the
farmland acreage in the Western States. In the Eastern States,
a considerable acreage of fairly open land that is gradually re-
verting to woodland is probably included. This kind of pasture-
land will eventually become woodland pasture.
16
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Millions of Acres
1200
1000
PASTURE AND GRAZING LAND: 1900-1954
800
600
400
200
1930
CENSUS YEAR
1940
1950
I960
NOTE ! * Includes nonforested grazing land , idle grassland In first decades, forest
and arid woodland grazed, and shrub and brush grozing land in all years
"■Includes cropland used only for pasture in recent years and plowoble posture in eorlier years.
WOODLAND PASTURED
ACREAGE. 1954
Pasture and grazing land, 1900-54. — The long-term trend in
total pasture and grazing land has been slightly downward.
More of the rangeland in the Western and Southern States
has been included as land in farms. This partly accounts for the
decrease in grazing land not in farms and the increase in farm
pasture. Part of the decline in grazing land is explained by
the plowing up of native grassland areas for cropland, par-
ticularly in the Great Plains. Woodland pastured in farms has
changed comparatively little.
Several important changes in pasture and grazing land oc-
curred between 194!> and 1954. Open grassland pasture in
farms which was not cropland and not woodland increased by
44 million acres between 1949 and 1954. This gain is explained
by several factors: (1) An actual gain in this type of pasture
occurred with additions coming from seeding of idle and other
cropland to pasture and the clearing of woodland, particularly
in parts of the South. (2) The substantial gain in pasture in
farms in the West was accompanied by a reduction of grazing
land not in farms. (3) Pastureland in Texas and other parts
of the Southwest which was reported as woodland pastured in
1949 was reported as nonwoodland pasture in 1954. This dif-
liculty in enumeration is indicated by a comparison of acreages
reported in these uses from 1945 to 1954. (4) Cropland which
was reported as used for pasture in 1949 appears to have been
%si&~- — _ FARM OPERATORS
WITH GRAZING PERMITS*
1 ff ^~T7*~~~-— -^ NUMBEF
. APRIL 1. 1950
f\ J \ £•*■?•"!
T^
/ ' ' ■/' ^* ■-'•-■• ■ ii
j ^>/^sft"eV\
t \ : / w7ripw~\
< ,\ L^Jjpf
UNITED STATES TOTAL V/~~X
24,618 \
jr
* fi
EPORTEO ONLI IN MOUNTAIN AND PACIFIC STATES N
I 1 DOT -25 FARMS 1
\ ICOUNTT UNIT BASIS]
* DOMTMNT Of COM.CMC
•» m UO-tM
' BUHtHJ Of 'Hf cfJCui
reported more frequently as permanent grassland pasture in
1954.
Woodland pastured. — The value of woodland areas for pasture
depends a great deal on the size and density of the trees, which
in turn vary with the age and type of forest. In the Northern
States, cutover hardwood forests, abandoned fields reverting to
forests, and brush grown areas are often pastured. In the South-
ern States, some of the forests have a low tree density which
permits a good undergrowth of plants of value for grazing.
This is particularly true of the open longleaf-slash pine belt of
the Coastal Plain, the Ozarks, and semi-prairie areas in Florida
and along the Gulf Coast. In the 17 Western States, the wood-
land pastured includes arid woodlands, brush and shrublands,
mixed woodland and grassland areas, open forests, and some
cutover areas which have grass and other forage growth.
Farm operators with grazing permits. — In the Western States,
a large acreage of Federal- and State-owned land is used by
formers under permits granted by the administering agencies.
The land used by permit is complementary to owned or leased
land. Much of it is grazed during only a part of the year. The
United States Forest Service grants permits for grazing parts
of the forest land which it administers. The distribution of
farm operators with grazing permits is shown by the accompany-
ing map.
LAND UTILIZATION
17
WOODLAND AND
The forest area of continental United States currently totals
648 million acres according to the preliminary reports of the
Timber Resource Review completed by the United States Forest
Service in 1955. In arriving at this total forest land area the
Forest Service used the following definition of forest land :
Forest land area includes (a) lands which are at least
10 percent stocked by trees of any size and capable of pro-
ducing timber or other wood products, or of exerting an in-
fluence on the climate or the water regime; (5) land from
which the trees described in (a) have been removed to less
than 10 percent stocking and which have not been developed
for other use; (c) afforested areas; and (d) chaparral areas.
Does not include orchard land. The minimum area that quali-
fies as forest land is one acre in the East and 10 acres in the
West. Roadside, streamside, and shelterbelt strips of timber,
in addition to meeting above requirements, must be at least
120 feet wide to qualify as forest land.
It is important to note that chaparral areas are included under
this definition. The chaparral land area is defined by the Forest
Service as including "lands supporting heavily branched dwarf
trees or shrubs, usually evergreen, the crown canopy of which
covers more than 50 percent of the ground and whose primary
value is watershed protection."
Included in the total forest land area of 648 million acres are
484 million acres of commercial forest land and 164 million
acres of noncommercial woodland and forest land. The non-
commercial area is made up of 13S million acres of unproductive
and unreserved woodland and forest land and 26 million acres
(including 11 million unproductive acres) reserved for special
purposes such as parks and wildlife refuges.
Commercial forest land is made up of all forest land which (1)
"is producing, or physically capable of producing, usable crops
FOREST LAND
of wood (usually sawtimber), (2) economically available now
or prospectively, and (3) not withdrawn from timber utiliza-
tion." When the present commercial forest area of 484 million
acres is broken down into stand-size classes, there are 178 mil-
lion acres of sawtimber stands, 169 million acres of pole timber
stands, 95 million acres of seedling and sapling stands, and 42
million acres of nonstocked and other forest areas. Some of
this 42 million acres of nonstocked forest land is probably re-
ported uuder other uses of land in farms by the Census of Agri-
culture.
Forest Land Area in Continental United States,
by Regions, 1953 '
Forest land
Commercial J
Noncommercial"
Total
1,0C0 acres
63,023
30,948
53,272
5,508
67,868
78,135
51,631
18, 210
63,063
62.682
1,000 acres
3,342
281
1,929
244
1,439
1,683
178
29,827
90,435
33,988
1,000 acres
66,365
Corn Belt -
31,229
65, 201
6,752
69, 307
79, 818
Delta States
51,809
48,037
143, 498
96, 670
Total -
484, 340
163, 346
647,686
' As reported hy the U. S. Forest Service, 1955.
' Forest land which (a) is producing, or physically capable of producing, usable crop;
of wood (usually sawtimber), (6) economically available now or prospectively, and
(c) not withdrawn from timber utilization.
' Forest land (a) withdrawn from timber utilization through statute, ordinance, or
administrative order but which otherwise qualities as commercial forest land, or (6)
incepable of yielding usable wood products (usually sawtimber) becauso of adverse
site conditions, or so physically inaccessible as to bo unavailable economically in the
foreseeable future.
18
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
WOODLAND IN FARMS
ACREAGE. 1954
WlV I DOT-25.000 ACRES
(COUNTY UNIT 6fiS5)
About 358 million acres of the commercial forest land are pri-
vately owned and 126 million acres are publicly owned. The
publicly owned forest land is held by Federal, State, and county
and municipal governments. About 99 million acres are owned
by the Federal Government ; 19 million acres, by State govern-
ments ; and 8 million acres, by county and municipal governments.
Farm forests accounted for 165 million acres of the privately
owned commercial forest land in 1950.
Distribution of forest land. — The distribution of the total forest
area of the United States is shown on the accompanying map.
Unproductive as well as productive forest areas are shown. Many
of the unproductive areas are valuable for watershed protection
purposes. The regional distribution of the total forest land
area shown in the accompanying table will assist in locating the
major areas of commercial and noncommercial forest land.
From the map, the influence of topography on the distribution
of forest land may be observed. In the 31 Eastern States, most
of which were originally forested, several rough hilly areas have
remained largely forested. In the Western States, rainfall has
a marked influence upon the distribution of forest land. How-
ever, topography is a major factor in determining rainfall dis-
tribution and hence the distribution of the major forested areas.
In the 11 Western States, the heaviest rainfall occurs on the
windward western slopes of mountains. Because of the favorable
rainfall conditions, these wet windward slopes in California, Ore-
gon, and Washington have some of the most luxuriant forests in
the United States. In contrast, many of the leeward mountain
slopes and the lower parts of windward slopes are covered with
chaparral and other noncommercial forest types.
In parts of the Great Plains and 11 Western States, areas that
were originally covered by grass vegetation have been invaded
by brush-type vegetation which is detrimental to the grazing
value of the land. One of the largest brush-invaded areas is in
western Texas. The invasion of brush accounts for the relatively
high density of woodland in such areas.
Woodland in farms.— For the United States as a whole, wood-
land in farms accounts for more than a sixth of the farm area.
The highest regional proportion is in the Southeastern States
where half of the land in farms is woodland. In the Western
States, much of the woodland in farms has relatively little com-
mercial value except for northern Idaho and western Oregon and
Washington and California. In the East, farm woodlands are
generally classified as commercial forest land, but the amount
of income derived from the woodland part of the farm varies
from practically nothing to a substantial part of the total farm
income.
The increase in total woodland and forest land, which amounted
to several million acres, reflects a change taking place over the
last two decades, particularly in parts of the Southern, North-
eastern, and Lake States. Forest surveys completed since 1950
WOODLAND PASTURED
ACREAGE. 1954
WOODLAND NOT PASTURED
ACREAGE. 1954
have more fully indicated the gradual reversion of considerable
acreages of pastureland and cropland to forest land in these
parts of the country.
Much of the decline between 1949 and 1954 in woodland in
farms occurred in Texas where more of the brushland area
was included in other pasture not cropland and not woodland
lather than as a part of woodland pastured. The decline in land
in farms during the last 5 years in forested regions also accounts
for an appreciable transfer of forest land from land in farms to
the nonfarm area.
Woodland pastured. — This part of the woodland area can either
be considered as a part of the total pastureland area or part of the
total woodland in farms. Its value as pasture has already been
discussed under pastureland. In some areas, such as in the
longleaf-slash pine forests of the Southeastern Coastal Plain, it
is possible to use the forest for pasture without detracting very
much from the timber value of the forest. In other areas such
as the hardwood forests of the Northeastern, Lake, and Corn
Belt States, the use of woodland for pasture is generally not
compatible with good forest management.
Woodland not pastured. — The heaviest concentration of non-
pastured woodland in farms is located in the Appalachian and
Southeastern States. These are also regions with much wood-
land used for pasture as is shown by the accompanying map.
The dominance of such cash crops as cotton, tobacco, and peanuts
over extensive parts of these two regions is an important factor
accounting for a high proportion of the farm area remaining in
forests. Much woodland in this part of the South is physically
suitable for crop production. On the other hand, a considerable
acreage of woodland in farms in areas of rough topography is
not likely to be used for crops or even pastured. These forest
areas are often not operated properly from the standpoint of
good forest management.
LAND UTILIZATION
19
REGIONAL PATTERNS OF LAND RESOURCES AND USES
Land resources differ markedly among the several regions of
the United States. Numerous contrasts in the combination of
physical conditions give rise to basic differences in the quality
of land. These variations in quality in turn have a significant
influence on how the land is used. Consequently, regional pat-
terns of land use have developed along lines of relatively broad
differences in physical conditions existing in different parts of the
United States. Localized differences in physical conditions have
more direct influences on land use.
As a resource used in agricultural production, land is of basic
importance. In spite of the large increases in the investment in
machinery, buildings, and livestock that have occurred during
the last 15 years, in 1949 land still accounted for more than half
of the capital investment on commercial farms in the United
States. In some areas where only a small proportion of the land
resources can be used for crop production, land accounts for less
of the total investment than in areas that have a high proportion
of land of good quality, including land raised to a high level of
productivity by irrigation and drainage.
land quality. — Regional contrasts in the quality of land re-
sources are mainly explained by the following physical condi-
tions: (1) Temperature and the length of the frost-free season;
(2) annual amount and seasonal distribution of precipitation ; (3)
land relief, including degree and direction of slope; (4) soils;
and (5) native vegetation wherever it remains nearly in its
natural state. Transitions in climate are generally gradual
changes, so that a zone rather than a sharp line of change char-
acterizes the separation of one climatic region from another. The
principal exception is in mountainous areas where climatic
boundaries may be more sharply drawn. Topographic and soil
conditions commonly change much more abruptly than climate.
Physical conditions have a significant influence upon the de-
velopment of general patterns of land use. Thus, grazing of
native or improved rangelands is the principal use of millions of
acres of land in the Western States which are too dry for crop
farming unless irrigated. Rough or mountainous topography
relegates large areas to forestry as the main use. The propor-
tion of land used for cropland, pasture, and woodland in a region
is also markedly affected by soil and topographic characteristics.
Since some crops are sharply limited by climate, selective use of
land may prevail in areas suitable for production of some crops,
for example, citrus fruits.
The natural environment may be substantially altered by man-
made improvements so that land resources which in their orig-
inal condition were considered of poor quality may become highly
valuable when improved. Land improved by drainage and irri-
gation falls into this category.
Other influences on land use. — The influence of physical condi-
tions on land quality is only one of several major influences
affecting regional patterns of land use. The history of land
settlement is often highly significant in determining certain
characteristics of land use. Early production of cotton as a cash
crop for export led to a pattern of land use in the South that
placed the principal emphasis upon the production of row crops.
Consequently, a less exploitative pattern of use with greater at-
tention given to close-grown crops used to feed livestock has
only recently made much progress in areas which from the stand-
point of several natural conditions have always been well suited
to livestock production.
Control or ownership of the land may also affect its use. Large
ownership units used for forestry or grazing may have sizable
acreages suitable for use as cropland. If this land were in
smaller farms, some of it would undoubtedly be used as crop-
land. At present, when several farm commodities are in surplus
supply, it does not appear probable that much shifting among
major uses of land is likely to occur on large ownership units.
Distribution of and change in population may have a marked
influence on land use, particularly in localized areas within a
region. These changes may in turn add up to a significant change
in the regional economy. The large increases in population on
the west coast offer an example of how suburbanization and in-
dustrial expansion may replace existing agricultural uses of the
land. In California, about 800,000 acres of cultivable land
have been withdrawn from agriculture during the last 15 years.
This represents between 5 and 10 percent of the total cropland
acreage. At the same time that these agricultural lands are
being transferred to nonagricultural uses associated with the
expansion of population, the increased demand for agricultural
products, particularly perishable commodities such as dairy
products, is an inducement to transfer land from grazing and
forestry uses to cropland.
The physical requirements for using land resources for dif-
ferent purposes are not static. They are constantly being
changed by the introductiou of new varieties of plants, for
example, those which are more resistant to drought or cold or less
affected by high humidity and moisture conditions. Improved
varieties of grain sorghum for the Great Plains, forage and pas-
ture crops for the South, and fast-maturing hybrid corn for
Northern States are examples of regional land use changes made
possible by applying the results of experimentation.
Likewise, experimental work in the breeding of livestock is
facilitating changes in land use. The introduction of more heat-
and disease-resistant breeds of cattle from southeastern Asia into
the hot humid Southern States is a significant inducement to
change established patterns of land use.
Mechanization of crop production has led to far-reaching
changes in the distribution of several crops, especially the small
grains and more recently cotton. Less productive but level land
on the arid margin of crop production, which is well adapted to the
use of mechanized equipment, has been substituted for laud of
good quality subdivided into farms too small for the efficient use
of large-scale machinery that is now used in growing and harvest-
ing wheat in the Great Plains.
Regional patterns of land use may also be affected by other
conditions, such as the presence of mineral production or in-
dustrialization which may affect the labor supply and thus dis-
courage use of the land for agricultural purposes. Compara-
tively good land cleared and used as cropland may become idle
and may gradually revert to forestry or grazing uses in areas
where strong competition for labor exists.
Shifts in use of land resources. — Regional shifts in the use and
productivity of land resources are taking place. Among the
most important changes are the following: (1) Shifting of the
production of cash crops, particularly cotton, which has been
moving from the Southeast to the Mississippi Delta, western
Texas, and California. (2) Increased productivity of hay and
other feed crops associated with higher yields and better quality
in some regions. (3) Continuous increase in the acreage of im-
proved pasture, including additions to the fenced acreage in
some regions. This increase in pastures of better quality is accom-
panied by an increase in livestock numbers, particularly beef
and daily cattle. (4) Increases in the forest land area in regions
where land formerly used for crop production is reverting to
pasture and forest.
Maps of regional patterns. — Maps included in this section are
intended to give a general understanding of differences in the
regional distribution of land resources and how they are used.
Two maps present some of the principal geographical aspects of
types of farming. Studies of types of farming are carried out
iu order to classify the production patterns on individual farms
in terms of crops grown, livestock and livestock products pro-
duced, methods used in production, and sources of income.
20
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
The map of "Major Land Use Regions" presents a region-
alization based on a grouping of major land uses. The associa-
tions of major uses are superimposed upon the principal natural
land use regions which in turn are based on the differences in
physical conditions that are significant determinants of land use.
In the next two maps presented in this section, the major uses
of all land and nonfarm land are compared with total land area
by farm-production regions.
Land capability is compared with total land area by farm-pro-
duction regions in the last map in the section. This map is based
on estimates of land capability compiled in 1948 and 1949 by the
United States Soil Conservation Service on the basis of individual
farm plans completed at that time and supplemented by estimates
for areas where data from farm plans were not available. These
land-capability estimates are the result of a program being car-
ried out by the Soil Conservation Service to classify different
kinds of land systematically on the basis of the characteristics
that determine the capability of the land to produce permanently.
Eight general classes are used. Land in Classes I, II, and III
can be cultivated with differing degrees of attention to conserva-
tion practices. Class IV land should generally be used for crops
only once in 6 years or more. Land in Classes V, VI, and VII is
unsuited for cultivation, but it can be used for pasture and fores-
try. Class VIII land is suitable only for wildlife, watersheds,
and similar uses.
TYPE OF FARMING
Early type-of-farming studies in the United States were con-
cerned mainly with a geographic regionalization of agriculture.
In the 1930 Graphic Summary of American Agriculture, a map
was presented which divided the United States into 12 major
agricultural regions. The eastern humid area was divided into
8 regions. These regions were based mainly upon the domi-
nance of a particular crop or type of farming. In the West, the
4 regions were based on the use of land for grazing or crops.
The most recent study of types of farming was completed in
1950. In this study, the United States was divided into 165
generalized type-of-farming areas, 61 subregions, and 9 major
agricultural regions.
The distribution of farming is closely related to a number of
physical, biological, and economic conditions. The type-of-farm-
ing pattern reflects the influence of these conditions or forces.
Regional divisions show particularly the influence of climate,
topography, and soils. In the humid Eastern States, type-of-
farming regions tend to have an east-to-west orientation which
reflects the significance of temperature. Soils are an important
factor influencing the type of farming. This is indicated for
example by the close agreement between the prairie soils and
the Corn Belt. In the West, rainfall, altitude, and the availability
of water for irrigation are the major physical influences upon
type of farming.
MAJOR TYPES OF FARMING IN
THE UNITED STATES
r I Range livestock
Tobacco and
general
irming
Fruit, truck, and special crops VJ*
Feed grains and livestock (Corn Belt
S3 General farming
EHJ Cotton
HWheat and small grains ^i i
. \ CH Nonfarming
U S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEC 47424 X
BUREAU OF AGRICU1TURAL ECONOMICS
LAND UTILIZATION
21
TYPE-OF-FARMING AREAS, BASED ON TYPE ACCOUNTING FOR 50 PERCENT
OR MORE OF COMMERCIAL FARMS, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
LEGEND
TYPE-OF-FARMING AREA
L33 CASH -GRAIN
3 COTTON
W6& OTHER FIELD -CROP
tiS-Kjj VEGETABLE
\ FRUIT-AND-NUT
* NO FARMS
^H LIVESTOCK (OTHER THAN
DAIRY AND POULTRY)
I I GENERAL (NO ONE TYPE
50 PERCENT OR MORE)
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54-2I0
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Biological factors that affect the type of farming include weeds,
plant and animal diseases, insect pests, and development of new
varieties and strains of crops. The introduction of hybrid corn,
for example, has brought about a significant enlargement of the
Corn Belt, particularly on the drier and colder margins. The
boll weevil has had a striking effect on the area of cotton pro-
duction.
Several economic forces operate to influence types of farming.
The relative ease with which technological improvements can be
adapted to regional patterns of farming is an important determi-
nant of the type of farming. Distance of potential producing
areas from markets may lead to adjustments in farming. Numer-
ous changes in the technology of producing and marketing farm
products have led to shifts in type of farming among regions.
The westward migration of wheat production is an outstanding
example of a major regional shift in American agriculture
brought about to a marked degree by an improvement in produc-
tion technology.
Institutional influences such as tariffs, freight rate zones, and
local sanitary regulations also play a part in the regionalization
of farming. Sanitary regulations on the sale of fresh milk have
an influence on milkshed boundaries.
Major types of farming. — The accompanying map is based on
the more detailed type-of-farming map which shows 165 gen-
eralized type-of-farming areas which in turn are grouped into 61
subregions. These 61 subregions have been summarized in the
accompanying map in terms of 8 major types of farming. A
ninth category shown on the map represents areas in which little
or no farming exists. The fruit, truck, and special crops type is
the most widely scattered of the major types of farming. Areas
of this type are found in nearly every part of the United States.
Tobacco and general farming is the most restricted type in terms
of area. The feed grains and livestock or Corn Belt type is the
most compact area. The cotton and dairy types are found mainly
in extensive east-west trending belts in the Eastern States, al-
though these types have their respective western counterparts
in California and the Pacific Northwest. The biggest area of
general farming is a transitional belt between the Cotton and
Corn Belt types. The range livestock type is restricted to the
17 Western States, with most of the area in the 11 Western States
and the western parts of Texas, South Dakota, and Nebraska.
Type-of-farming areas. — The distribution of type-of-farming
areas in 1954 is shown on a county-unit basis, in the accompany-
ing map. This map is based on type accounting for 50 percent
or more of commercial farms. When this map is compared with
the map showing major types of farming, which was compiled
differently, it may be observed that the overall pattern remains
essentially unchanged. The Corn Belt does not appear on this
map as a large unbroken type-of-farming area, partly because the
type classification has been changed somewhat. Cash grain
has been substituted for wheat and small grains so that the cash
corn area of Illinois and Indiana becomes a separate area. The
increased emphasis on soybean production in the eastern part
of the Corn Belt is another significant reason why the Corn Belt
is not shown as a separate area.
22
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
MAJOR LAND USE REGIONS
REGIONS GROUPED
ACCORDING TO
MAJOR LAND USES
5 CROPLAND PASTURE FOREST
™ I Central Farm Sell
2 Texas Black Pra>ne
3 Lake Stales Farm Forest
Reg.on
/3 CROPLAND GRAZING
™ 4 Dakota Plains
5 Oklahoma Kansas Plains
6 Llano Estacado
7 Cenfal Highplams
□
FOREST CROPLANO PASTUR
S Mississippi Delta
9 Southern Appalachian Mountain
Plateaus, Valleys and Basins
10 Piedmont
11 Eastern Forest Farm Urban Reg,
12 Eastern Upper Coastal Plain
13 Western Coastal Plain
14 Ozark and Ouachita Mountains
CRAZING CROPLAND WOODLAND
15 Crosstimbers and Flint Hills
16 Gult Coast Prairie
GRAZING CROPLAND
17 Redbeds and Gypsum
18 Northern Highplams
GRAZING IRRIGATED AND OR*
CROPLAND WOODLAND
19 Columbia Basin
20 Pacific Valleys and Southern
California Coastal Regions
21 Snake River Plains and
Utah Valley
(-.■TVyj tOREST PASTURE MATLAND
k*^ 22 Northeastern Forest Region
23 Lake States Cut over Region
FOREST- GRAZING CROPLAND
24 Atlantic and Gulf Coast
Flatwoods
25 Florida Peninsula
| FOREST GRAZING MATLAND
26 Southern Rockies
27 Northern Rockies and
Utah Mountains
28 Sierra Cascade Forest Belt
[-' 1 GRAZING WOODLAND
I— 1 IHRIGATEO CROPLAND
29 And Highplams
30 Rio Grande Plateaus
and Plains
31 Intermountain Ba,sm
32 Colorado Plateaus
33 Southern Arizona
["""] MOSTLY UNUSED
34 Dei
WENT OF AGRICULTURE
MAJOR LAND-USE REGIONS
In the accompanying map, the United States is divided into
regions grouped according to the major uses of land. Eleven
major combinations of land use are delineated. The land-use
regions that make up the different combinations are to a marked
degree based upon contrasts in physical characteristics. Five
different combinations of land use are shown in the 31 Eastern
States, 6 different ones are located in the Great riains States,
and 6 are in the 11 Western States.
Three regions are shown with the cropland-pasture-forest com-
bination of uses. In each of these three regions, a high pro-
portion of the total land area is used as cropland. In several
counties in the Central Farm Belt, more than four-fifths of all
land is cropland and in most of the remaining counties of this
region, more than half of all land is used as cropland.
Four land-use regions located in the Great Plains are character-
ized by a combination of cropland and grazing. Cropland is the
dominant use. More than three-fifths of the land is used for
that purpose throughout most of the area included in these four
regions.
Adjacent to these regions are two other regions grouped under
a grazing-cropland category. In these regions, grazing is a more
important use of land than cropland. Considerable attention is
given to moisture-conserving and wind-erosion control practices
on land used for growing crops, for drought is a major threat to
agriculture in these regions.
In the Cross Timbers and Flint Hills of Texas, Oklahoma, and
Kansas and in the Gulf Coast Prairie of Texas and Louisiana,
the land-use combination is grazing, cropland, and woodland.
In these two regions, cropland generally occupies less than half
of the land area. Woodland areas are often grazed.
Seven regions which comprise much of northeastern and south-
ern United States are grouped under the land-use category of
forest, cropland, and pasture. For the most part, cropland oc-
cupies less than half of the land area over most of these regions.
In the Northeastern forest and the Lake States cutover regions,
the land-use combination is best described as forest, pasture, and
hayland. Over much of the area in these two regions there is
little or no cropland or pasture. In the areas where agriculture
is carried on, pasture is an important use and much of the crop-
land is used for growing hay crops. Most of the forest land is
not grazed.
Western counterparts of these two eastern regions are found
in the southern Rockies, northern Rockies, and Utah Mountains,
and in the Sierra-Cascade Forest Belt. Except for irrigated
areas, cropland is of little importance in these three regions.
A third combination of major land uses found in the south-
eastern coastal plain is very similar in some respects to the
two combinations just described for the Northern and Western
States. A forest-grazing-cropland combination of uses best
describes the land-use pattern of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast
Flatwoods and the Florida Peninsula. In these two regions, a
high proportion of the land is forested. Cropland accounts for
loss than a third of the total area with many areas having little
or no cropland.
The grazing-irrigated and dry cropland-woodland combination
of land use characterizes three regions in the Western States.
The presence of a considerable acreage of dry cropland is a
distinctive aspect of agriculture in these regions. Irrigated
cropland is also of major importance. Land used for grazing
generally accounts for a higher proportion of the total area than
cropland. Woodland areas are widely grazed.
The grazing-woodland-irrigated cropland combination of major
uses is found over extensive areas in the 11 Western States and
extends into the western part of the Great Plains States. The
regions characterized by this combination of major uses differ
from those of the grazing-irrigated and dry cropland-woodland
group mainly in having smaller and more widely scattered areas
of irrigated cropland and also in having less dry cropland.
The two desert areas are little used for agriculture except
where water for irrigation is available, as in the Imperial Valley
of California.
LAND UTILIZATION
23
MAJOR USES OF ALL LAND AS COMPARED
WITH TOTAL LAND AREA
By Regions, 1954
Cropland
Pasture and grazing land
gg£3 Forest land
V/A Special use areas
[•:■:■] Miscellaneous other land
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEC 56(51-2149 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
MAJOR USES OF ALL LAND BY FARM-PRODUCTION REGIONS
Major Uses of Land in Continental United States,
by Farm-Production Regions, 1954
Region
Crop-
land '
Pasture
and
grazing
land!
Forest
and
wood-
land a
Special
uses1
Miscel-
laneous
and
other
land a
Total
Northern:
1,000
acres
18, 848
39, 959
80, 343
95, 820
1,000
acres
10,963
11,990
30, 546
82, 354
1,000
acres
63,537
54, 451
31,033
5,428
1,000
acres
11,634
8,931
10,851
7,836
1,000
acres
7,396
7,380
12,610
3,994
1,000
acres
112,378
122,711
Corn Belt
165, 383
195, 432
Total
234, 970
135, 853
154, 449
39, 252
31,380
595, 904
Southern:
22, 870
19, 964
16, 179
41,407
20, 455
14, 594
14, 392
114,076
68, 021
78,114
51,641
43, 099
7,600
8,476
4,371
7,531
5,682
3,094
6,272
6,715
124, 628
Southeastern
124, 242
92, 855
212, 828
Total..
100, 420
163, 517
240, 875
27, 978
21, 763
554, 553
Western:
36, 462
21,727
334, 821
64, 296
130, 155
89, 905
26, 138
16,830
21,093
11,941
548, 669
Pacific
204, 699
Total
58, 189
399,117
220, 060
42,968
33, 034
753, 368
393, 579
698, 487
615, 384
110,198
86, 177
1, 903, 825
1 Includes cropland harvested (land from which one or more crops wore harvested),
crop failure, cropland fallow, cropland used for cover and soil-improvement crops, and
cropland temporarily idle.
1 Includes cropland used only for pasture and all nonforested pasture and grazing land.
3 Excludes forest land reserved for use in parks, wildlife areas, and other special uses
of land. Includes forest and woodland pastured or grazed.
* Includes urban areas, rural highways, rural railroads, rural airports, parks, wildlife
areas, national defense areas, flood control areas, Atomic Energy Commission areas,
farmsteads, farm roads and lanes, State-owned institutional sites, and miscellaneous
other uses.
8 Includes marshes, sand dunes, beaches, bare rock areas, and desert areas not other-
wise included under special uses of land.
The regional distribution of major uses of laud is shown in
the accompanying map and table. In the Corn Belt and Northern
Plains States, cropland, excluding cropland used only for pasture,
occupies almost half of the total land area of those States. In
the Northeastern, Appalachian, and Southeastern regions, forest
land accounts for more than half of the area. Nearly half of
the total area is in forests iu the Pacific and Lake States. In
the Mountain States, pasture and grazing land accounts for well
over half the total area. In the Great Plains States, nearly half
of the land area is used for pasture aud grazing.
Special uses of land occupy the highest proportion of the land
area in the Northeastern, Pacific, and Lake States. Some of these
uses have expanded rapidly in parts of these and other regions.
Urban areas and highways have absorbed an appreciable acreage
of good land, particularly in the vicinity of large cities. Reser-
voirs are another special use of land but since the total land area
is reduced as reservoirs are established, their occupation of land
is not reflected in the accompanying map and table.
The distribution of such special uses as urban areas, highways,
railroads, airports, farmsteads, and farm roads is closely related
to the distribution of population and farms. Many of the large
areas in other special uses such as parks, wildlife areas, and
national defense areas are located in the less populated parts
of the country.
Miscellaneous unaccounted-for areas occupy from about 2 to 8
percent of the land area in the different regions. In some areas,
a considerable acreage of desert land, marshland, sand dunes,
and beaches is included in national defense areas, parks, wildlife
areas, and similar special uses. Most of this land has little value
for agriculture or forestry. Some of it has mineral and other
subsurface value.
24
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
MAJOR USES OF NONFARM LAND AS
COMPARED WITH TOTAL LAND AREA
By Regions, 1954
Glazing Land
Forest land not glazed
252 Other land *
| | Land in laims
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
OTHER SPECIAL USES, AND MISCELLANEOUS
LAND AREAS NOT OTHERWISE ACCOUNTED FOR
NEG. 56(51-2150 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
MAJOR USES OF NONFARMLAND BY FARM-PRODUCTION REGIONS
Major Uses of Land not in Farms, Continental United
States, by Farm-Production Regions, 1954
Region
Grazing
land'
Forest
land not
grazed '
Other
land s
Total
land not
in farms
Northern:
Northeastern
1,000
acres
2,237
2,934
6,572
4,384
1,000
acres
47, 927
37, 955
6,538
1,525
1,000
acres
16, 484
10, 563
15, 410
5,187
1,000
acres
66,648
Corn Belt
27, 520
11, 096
Northern Plains
Total
15, 127
93, 945
47, 644
156, 716
Southern:
9,119
22, 280
25, 389
12,766
29, 504
18, 775
8,583
7,283
10, 018
9,126
8,795
11, 336
48,641
50, 181
42, 767
31, 385
Southeastern
Mississippi Delta
Southern Plains
Total
69, 554
64, 145
39, 275
172, 974
Western:
Mountain
211,617
56, 341
34, 212
46, 008
41, 898
25, 867
287, 727
128, 216
Pacific
Total
267, 958
80,220
67, 765
415, 943
United States
352, 639
238, 310
154,684
745, 633
i Includes forests and arid woodland grazed.
•Excludes forest area reserved for use in parks, wildlife areas, and other special uses
of land.
' Includes special uses of land and miscellaneous other land.
Most of the grazing land not in farms is located in the Western
States. A secondary concentration of nonfarm grazing land is
found in parts of the South where extensive areas of relatively
open forest land are grazed.
The nonfarm grazing land is about equally divided between
open grazing land and forest and woodland used for grazing.
The open grazing land is almost entirely located in the 17 Western
States. Only rough estimates of the total acreage of nonfarm
forest and woodland used for grazing can be made from available
information. From these estimates it was determined that about
two-thirds of the nonfarm forest and woodland grazed is located
in the 17 Western States. Much of the remaining nonfarm
forest land used for grazing is located in the Southeastern and
Delta States.
This nonfarm forest land and woodland which is suited for
grazing is made up mainly of open woodland and forest, scattered
cleared and cutover areas, abandoned fields which are reverting
to forests, and grazing land covered with high brush. In the
West, much of the woodland grazing is in desert shrublands, and
such open woodland types as chaparral, pinon, juniper, aspen
groves, and brush. Some cutover areas in the Pacific Northwest
are grazed. In the Southern States, the open longleaf-slash pine
forests, parts of the Ozark forest land, cutover areas, abandoned
fields reverting to forest and semiprairie areas make up most
of the nonfarm forest land and woodland used for grazing. In
the Northern States, cutover land and abandoned fields account
for much of the nonfarm forest and woodland grazed.
Nearly three-fourths of the total grazing land not in farms is
publicly owned land. In the 11 Western States, about five-sixths
of the grazing land not in farms is Federally owned land. In the
Southern States, large privately owned forest holdings account
for much of the nonfarm grazing land.
Other land not in farms includes the special uses of land which
are not a part of land in farms and other miscellaneous unac-
counted-for areas not in farms. Special uses of land in farms
include farmsteads, farm lanes and roads, and a part of the
rights-of-way of highways and railroads. Although the rights-
of-way for highways and railroads are not really a part of land
in farms some of the acreage in these uses is included as land
in farms because farmers tend to use round figures in reporting
their acreage of land in farms. Frequently, this does not allow
actual use of land for roads. This is particularly true in parts
of the country that are covered by the rectangular land division
of the public domain.
LAND UTILIZATION
25
LAND CAPABILITY AS COMPARED WITH TOTAL LAND AREA
BY REGIONS, 1950
PACIFIC
LAKE STATES*
■NORTHEAST.:
•APPALACHIAN
LEGEND
CLASS I
CLASS II
CLASS III
CLASS IV
CLASS V a VI
W//\ class vii a viu
~\ miscellaneous a unclassified land
SOUTHERN
PLAINS
SOUTHEAST
LAND CAPABILITY BY FARM-PRODUCTION REGIONS
The accompanying map and table give a generalized picture
of land capability by regions. The land capability inventory
currently being made by the Soil Conservation Service eventually
will obtain for the whole country the information needed about
land conditions. This information will permit better decisions
to be made pertaining to the uses most suitable for different
kinds of land in order to maintain its productivity.
The land-capability classification divides land into eight gen-
eral classes which in turn are subdivided into subclasses and
units according to more detailed characteristics pertaining to
Land Classified According to Capability by Farm-
Production Regions1
Region
Classes
I, II, and
III
Class IV
Classes
V and VI
Classes
VII and
VIII
Miscel-
laneous
and un-
classified
Land
area
total
Million
acres
40.7
101.9
53.9
97.1
50.9
56.1
50.1
98.6
30.6
24.2
Million
acres
12.1
17.0
10.8
17.6
15.4
13.8
6.1
12.3
13.8
13.0
Million
acres
24.6
15.8
10.0
42.5
13.1
20.4
18.6
45.3
177.7
67.8
Million
acres
21.8
16.3
24.5
30.1
32.7
17.7
10.6
51.0
296.3
70.8
Million
acres
13.1
14.4
23.5
8.1
12.5
16.3
7.5
5.6
30.3
28.9
Million
acres
112.3
Corn Belt
165.4
122.7
Northern Plains
195.4
124.6
Southeastern
Mississippi Delta
Southern Plains
124.3
92.9
212.8
548.7
Pacific
204.7
United States
604.1
131.9
435.8
571.8
160.2
1,903.8
' Estimates compiled In 1948-49 by Soil Conservation Service. Adjusted slightly on
basis of 1950 Census of Agriculture figures.
kind of limitations on use and necessary management practices.
These land classes indicate the degree of risk involved in using
the land for different purposes. Class I land is level and easy
to farm with little or no danger from erosion. There are an
estimated 72 million acres of Class I land for the country as a
whole. More than half of this Class I land is located in the
North Central States.
Land in capability Classes II and III is also suited to cultivation
if certain limitations such as slope, sandy soil, tight subsoil, or
other permanent limiting features are kept in mind in using it
Class II land needs such easily applied practices as contouring,
protective cover crops, and simple water management practices.
Class III land can be cultivated safely only if careful attention
is given to such conservation measures as terracing and strip-
cropping on slopes and good water management on flat areas.
The regional distribution of this land in Classes II and III is
shown in the accompanying map. The total acreage is about
equally divided between Class II and Class III land.
Land in capability Class IV must be cultivated with extreme
care. It should be used only occasionally for cultivated crops.
Its best use is for hay crops or pasture.
Land in Classes V, VI, and VII is not suited to cultivation but
it may be used for grazing or forestry. Class V land has few
restrictions when used for grazing or forestry, while land in
Classes VI and VII have moderate to severe limitations when
used for these purposes.
The land included in Class VIII is extremely arid, rough, steep,
stony, sandy, wet, or severely eroded. Some examples of Class
VIII land are rocky foothills, rough mountain land, bare rock
outcrops, coastal sand dunes, much marsh and swamp land, and
very arid land not suited for any grazing.
26
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
CONSERVATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND IMPROVEMENT OF
LAND RESOURCES
Conservation.— The total land area of the United States is ap-
proximately 1,904 million acres. This constitutes the total land-
resource base, which is made up of land of differing qualities.
Estimates made in conjunction with the laud-capability inven-
tory conducted by the United States Soil Conservation Service
reveal that only about a third of the total land area is suited
to cultivation. Some of this cultivable land has severe limitations
when cultivated and some of it should be cultivated only oc-
casionally. The remaining acreage can be used for such pur-
poses as grazing, forestry, wildlife, and watershed protection.
Conservation of all the Nation's land resources for the uses for
which they are best suited is needed. Using the land to produce
as many of the products that are in demand while exercising
care to protect and improve it constitutes the true meaning
of conservation.
A growing appreciation of the need for the conservation of
basic resources such as soil, water, forests, grassland, and wild-
life has resulted in the development of programs aimed at the
wise use of the natural resources that are a vital part of the
Nation's wealth. Past misuse of these resources has occurred
and several abuses remain that need correcting before desired
goals in conservation can be attained.
Land used for cultivated crops creates the greatest opportunity
for damage or loss to soil resources. Physical soil deterioration
on these lands includes erosion by runoff water, wind erosion,
deterioration of structure, alkali accumulation, and waterlogging.
Not included are losses of organic matter and plant nutrients
which are to be expected in crop production and which may be
replaced. While physical soil deterioration is preventable, it
continues to occur largely because of existing economic and insti-
tutional obstacles to the increased use of conservation measures
where they are needed.
Through physical soil deterioration of one kind or another,
35 million acres of land originally suited for cultivated crop
production are no longer usable under present conditions for
that purpose. This does not include 50 to 100 million acres of
land that were not originally suited for cultivation, which were
cultivated and which following deterioration have been aban-
doned for cultivation. Also not included are several million addi-
tional acres lost from cultivation through expansion of urban
and industrial areas, building of transportation facilities, and
the construction of reservoirs.
Loss of cropland through soil erosion and other types of de-
terioration is continuing at the rate of about one-half million
acres a year. If no remedial action is taken, the soil may degrade
one capability class within 10 to 15 years on 121 million acres
of the 478 million acres of cropland reported by the 1950 Census
of Agriculture. This may be considered a critical rate of de-
terioration. On another 128 million acres, degrading to the next
capability class may take from 15 to 30 years. Little or no
deterioration is occurring on the remaining 229 million acres.
In order to retard the Nation's loss of vital soil resources on
its best land, a concerted effort is underway to carry out such
needed soil and water conservation practices as contour farming,
cover cropping, stripcropping, terracing, stubble mulching, and
soil-conserving crop rotations.
The natural grazing lands are another resource to which con-
servation measures must be applied if this valuable resource is
to be properly maintained. The Soil Conservation Service has
estimated that roughly 150 million acres of rangeland are in need
of brush control. This is largely in the Southwest where infes-
tation of rangeland with undesirable vegetative growth has taken
place over extensive areas. Another estimated 96 million acres of
rangeland is in need of reseeding. Stock-water development is
also needed for approximately 237 million acres of rangeland, if
better distribution of grazing is to be attained and overgrazing
is to be lessened near existing sources of water.
When the forest resources are likewise reviewed, it is apparent
that continuing improvement in the conservation of the Nation's
forests is desirable. Although a fourth of the total land area of
continental United States is in commercial forest land, the Nation
does not have an excess of forest land in the light of estimates of
future requirements for forest products. There is considerable
room for improvement of the existing commercial forest land,
which totals 4S4 million acres for continental United States. A
fourth of it is poorly stocked or is not stocked at all. About 50
million acres will need to be replanted before this land can become
productive forest land. Long-range planning in the field of forest-
resource Conservation is needed to provide adequately for future
and present requirements.
Development and improvement of land. — Present development
and improvement of land is not comparable to the large-scale
pioneering and homesteading of new areas that were so important
during the settlement period in American history. However,
considerable development and improvement of land, much of it
on existing farms, is still taking place. The development of land
includes the preparation of unimproved or presently nonarable
land for crops and improved pastures by carrying out such prac-
tices as installing drainage, clearing woodland or brush, removal
of stones or old stumps, and leveling, ditching, or terracing unim-
proved land for irrigation. Improvement of land refers to the
application of these various measures to land that is presently
used as cropland or improved pasture, but which can be made
more productive by carrying out additional land improvement.
Many farmers have only limited acreages of cropland avail-
able with which to expand the farm business. On many small
farms on which capital and land resources are limited, more
effective use of existing land resources in the farm unit may be
possible by carrying out certain development or improvement
measures. Some farmers may be able to obtain more cropland
by buying nearby tracts of land, but for many this opportunity
may not be available. Operators of large farms may have a
choice of making more intensive use of the existing acreage of
improved land or of developing additional land in the farm.
Development and improvement of land by irrigation continues
to expand. During the last decade, the acreage irrigated has
increased by 9 million acres. About half of this increase repre-
sents the development of new cropland. The remainder is the
irrigation of dry cropland in the West and the supplemental irri-
gation of cropland in the humid Eastern States. The produc-
tivity of some of the land already being irrigated in the West
also may be increased by supplementing the existing sources of
water with additional water from new irrigation works. Level-
ing and releveling of land is an important aspect of development
and improvement of land by irrigation in some areas.
The drainage of land for agricultural uses has been a major
practice in the development and improvement of land for many
years. Approximately 65 million acres were in organized drain-
age enterprises at the time of the first Census of Drainage taken
in 1920. Land in organized drainage enterprises in 1950 totaled
103 million acres, including about 4 million acres of drainage in
irrigation districts. Only about 82 million acres of the land in
drainage enterprises is improved. The Soil Conservation Serv-
ice has estimated that supplemental drainage is needed on 31
million acres presently used for cropland and pasture. An addi-
tional 21 million acres are potentially drainable. About 17 mil-
lion acres of the potentially drainable land are mainly outside
existing organized drainage enterprises. The other 4 million
acres are a part of the 21 million acres of unimproved land esti-
mated to be a part of the land reported in organized drainage
enterprises in 1950.
LAND UTILIZATION
27
IRRIGATED LAND IN FARMS
ACREAGE. 1954
I D0T=200 ACRES
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
UNITED STATES TOTAL
29,552.155
DOT= 10.000 ACRES
(COUNTY UNI I BASIS)
+
+
U S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54-200
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
irrigated ACREAGE OF SPECIFIED CHOPS AND PASTURE IN THE 20 STATES: 1954*
BE
MILLION ACRES
-LI*-.
mm
•"•
**""■
'
■-fEaia
■HHUHLH
"ftmJStfH
qmBBHov r
!«t<'««
■BtfUHSBBUB '
Sr»M >MI
laMMJBm i
1
......
■■■■K
o.m-*o~.-
4
KM MMm
«
»<«tt i»i
■MBI ■
%TmhS
h i
IM ft*.
■ >
1 °-
-«ffl
1 o*
Ita
Of
•• c»w baa
.MM
1
+
+
IRRIGATED
LAND-INCR
IN ACREAGE
EASE AND DECREASE
1949-1954 /*~\
Jp' F \ ■■■' Y *'
|"5~~~ TT ____
1 -
\\
\
«»»-' ,
Eg
j |
k. vs
^^^4*dw >
3.764.700 OR 146 PERCENT "^
IPOT'LOM) INCREASE ^"V
IDOT'fpWKCfle/.Sf w
n urn »»5i
IRRIGATED LAND
Distribution, use, and trend in acreage are some of the sig-
nificant aspects of irrigation shown by the accompanying maps
and charts.
Irrigated land in farms. — Most of the irrigated land is con-
centrated in the 11 Western States and Texas. Lesser concen-
trations are found in Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana,
and Florida. The accompanying map uses two different ratios of
dots to acreage in order to show the distribution of irrigated land
in Western and Eastern States. In the 2S Eastern States shown
as a separate block in the accompanying map, the heaviest con-
centrations of irrigated land are associated with the production
of such crops as vegetables in New Jersey and Delaware, tobacco
and vegetables in Connecticut, rice in the Delta of Mississippi,
and fruit on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan.
Irrigated acreage of specified crops and pasture. — Pasture oc-
cupies more irrigated land than any one crop. Some of the
irrigated pasture is improved but pastures of native grasses ad-
jacent to streams are also irrigated under favorable conditions.
Alfalfa hay and cotton are the two leading crops on irrigated
land. These are followed by rice ; barley ; sorghums ; orchards,
vineyards, and nuts ; and wild hay. These crops and pasture
account for about two-thirds of the irrigated acreage.
Irrigated land, increase and decrease in acreage, 1949-54. —
Widespread increases in the acreage of Irrigated land are shown
by the accompanying map. Decreases are ruainlj concentrated
in Colorado, Wyoming, and Nevada. Many of these areas of
decrease are associated with a severe water shortage in 1951 and
the decreases are probably only temporary. Smaller areas of
decrease near metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles and San
Francisco are explained by the suburban spread of population
and growing competition between urban and agricultural uses
for available water and land.
28
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
AREAS IRRIGATED AND IRRIGABLE
*£RTH£RN
1950 ACREAGE
I Irrigated
■:£;*:. Potentially irrigable
17 WESTERN STATES
lrrigated=24.3mil. acres
Potentially irrigable=17.2 mil. acres
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEC 55(31-942 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
ACREAGE OF IRRIGATED LAND IN THE UNITED STATES: 1889-1954
25
£ 20
<
° 15
m
c
I l0
5 5
1 1 1
CENSUS OF IRRIGATION V
i__u-^
/*
'
„.'■
SPECIAL CENSUS
Of. 1902.5' i
"•>'
*<
^2 CENSU!
OF «GR
CULTUR
i»
1899 1902 1909
1929 1934 1939
1944 1949 1954
54C-033
'Total Irrigated land In faris for 1909, 1919, and 1929, Irrigation census Included the 17 Weatei
Arkansas, and Louisiana; for 1939 and 1949, Florida also Included.
aTotel Irrigated land, all states.
'For 1889 and 1899, census total for Irrigated land In fame Included tne 17 Western States,
Louisiana; for 1929, Irrigated land free uhlch crops wsre harvested, sans 19 States; for 1934, Irrigated
crops, sane 19 States; for 1939, Irrigated cropland harvested plus Irrigated pasture, 48 States. For 1944,
1949, end 1954, total Irrigated land 48 States. Data for 1909 and 1919 not available.
In the 17 Western States the most pronounced increases oc-
curred in the High Plains of Texas, where ground water supplies
are being used for irrigation ; in the Central Valley of California ;
in southern Arizona ; in the Willamette and Klamath Valleys of
Oregon ; in the Columbia Basin of Washington ; along the Snake
River in Idaho ; in south-central Nebraska ; and in western
Kansas. Increases were also pronounced in the rice growing
areas of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. In the Delta of
Mississippi, irrigated acreage expanded rapidly as rice produc-
tion increased in that area. The expansion of irrigation between
1949 and 1954 in the Eastern States was much greater and more
widespread than the increases in these States between 1944 and
1949.
Areas irrigated and irrigable. — In the above map, the 1950 ir-
rigated acreage is compared with the potentially irrigable area by
regions for the 17 Western States. Among the 5 regions shown,
the 3 Pacific States have both the largest irrigated acreage and
the greatest potentially irrigable area. The Northern Plains
States have irrigated the smallest proportion of their total irri-
gable area.
With the available water supply and with present conservation
practices and distribution methods only about 3 in each 100 acres
in the West can be irrigated for crop production. Nearly a third
of the 24 million acres irrigated in the 17 Western States in 1949
needs additional water in order to have a full season's supply
for crop production.
Acreage of irrigated land in the United States, 1889 to 1954. —
The acreage of land irrigated in 1954 totaled 29.6 million acres.
This total is 3.8 million acres more than the acreage reported ir-
rigated in 1949 and 9 million acres more than was irrigated in
1944. The regional distribution of the net increase between 1949
and 1954 is as follows:
11 Western States 0. 5 million acres.
6 Great Plains States 2. 2 million acres.
31 Eastern States 1. 1 million acres.
Decreases were reported for only 6 States ; and of these the
amount was significant only in Colorado, Wyoming, and Nevada.
The largest increase was reported in Texas. In the Eastern States
where the total acreage of land presently irrigated is compara-
tively small, large percentage gains in land irrigated were gen-
erally characteristic.
Some of the gain in the humid States took place in the rice-
producing areas of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and south-
eastern Texas; but an increasing number of farmers in the East
were using irrigation to supplement rainfall, which may be
deficient in some years.
Supplemental irrigation is being used on a wide variety of
crops and on improved pastures. For intensively grown vege-
tables and fruits, irrigation in the East is generally accepted as
profitable if other conditions are favorable. Tobacco is also a
high-value crop for which many growers have successfully used
irrigation. For field crops and pastures, fewer data are available
on the returns from irrigation in humid areas.
The recent widespread interest in irrigation in the humid
Eastern States stems from several conditions. For one thing,
new lightweight portable equipment for sprinkler irrigation has
been developed. This eliminates ditches and leveling and makes
it possible to control the application of water. Recent droughts
in parts of the Eastern States, which have coincided with periods
of higher prices for farm products, have encouraged many farm-
ers to make an investment in irrigation equipment. During the
years following World War II, farmers were financially able to
make this substantial investment necessary to install an irriga-
tion system.
LAND UTILIZATION
29
FARM DRAINAGE*
ACREAGE, 'I 947 "53
UNITED STATES TOTAL
21.329,423 (7-YEAR TOTAL)
WITH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE
AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM SERVICE
US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEG 56(3)783 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
DRAINAGE
FARM DRAINAGE IN U. S.*
THOUS. ACRES
6,000
4,000
2,000
ENCLOSED DRAINS
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
. DEPARTMENT OF ACRICULTU
T, CULTURAL CONSERVATION „Ol«1. SERVICE
NEG 5«<*I-I'T» AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
The artificial drainage of land that does not have good natural
drainage has brought millions of acres of good land into agricul-
tural use. An important part of the Nation's most productive
land has been improved by drainage.
Organized group drainage enterprises, which are generally
responsible for construction of canals and ditches, are frequently
necessary prerequisites to the establishment of good farm drain-
age works. Cooperative effort among farmers is necessary in
order to build these main outlets for field drains. The success
of both group and farm drainage enterprises is largely deter-
mined by careful planning based on good soil and engineering sur-
407763—57 3
veys, by careful consideration of expected benefits in relation to
costs, and by sound financial planning. After an enterprise is
established, close cooperation must continue if the project is
to be adequately maintained.
Farm drainage. — The distribution of the acreage drained during
a 7-year period from 1047 to 1953 for which county data were
available indicates the chief areas in which farm drainage is
being carried out in the United States. The North Central States,
Mississippi Delta, and Southeastern Coastal Plain are the prin-
cipal regions in which farm drainage has been a significant land-
improvement practice. The acreage drained during the 7-year
period covered by the map totaled more than a million acres for
each of the following States : Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Minnesota, Arkansas, and Wisconsin. Ten other States each
had more than one-half million acres drained during the 7-year
period. Most of the drainage was by open ditches (18 million
acres). Tile drainage totaled approximately 3 million acres.
Two-fifths of the tile drainage was installed in Ohio, Iowa, Indi-
ana, and Michigan.
Farm drainage in United States. — From 1944 to 1953, Agricul-
tural Conservation Program assistance was rendered in drain-
ing nearly 32 million acres of farmland, or an average of about 3
million acres a year for this 10-year period. Much of this
acreage was drained with the technical assistance of the Soil
Conservation Service. The amount of farm drainage carried out
annually is shown in the accompanying chart. Not all of this
acreage is newly drained land. A considerable part of the drain-
age carried out under the Agricultural Conservation Program
is on land that has previously been improved to some extent by
drainage.
30
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
LAND CLEARED*
UNITED STATES TOTAL
740.451
IN SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICTS WITH
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OF THE
SOU CONSERVATION SERVICE
US- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEG 56(31 7B4 ' AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
LAND CLEARING AND BRUSH CONTROL
Land clearing. — Land is still being developed for crops and
pasture by clearing. Although the total acreage cleared for the
country as a whole in any one year is relatively small, clearing
of land has considerably greater significance in some areas.
In recent years, the increased use of large-scale mechanical
equipment has made possible rapid and economical clearing
operations. Some of the new machinery and techniques were
developed during World War II in clearing airfields and camp
sites in jungle areas. These new machines and techniques
make it possible to clear large tracts in a few weeks in contrast
to the few areas that formerly could be cleared each year.
The distribution of the acreage cleared in 1954 with technical
assistance from the Soil Conservation Service gives a fairly good
indication where land is presently being developed by clearing.
In some areas, such as in Tennessee, Missouri, and Pennsylvania,
the map shows practically no clearing because only a part of
these States were included in soil-conservation districts in 1954.
Most of the clearing is concentrated in the Southern States.
For the most part the land currently being cleared has been
previously cutover for timber or cleared for agriculture. Some
of the clearing is being carried out in conjunction with drainage
and irrigation.
Land is being cleared for several different uses and purposes.
Some farmers are clearing patches of woodland and brush in
order to enlarge, consolidate, or reshape fields in order to make
more efficient use of tractor-drawn equipment. For other farm-
ers, clearing a few acres of woodland provides an opportunity to
expand the cropland base of the farm. Land is also being
cleared on farms in order to obtain land best suited for the pro-
duction of certain specialized crops such as tobacco, rice, citrus
fruit, and some vegetables which require rather specific soil and
slope conditions. For example, land cleared in recent years in
northeastern Arkansas has been cleared mainly for rice produc-
tion. Another impetus to land clearing springs from the need
for more improved pastureland on farms in the South which are
making basic changes in type of farming. Increased emphasis
on beef cattle production in the Black Belt of Alabama and Mis-
sissippi and on dairy production in favorably located parts of
the Piedmont have led to the clearing of land for improved pas-
ture. On the cattle ranches of central Florida, land clearing
must frequently precede the seeding of improved pastures which
are needed to complement the forage supply from native range-
land and woodland.
Brush control. — Brush control is considered as a separate prac-
tice from land clearing. It is an important practice in the South-
west, particularly Texas, where undesirable woody plant species
have invaded native rangelands. A wide variety of noxious
plants such as mesquite, scrub oak, and creosote have become
widespread on these rangelands. The spread of these plants has
resulted partly from overgrazing and partly from unfavorable
climatic conditions such as drought, flood, and hard winters.
Fire and wildlife have also contributed to the spread of brush. I
Mechanical and chemical controls of various kinds are being
used in an attempt to eradicate or control further spread of these •
noxious plants.
LAND UTILIZATION
31
SEEDING AND RESEEDING OF PASTURE
ACREAGE, 1950 "53
UNITED STATES TOTAL
23,565.303 (4"TEAR TOTAL)
WITH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE
AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM SERVICE
US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
•*|f.
t DOT = 2.000 ACRES
NEG 56(3)765 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE I
PASTURE IMPROVEMENT
SEEDING AND RESEEDING OF PASTURE*
3-Yeor Averages, United States
THOUS.
ACRES
6,000
■ .
4,000
■ ■ 1
■ ■III
2,000
1 1 1 1 1
.11111
0 ■
■ 11111
1936-38 1939-41 1942-44 1945-47 1948-50 1951-53
••llli 'IKinriJl AiSISTtHCC 110. lU'i.-'N-.Ui i -.'I r. . . r . ., ,,:.;.■.. U •.,..-. i
| 0. 1. OEPAaTMCNT OF AGRICULTURE NEC It 1*)- Hit AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
Considerable progress in the improvement of public and private
grasslands has been made in recent years. More farmers are
recognizing the importance of having good improved pastures
on their farms if they are to make the most efficient use of their
land resources. Several different practices are associated with
the improvement of pastureland. Application of lime, phosphate,
and potash may be required. Weeds need to be mowed and com-
petitive plants controlled. Seeding or reseeding of pastures with
good seed and with the right kind or mixture of pasture plants
for the soil, slope, temperature, and moisture conditions involved
is also a major prerequisite to the establishment of an improved
high-forage yielding pasture.
The Federal Government has taken an active part in helping
farmers to improve their pastures. Research has been carried
out to develop the best plants and improvement practices. Tech-
nical assistance in carrying out pasture-improvement practices is
rendered by the Soil Conservation Service and financial assist-
ance under the Agricultural Conservation Program benefits
farmers in this phase of conservation.
Seeding and reseeding of pasture, 1936-53. — Seeding and reseed-
ing of pasture has been carried out under the Agricultural Con-
servation Program since 1936. The accompanying chart indicates
that the acreage of pasture being seeded or reseeded with finan-
cial assistance from the Agricultural Conservation Program
Service has gradually been increased.
Seeding and reseeding of pasture 1950-53. — The distribution of
the acreage seeded or reseeded under the Agricultural Conser-
vation Program during a 4-year period, 19;")CM53, is shown by
the accompanying map. The greatest emphasis on seeding and
reseeding of pasture under this program is in the Southern
States where cropland diverted from other uses and land re-
cently cleared is being seeded to improved pastures. Some
States, particularly Kentucky, have placed a strong emphasis on
this practice in assigning funds available for payments to farm-
ers. In other States, such as West Virginia and the New England
States, more emphasis has been placed on using funds for the
application of such materials as lime, phosphate, and potash.
This means that the amount of seeding and reseeding of pastures
in these States is not adequately reflected in the above map,
which is based only on the acreage seedeil or reseeded with fi-
nancial assistance given for that specific practice.
32
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
\jWLAND IN COVER CROPS TURNED UNDER FOR GREEN MANURE
ACREAGE. 1954
*
|.;'.^, -.".', • r '•'%--, lib:
* i:
m&
UNITED STATES TOTAL
9,278,572
*NOT REPORTED FOR 17 WESTERN STATES
EXCEPT EAST TEXAS
I DOT=2.000 ACRES
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO. A54-I68
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
SOIL-CONSERVING PRACTICES
H$~~-—
LAND IN ROW CROPS OR CLOSE-SEEDED CROPS
r^GROWN IN STRIPS FOR WIND EROSION CONTROL'
l~~5m*r—. ACREAGE. 1954
V '^W* •. ^3!%^
S. i'- ■ jifc
' * 1
f^^rs^rs^ ^-^
/~~t ti
~sr\
/ / I
11 r
^s Y
- — — -f - ' f i
,-
"&'
UNITED STATES TOTAL \/""~\
5.216.112
* REPORTED ONLY IN IT
CflLlf OWllA. and EAST
WSSTEHN ST.TT5 E«£PT ttFHZCWA.
IDOT-2,000 ACRES \ |
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS, \ 1
M ,..,»..«.• 0' cow.
- (
3
«** * •«■■" " **
.... 1 M » .
For the first time, the Census of Agriculture obtained informa-
tion in 1954 pertaining to the conservation of land resources.
Since the passage of the first National Soil Conservation Act by
Congress in 1935, greatly increased attention has been focused
on the conservation of land resources throughout the United
States. In 1937, States began to pass laws which permitted
farmers and ranchers to organize soil-conservation districts for
the purpose of carrying out needed soil-conservation measures.
The United States Soil Conservation Service has worked in close
cooperation with these districts.
All States had laws by 194S which made it possible to organize
soil-conservation districts. By the end of 1955, the number of
soil-conservation districts totaled 2,677. Most of these districts
are about the size of a county, and many of them have boundaries
that coincide with county boundaries. By the end of 1955, basic
conservation plans had been prepared for more than a million
farms and ranches in these soil-conservation districts. The land
area of these farms and ranches for which basic conservation
plans have been prepared totaled more than 298 million acres at
the end of 1955.
Conservation practices have not yet been established on much
of the land for which plans have been prepared because of the
short time that has elapsed since the plans were completed. How-
ever, much work is in progress, and each year several million
acres are receiving the benefit of soil and water conservation
practices. The job ahead still remains a big one. Even when all
farms and ranches have completed conservation plans, the job of
carrying out these plans on a permanent basis lies ahead.
Land in cover crops turned under for green manure. — A cover
crop is grown in a thick stand as a means of enriching and pro-
tecting soil resources. Some cover crops are plowed under while
still green which provides green manure. Organic matter and
plant food are added in this way. Some cover crops are peren-
nials ; and since they occupy the land for a period of years are
thought of as a permanent cover crop. Annual crops grown for
their cover value are generally planted either in the fall or in
spring and early summer.
LAND UTILIZATION
33
.CROPLAND USED FOR GRAIN OR ROW CROPS FARMED ON THE CONTOUR *
ACREAGE, 1954
W^f
.gSf,-.
UNITED STATES TOTAL
22,434,812
*NOT REPORTED FOR FLORIDA
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
I DOT= 10,000 ACRES
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
MAP NO. A54-I77
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Crops planted in the fall are known as winter cover crops.
Winter protection of the soil is especially significant in much of
the South where clean-cultivated crops, such as cotton, corn, and
tobacco, are grown and where relatively high rainfall and the
absence of frozen ground are conducive to severe erosion of
sloping land left without cover during the winter. Some of the
winter cover crops grown in this part of the United States are
vetches, Austrian winter field peas, clovers, and abruzzi rye.
Sweetclover grown in the northern Corn Belt and crimson clover
in the Atlantic Coastal Plain from New Jersey to Georgia are
other legumes used as cover crops. Rye, winter oats, and
wheat are other nonlegume crops frequently used for their
value for cover and green manure. Rye is the most commonly
used grass or grain crop for winter cover in the Corn Belt and
Cotton Belt.
The accompanying map showing the distribution of land in
cover crops turned under for green manure shows that such crops
are grown widely in the Southern States, Corn Belt, southern
parts of the Lake States, and in the Middle Atlantic Coastal
Plain. Except for parts of Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and
California, cover crops turned under for green manure is not a
common practice in the 17 Western States, excluding eastern
Texas. Inadequate moisture is a major reason for the infrequent
use of cover crops in the 17 Western States.
Land in row crops or close-seeded crops grown in strips for
wind erosion control. — As indicated by the accompanying map,
this conservation practice is concentrated chiefly in the western
part of the Great Plains wheat-producing areas. Along this dry
margin, wheat is being grown on land that is subject to wind
erosion, particularly during the drier years. Wind stripcrop-
ping, stubble mulching, and other conservation practices help
l.o control soil blowing. The practice of wind stripcropping
involves the planting of crops in strips of uniform width which
are arranged at right angles to the direction of the prevailing
wind. Cultivated summer fallow and small grain crops often
occupy alternating strips. Not all land on which wind strip-
cropping is a current practice is necessarily best suited to wheat.
Some of the land on which wheat is presently produced is best
adapted to a permanent cover of grass used for grazing livestock.
Cropland used for grain or row crops farmed on the contour. —
Crops are planted on the contour when the rows or strips are
laid out at right angles to the natural slope of the land. Farm-
ing land on the contour generally means that alternating strips
or bands of different crops are also used in order to retard soil
and water loss. Row crops alternated with close sown crops is
a general arrangement. The different crops commonly grown are
also rotated among the different strips of land.
Farming on the contour is a widespread practice where slop-
ing land is used for cropland. As shown by the accompanying
map, there is widespread use of contour farming in those areas
in the South where cotton is an important crop on sloping land.
In some of the more rolling parts of the Corn Belt, a considerable
acreage of crops are grown on the contour. In the central and
southern Great Plains, growing crops on the contour is a widely
used practice. Moisture conservation as well as the control of
wind and water erosion is a major incentive to arranging crops
on the contour. Yields are increased materially through the ap-
plication of this moisture-conserving practice. In some parts of
the Great Plains, where there is no dominant prevailing wind
direction, strips of crops planted on the contour are likely to
give more protection against wind erosion than strips planted
at right angles to the prevailing wind.
M
r\ vji\iT.riii^v OLJiviivii^ivi
FARM RESOURCES AND PRODUCTION
Remarkable growth in the use of capital in American agricul-
ture has been a dominant characteristic of the changes taking
place. This has been especially true in the last, 15 to 20 years.
Productive farm resources available to each of the 8.5 million
farm operators, hired hands, and family workers averaged about
$14,400 in 1955. In 1940, the comparable value was $3,500, which
after allowance for changes in the price level means approxi-
mately a 75 percent increase in capital per worker. For full-
time commercial farms, the average investment per worker would
be $20,000 or more.
These productive resources are made up of land, service build-
ings, livestock and feed inventories, machinery and equipment,
and cash-on-hand used for operating expenses such as the pur-
chase of fertilizer, lime, seed, pesticides, gasoline, oil, livestock
feed, repairs for machinery, and other related materials. Other
assets owned by farmers which are not among these productive
assets are dwellings, household goods, financial savings, and
automobiles. The total investment in these additional assets is
in the neighborhood of $5,000 per worker.
In 1955, the total farm output was nearly 50 percent more
than that of 1935-39. This production came from about the same
acreage of farmland, and it was produced with 30 percent less
labor. However, the amount of investment capital and cash
needed for operating expenses increased sharply. Using current
dollars in comparing the 1935-39 period with 1955, the amount
of investment capital used increased threefold and the cash out-
lay for nonfarm goods used in farm production was four times
as great.
The percentage distribution of the value of inputs on com-
mercial farms in 1949 indicates the relative importance of farm
resources used in obtaining the present high level of farm pro-
duction sold or used in farm households. Purchase of livestock
and poultry ; feed for livestock and poultry ; seeds, bulbs, plants,
and trees; fertilizer and lime, and gasoline and other petroleum
fuel and oil constituted 31 percent of the total value of inputs
on commercial farms. For tractor and other farm machinery
repairs and for machine hire about 0 percent of the inputs were
needed. Depreciation on machinery and equipment and buildings
accounted for 9 percent of the total inputs. Interest on invest-
ment in land, buildings, machinery and equipment, and livestock
made up 21 percent. The labor input totaled 33 percent.
Changes in agricultural production. — The transformation of
production in American agriculture has been nearly complete
during the last 50 years. While this transformation started prior
to World War I, the outstanding changes have taken place since
1920. During and following World War II the rate of change
was greatly accelerated. Production per acre and per animal,
as well as the total farm output, has shown pronounced in-
creases. Several factors have contributed to these upward
changes in production.
(1) Mechanization. — The substitution of mechanical power
and associated machinery for animal power released about 80
million acres of cropland between 1920 and 1955. This release
of cropland and other resources accounted for about half of
the total increase in farm output during the interwar years.
Since 1940, the acreage released by this substitution of inani-
mate for animate power has amounted to 33 million acres,
which have accounted for about a fourth of the increase in
farm output during this period.
(2) Soil conservation and improvement. — The use of lime and
fertilizer has expanded greatly in recent years. Four times
as much fertilizer is used on farms today compared with the
amount used in the years prior to World War II. Introduction
of better conservation practices to more farms is also contrib-
uting to the increase in farm output. Planting crops on the
contour, stripcropping, terracing, better crop rotations, and
other soil-conserving practices have also played a part in
raising farm output. Altogether, these improvements including
the increased application of fertilizer have accounted for about
a fourth of the increase in farm output since 1940—11.
(3) Improvement in crops. — The most frequently cited ex-
ample of increase in ouput attributable to crop improvement
has been the introduction of hybrid seed corn. Its use has
spread to all of the major corn-producing areas and adoption of
this improvement is nearly completed. Other improvements in
crop varieties have also had their influence on yields. Use of
new chemical and mechanical methods to control weeds, insect
pests, and plant diseases have led to increases in yields. About
a fifth of the total increase in farm output since 1940-41 can
be assigned to improvements in crops.
(4) Improvements in livestock breeding, feeding, and disease
control. — Artificial insemination and cross breeding have been
important factors leading to the genetic improvement of
animals. Improvement in feeding methods, including a better
balanced and more adequate ration and the use of antibiotics
and hormones, have gone hand in hand with breeding im-
provements to bring about significant increases in animal pro-
duction.
(5) Farmstead improvements. — The greatly increased use of
electricity in recent years has reduced labor requirements
around the farmstead. Pumping water, milking cows, cooling
milk, and numerous other chores are rendered comparatively
easy tasks through the use of electricity. Many other improve-
ments around the farmstead such as the design, construction,
and location of farm buildings have led to a large saving in
labor on farms where such improvements have been introduced.
When these various technological advances and improvements
are brought together, there are additional increases in farm
output which are attributable to the combined use of the improve-
ments.
Agricultural losses. — In spite of these many improvements that
have led to the marked increases in the farm output, there is
still room for further improvement. A summary of annual losses
from 1942 to 1951, made by the Agricultural Research Service,
reveals that these losses amount to nearly a third of the potential
\ alue of our crops, livestock, and forest products.
In the production of crops, weather, insects, diseases, mechani-
cal damage, weeds, and harvesting waste contribute to a loss in
output. After the crops are harvested, other losses in storage,
marketing and processing ; disease and death of animals to which
crops are fed ; destruction of nutrients in cooking : and waste of
edible portions of food in the kitchen add up to a sizable amount.
It has been estimated that such losses were equal to the production
from 120 million acres of cropland each year between 1942 and
1951.
Losses in production also occur in the use of our pasture and
range. These include plant diseases, fire, grasshoppers, and
weeds. Such losses equal the potential production from about
154 million acres of pasture and grazing land. (Pasture and
grazing land totaled a billion acres in 1954.)
Forests are also affected by such losses as fire, diseases, insects,
and wind. Such losses are estimated as equal to the potential
annual growth from 228 million acres of forest land.
Not all of these losses are preventable. It is doubtful whether
we will be able in the foreseeable future to eliminate many of
the losses due to adverse weather, although it may be possible to
reduce them. Knowledge of how to control or eliminate other
losses may be available, but it may not be economically feasible to
apply such knowledge. Still other losses are not preventable with
present technological knowledge. However, much reduction in
agricultural losses can be attained with present technical know-
ledge and under current economic conditions. Further research
will be needed to eliminate or reduce other losses.
In this section of the graphic summary, maps and charts are
presented to illustrate the use and distribution of farm re-
sources in the production of the principal crop and livestock
products. The principal features of the farm production picture
are presented. Other aspects necessarily have not been in-
cluded in this summary report. They are covered more com-
pletely in other reports being issued in conjunction with the
1954 Census of Agriculture.
LAND UTILIZATION
35
NUMBER OF FARMS, 1954
FARMS AND FARMLAND
Number of farms. — In 1954, there were 4,782,416 farms reported
by the Census of Agriculture. The highest densities of farms per
square mile are found in parts of the South.
Very low densities are found principally in the areas of eastern
United States where much land has never been used for agricul-
ture and in the Western States where a large acreage per farm
or ranch is needed for the raising of livestock and in dry farming
operations.
Commercial farms. — A commercial farm is any farm on which
the value of farm products sold is $250 or more provided the farm
operator works off the farm less than 100 days, or provided the
income the farm operator and members of his family receive
from nonfarm sources is less than the value of all farm products
sold.
The number of commercial farms declined by 378,795 farms
between 1950 and 1954. The number of large commercial farms
increased but a pronounced drop in small commercial farms
occurred. The relationship between the number of commercial
farms and all farms remained practically the same between 1950
and 1954.
Other farms. — The three classes of other farms are part-time,
residential, and abnormal. Two-fifths of the 1,455,404 other
farms reported in 1954 were classified as part-time farms. On
these farms, the value of farm products sold ranged from $250
to $1,199 and the operator either reported 100 days or more of
off-farm work or reported other income received by himself or
members of his family exceeding the value of agricultural prod-
ucts sold. Residential farms, which had less than $250 worth
of farm products sold, accounted for practically all of the re-
maining other farms.
36
J\ LrKAmiU 5UiMIYl/\KI
PERCENT OF TOTAL LAND AREA IN FARMS, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
1 20 TO 39
WM 40 TO 59
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54- 102
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
ALL LAND IN FARMS
ACREAGE. 1954
IMTH) STATES T07RL
1,156.191,511
..**■--.
■. 3f
~-:i
DOT -50.000 ACRES
ACREAGE OF LAND IN FARMS AND NOT IN FARMS,
FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1850-1954
BILLIONS OF
ACRES
1 ' 1
'.LAND NOT IN FARMS
"^^^
.
--
*.
"-"
XLAN
> IN FAT
MS
LAND IN FARMS. BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR THE UNITEO STATES <««
MANAGERS B«%-<
M.841MT «£RE5
1850 I860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 I960
54C-035
LAND UTILIZATION
37
LAND IN FARMS ANO NUMBER OF FARMS FOR THE
UNITED STATES: 1850 - 1954
MILLIONS Of
ACRES
1200
1
^
-^T-
NUMBER OF FARMS
„'1
1 1 \«' >
*-
50 0
1 y-j/
250
0
^^
-'~J
7500
6000
4500
3000
1500
1650 I860 1670 I860 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 I960
54C-034
All land in farms. — The total acreage of land in farms reported
in 1954 was nearly the same as that reported by the 1950 Census
of Agriculture, but significant regional changes have occurred
during the last 5 years. In the Northern States (including Mary-
land and Delaware), land in farms declined by nearly 7 million
acres. Of the four farm production regions that make up the
Northern States, only the Northern Plains had an increase in
land in farms between 1950 and 1954.
In the Southern States, the decline in land in farms amounted
to more than 6 million acres with most of the decrease taking
place in the Appalachian States. A slight increase in the
Southern Plains was the only regional increase among the four
Southern regions.
Reversion of farmland to forest land ; encroachment of urban,
transportation, and other nonfarm uses of land ; and discon-
tinuation of agricultural operations on small farms in favor of
industrial and other nonagricultural employment have all con-
tributed to the decline in farmland in these regions.
Offsetting nearly all of this decrease of more than 13 million
acres in the Northern and Southern States was an increase of
13 million acres in the 11 Western States, most of which occurred
in the Mountain States. Inclusion of more grazing land formerly
not included in farms and the irrigation of previously undeveloped
land account for much of this increase in acreage of land in
farms.
Especially high densities of farmland shown for some counties
result from showing the total acreage of large farms in the
county in which the farm headquarters is located, even though
the farm acreage may extend into other counties.
Percentage of total land area in farms. — In the Great Plains,
Corn Belt, and Dairy Belt, a high proportion of the counties have
90 percent or more of their total land area in farms. West of
the Great Plains, inadequate rainfall and mountainous topogra-
phy explain the small proportion of land area that is in farms
over extensive areas. Large acreages of land have remained in
public ownership in the Western States. A considerable acreage
of this public land is grazed by obtaining permits from the Fed-
eral and State agencies administering the land. Land grazed
under these permits rather than under a leasing arrangement
is not included as land in farms. A major limitation upon the
use of this western rangeland grazed under permit is the neces-
sity of grazing much of it for only part of the year.
In some parts of the States east of the Great Plains and Corn
Belt, hilly topography, infertile soils, and poor drainage extend
over sizable areas. These physical handicaps contribute to the
relatively little use made of such land for farming purposes.
Land in farms, by tenure of operator. — The tenure status of
land in farms is shown by the accompanying chart in terms of
the four principal types of tenure as reported by the Census of
Agriculture. Operators who own part of their land and rent
part of it account for about two-fifths of the land in farms. Full
owners have a third of the land in farms in their units. About
a sixth of the land in farms is rented out to tenants who rent
all of the land that they operate. Less than a tenth of the land
in farms is operated by managers.
The most significant change in tenure status of land in farms
since 1950 is the increase in the proportion of land in farms op-
erated by part owners. All other tenure types have some de-
crease in the proportion of land in farms that was operated
under these types.
Land in farms and number of farms. — While the acreage of land
in farms remained nearly the same between 1950 and 1954, the
n amber of farms reported by the 1954 Census of Agriculture
was about 11 percent fewer than the number reported in 1950.
This decrease represents extension of the nearly continuous de-
cline that started in 1920. Only a brief period of increase (not
shown by the accompanying chart, which is plotted at 10-year
intervals) occurred between 1930 and 1935 when many persons
from urban areas returned to farms. Most of the recent decrease
in number of farms has been in the number of small farms.
Availability of urban employment has been a major factor ac-
counting for the decline in small farm numbers in the areas where
industry is well developed. Some of the operators of these small
farms have moved off their farms while others have continued
to use their farmhouses as residences but have discontinued
agricultural operations. In the South, the combination of small
farms operated by share tenants and croppers into larger operat-
ing units has contributed to the decrease in farm numbers.
The increase in the number of farms of 500 acres or more
reflects the increased use of machinery in agriculture. As more
and more farm operators have increased the size of their farms
the number of farms has necessarily declined, since the overall
acreage of land in farms has not increased.
Land in farms and not in farms, 1850-1954. — Less change in
the acreage of land in farms occurred between 1950 and 1954
than for any previous 5-or 10-year Census period since land in
farms was first enumerated in 1850. Regional changes that oc-
curred between 1950 and 1954 practically offset each other so
that the total United States acreage declined by less than half
million acres.
Most of the increase in land in farms since 1880 has occurred
in the 17 Western States, except for an appreciable increase in
Florida in recent years. New settlement, which continued until
about 1920, accounts for part of the increase. Since 1920, about
half of the total net increase has resulted from the addition of
about 100 million acres of Federal, State, and Indian reservation
land to the area reported as land in farms. Most of the remain-
ing net increase of another 100 million acres occurred on privately
owned land. Changes in methods of controlling grazing rights
and modifications in Census definitions and procedures rather
than the expansion of farming into undeveloped areas account
for much of this increase on privately owned land since 1920.
407763—57-
38
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
COMMERCIAL FARMS AS A PERCENT OF ALL FARMS, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
LEGEND
PERCENT
I luNnFR 85 E3339 75 TO R9
i^MJ 25 TO 49 IHI
LS&J 50 TO 74
FARMS
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO ASA - 058
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
LAND UTILIZATION
39
AVERAGE VALUE OF LAND AND BUILDINGS PER ACRE, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
* NO FiRMS
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54-222
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Commercial farms as a percentage of all farms. — In 1954, about
70 percent of all farms were classified as commercial farms. The
accompanying map shows that more than three-fourths of the
farms are commercial farms in most of the Corn Belt, the Great
Plains, and the northern Mountain States. The lower Mississippi
Valley, parts of the Middle Atlantic and Southeastern Coastal
Plain, and some areas in the Northeast also have a high pro-
portion of commercial farms. Very few commercial farms are
located in parts of several Southern States.
Average size of commercial farms. — Marked contrast in the
average size of commercial farms between the Western and East-
ern States is shown by the accompanying map. Only in Florida
among the 31 Eastern States do commercial farms average 500
acres or more in any of the State economic areas.
The size of farm is affected by such factors as the type of
agricultural operations, size of ownership units, topography, and
climatic conditions. Small commercial farms a\eraging less than
100 acres in size for State economic areas are found principally
in parts of the South where small cropper-operated farms as-
sociated with the growing of cotton and tobacco are numerous.
In some areas in the Northeast where vegetable production is of
particular importance, the average size of commercial farms is
also less than 100 acres.
Commercial farms and ranches average 500 acres or more in
size over much of the 11 Western States and the western part
of the 6 Great Plains States. Land that is suitable only for
grazing and has a very low carrying capacity accounts for a
considerable acreage in the West. This means that a commercial
farm or ranch in that region must comprise a large acreage if
it is to be an economic unit. Commercial farms which are lo-
cated mainly on irrigated land are not nearly so large as the
ranches that depend mainly on nonirrigated grazing land.
Average value of land and buildings per acre. — The 1954 Census
of Agriculture shows that the value of land and buildings per
acre increased 29 percent over the value reported for 1950.
Values increased most sharply in Arizona and Florida with In-
diana, Georgia, Maryland, Montana, and Washington also show-
ing significant increases. Only 8 States had increases of less
than 15 percent. Most of these were New England States.
The accompanying map shows the distribution of counties ac-
cording to the 1954 average value of farmland and buildings
per acre. The three largest concentrations of land and buildings
having an average value per acre of $200 and over are in the
Corn Belt, Northeastern, and Pacific States. The high values
in the Northeastern States, which extend from southern' New
England to Washington, D. C, reflect the influence of urbaniza-
tion on the value of farmland located near large centers of
population. A similar influence may be observed in the Pacific
States where the highest average per acre values of land and
buildings are in part associated with the large metropolitan
centers of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle.
Increases in the value of irrigated land are also reflected in
overall increases in the value of land and buildings in the Pacific
States and in some other parts of the Western States.
The most extensive contiguous area with high land values per
acre is in the Corn Belt States. In this area, high average values
may be attributed primarily to the productive capacity of the
land.
Many scattered counties with high average per acre values
for land and buildings can generally be associated with urban
centers or with areas having a high proportion of irrigated land
in the Western States.
40
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
DISTRIBUTION OF SELECTED RESOURCES FOR THE UNITED STATES BY REGIONS AND BY COMMERCIAL
AND OTHER FARMS WITHIN REGIONS' 1954
PERCENT OF UNITED STATES TOTAL
THE NORTH THE SOUTH THE WEST
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0 10 20 30 40 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
ALL FARMS
COMMERCIAL FARMS
LAND IN FARMS
CROPLAND HARVESTED
TOTAL LAND PASTURED
IRRIGATED LAND IN FARMS
CATTLE AND CALVES
HOGS AND PIGS
CHICKENS, 4 MONTHS OLD AND
OVER ON FARMS
FARM WORKERSlfomily and hired)
VALUE OF FARM PRODUCTS SOLD
OTHER FARMS
Distribution of selected resources. — The distribution of some
of the principal farm resources among regions and between com-
mercial and other farms is shown by the accompanying chart.
Several marked contrasts among regions are readily observable.
These regional differences are an important and interesting fea-
ture of American agriculture. As this chart is studied, it is
helpful to keep in mind that the total land area of the northern
and southern regions each comprises about three-tenths of the
total land area of the United States while the western region
accounts for two -fifths of it.
The distribution of all farms shows that the South has nearly
half of the United States total while less than a tenth of the farms
are located in the West. It should also be noted that other farms,
which consist of part-time, residential, and abnormal farms, ac-
count for a much greater number of the farms in the South than
in the other two regions. Thus, about half of the commercial
farms are in the North compared with about two-fifths in the
South and less than a tenth in the West.
Land in farms is more evenly distributed among the three major
legions than is the number of farms. The North has 38 percent
of the total, the South has 33 percent, and the West has 29 percent.
This means that a greater proportion of the total land area in the
North and South is in farms than in the West. While nearly
a third of all farms are other farms, it should be noted that only
about a tenth of the land in farms is in other farms. This means
that most of these other farms, except for abnormal farms, have
very limited land resources.
Cropland harvested, which constitutes the most significant
part of the land resources in farms, is strikingly concentrated
in the North. More than three-fifths of the total acreage of
cropland harvested is in this region. About a fourth of it is
in the South and slightly more than a tenth is in the West.
Of the total acreage of land pastured, the West accounts for
two-fifths of it, the South has about a third of the total, and
the North about a fourth. Considerable variation in the quality
of pasture exists among these three major regions. Cropland
used only for good quality pasture largely grown in rotation with
crops is more heavily concentrated in the North than in the
other two regions. Woodland pasture in farms is found to a
greater extent in the South and West.
Although there has been a marked increase in irrigated laud
in farms in the North and South in recent years, the 11 Western
States still have nearly 70 percent of all irrigated land.
The concentration of three of the principal classes of livestock
in the North is another significant fact in American agriculture.
More than three-fourths of all hogs and pigs, nearly two-thirds
of all chickens 4 months old and over on farms, and half of all
cattle and calves are found in the North.
The number of all farmworkers both family and hired is largest
in the South, which has nearly half of the total. Two-fifths of
the farmworkers are on farms in the North and a tenth in the
West. Workers on commercial farms are also slightly more
numerous in the South than in the North.
This disparity between the distribution of human resources
on American farms and the distribution of land and capital
is further emphasized by the contrast in the distribution of the
value of farm products sold. More than half of the total value
of farm products sold comes from the North where only two-fifths
of the farm workers reside. In the West, about a tenth of all
farmworkers produced a fifth of the total value of farm products
sold in the United States in 1954. On the other hand, the farm-
workers of the South, which comprise nearly half of the United
States total, produced less than three-tenths of the value of farm
products sold in that year.
LAND UTILIZATION
41
PERCENT OF TOTAL POPULATION REPRESENTED BY FARM POPULATION, APRIL 1,1950
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
LEGEND
PERCENT
I I UNDER 10 fcSga 40 TO 59
ir—a 10 TO 19 888S 60 TO 79
V//M 20 TO 39 ■ 80 AND OVER
U S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
AP NO V50-032
BUREAU OF THE
FARM POPULATION
U. S. FARM POPULATION
-y/ 32.0 >
f 32.* \ ^_
* V U'L- J
1920
1,,
1933 ^-"V' ^k/juX
1940 ^^T^_|/— \
1950 v^y
1955
, , 1 . . . . I , , . . 1 , . , . 1 , , , , 1 , , , , 1 , , , , 1
oat
* i*RO* THE BUREAU OF 1HE CfNJUJ AND THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE
U. 1. DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE NBC U3S-JMI0) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SER
1
The Nation's farm population continued to dec-line between
1950 and 1955. The decline amounted to nearly 3 million per-
sons. During the same period total population increased from
151 million to 165 million persons. This means that the farm
population comprised only 13.5 percent of the total population in
1955 compared with 10.6 percent in 1950.
Percentage of total population represented by farm population,
1950. — Since the last complete population Census was taken in
1950, the accompanying map shows the percentage of total popu-
lation represented by farm population as of 1950. The overall
pattern has not changed significantly during the last 5 years.
The heaviest concentration of farm population still remains in
the South. The proportion is particularly high in areas where
small tenant-operated cotton and tobacco farms are numerous
and where there are many part-time and residential farms.
Counties with a very low proportion of farm population are
widely scattered. Highly urbanized counties account for many
of the counties with less than 10 percent of the total population
living on farms. In some counties with very few farm people,
mining and forestry are more important activities than farming.
The regional distribution of farm population has changed only
slightly during the last 35 years. In 1920, the regional distribu-
tion was as follows : Northeast, 8 percent ; North Central, 32 per-
cent ; South, 53 percent ; and West, 7 percent. In 1955, the North-
east had 9 percent of the total ; the North Central, 32 percent ;
the South, 50 percent; and the West, 9 percent.
United States farm population. — The peak in farm population
since 1920 was reached in 1933 when more than 32 million per-
sons were living on farms. Since 1933, a persistent decline has
occurred. A pronounced dip in the farm population curve during
World War II accelerated this decline. Many who left the farm
during the war did not return after its end.
Between 1950 and 1955 all regions lost farm population. The
decline was below the national average in the Northeastern,
North Central, and Western States and above it in the South.
A high degree of mobility is characteristic of the farm popula-
tion of the United States. More than 2 million persons have
moved to and from farms in nearly every year since 1921. Dur-
ing most of this period, the movement away from farms has ex-
ceeded the movement to farms. Only for a short time during the
depression years and immediately after World War II was this
trend reversed significantly. Net migration away from farms
has been highest during periods of greatest opportunity for off-
farm employment. These periods have also coincided with pe-
riods when mechanization of farming was progressing rapidly.
42
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
HORSES AND MULES
HORSES & MULES, AND TRACTORS
ON FARMS JAN. 1
Mil
. HEAD
MIL. TRACTORS
.y^~ s^. Horses and mules
20
\L/
S*
4
^v. /
J.*
0
/
' 1
10
2
^-<X
^'"
Tractors T ^*.
0.
»"""'
n
19
10 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960
* doc i «or ihcludc iTc*« tno ctooe" rwicToai
U. i. DEPARTMENT OF AGSICULTUBE NEC- S»Ol-»0S AGRICUl TU ft AL SESEAftCH SERVICE
POWER AND EQUIPMENT
The introduction of inanimate power has brounght many
striking changes to American farms during the last 50 years. The
tractor has supplied the major part of this power. Trucks,
automobiles, and electricity are other important sources of inani-
mate power used on the farm. In 1910, an estimated 1,000
tractors were in use on American farms. World War I brought
a shortage of labor on farms, higher prices, and an increase in
cash receipts which help to explain the fact that by 1020 there
were nearly a quarter of a million tractors on farms. A nearly
uninterrupted increase in numbers of tractors has occurred each
year since 1920. The only exception was during the depression
years of the early thirties.
The use of electricity on farms has expanded rapidly during
the last 30 years. Reports of the Edison Electric Institute show
that in 1926 a total of 0.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity were
used on farms. By 1954, the kilowatt-hours used had increased
to 20.S billion kilowatt-hours. An average of 4,000 kilowatt-hours
of electricity was used per farm in 1954. Among the principal
uses of electricity on the farm, other than for lighting and ap-
pliances in the home, are pumping water and milking cows.
These new sources of power have greatly reduced the number
of horses and mules needed on farms. The number of horses and
mules on farms expanded rapidly during the 19th century. The
peak number was reached during World War I when nearly 27
million were estimated to be on farms. Since 191S an uninter-
rupted decline in the number of horses and mules has occurred.
The 1954 Census of Agriculture reported only 4.1 million horses
and mules of all ages still remaining on farms.
Since the introduction of these new forms of power, fewer
farmworkers are needed to produce food and fiber for domestic
use and for export. In 1820, the labor force engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits comprised nearly three-fourths of the total number
of persons engaged in all occupations. By 1870, this had been
reduced to about one-half, and by 1920, to approximately a fourth
of the total. In 1950, the persons engaged in agriculture made up
only a little more than a tenth of the persons engaged in all oc-
cupations.
This means that today 20 persons are supported by one farm-
worker compared with only 7 in 1910 and only 4 in 1S20. Farm
employment has declined from a peak total of 13.6 million workers
reached during the period, 1910 to 1917, as compared with only
8.5 million workers in 1954.
In addition to these important influences upon the number of
farmworkers needed and the output per farmworker, the sub-
stitution of inanimate power for horse and mule power on farms
has had a major influence on the acreage of agricultural land
required to supply the food and fiber needs of the Nation. This
influence has already been indicated in a previous chart. How-
ever, it reemphasizes the fact that a major reason for the stabil-
ity in total cropland acreage since 1920 has been the substitution
of tractors for horses and mides. Cropland and pastureland
formerly used to produce feed for farm and nonfarm draft animals
are now available for producing food and fiber for domestic use or
for export. From the peak of 93 million acres used for feeding
all horses and mules in 1915, the acreage used for such purposes
declined to only 10 million acres in 1955.
The accompanying maps and charts depict some of the major
distribution and trend characteristics in the use of farm power
and equipment.
Tractors on farms. — Tractors were reported on 2.9 million farms
in 1954. Since the total number of tractors reported was 4.7
million, there were many farms with more than one tractor. Half
of all tractors in the United States are concentrated in the 12
North Central States. The distributional pattern for tractors
corresponds closely to that of cropland harvested.
LAND UTILIZATION
43
Horses and mules. — Between 1945 and 1954, the number of
horses and mules on farms declined from 11.6 million to 4.1 million
head. As shown by the accompanying map much of the remaining
horse and mule population is found in the Southern States, where
tractors have not been as widely used as in the Northern and
Western States.
Tractors — increase and decrease, 1950-54. — In most parts of the
United States, the number of tractors has increased. On many
farms in the Corn Belt the increase is associated more with the
addition of a second tractor to farms rather than with the re-
placement of horses and mules by tractors. In the Southern States
many more farms substituted tractors for horses and mules as a
source of power between 1950 and 1954. The tobacco-producing
areas of eastern North Carolina and South Carolina have marked
increases in the number of tractors. Two other areas outside
the Corn Belt and Lake States which have had especially large
increases are southeastern Pennsylvania and adjacent areas in
Maryland and Delaware. Some of this increase has occurred on
farms where tradition and custom delayed the substitution of
tractors for horses and mules. It is also an area where the use of
small garden tractors has expanded on part-time farms and resi-
dential farms around cities. In the Western States, tractors have
increased mainly in the irrigated areas.
Horses and mules and tractors on farms, 1910-56. — The number
of tractors on farms has expanded from only a very few in 1910
to 4.5 million, not including steam and garden tractors. A sharp
persistent decline in the horse and mule population has accom-
panied the increased use of tractor power. Horses and mules
now furnish only a small part of the present farm power needed.
Also significant is the fact that further reduction in the acreage
of land needed to furnish feed for horses and mules will no
longer be a significant factor contributing to greater production
of food and fiber for domestic use and for export from the same
total cropland acreage.
PRINCIPAL MACHINES ON FARMS,
1940 AND 1955
MILKING MACHINES
17S THOI
"I 7J0 THOUS
.1940
'1955
MECH.CORN PICKERS
*ICULTU»AL «CS£*»CH SEBviCE
Principal machines on farms, 1940 and 1955. — World War II
and postwar prosperity have been strong incentives to farm
mechanization. The amount of farm machinery that farmers
buy in most years is determined mainly by present and prospec-
tive income and by availability of the machinery. During the
depression years of the early thirties purchases of machinery
and equipment were low mainly because of the income factor,
but during World War II, limitations on the manufacture of farm
machinery meant that farmers could not buy all of the ma-
chinery that they wanted. Annual purchases of farm machinery
and equipment, including motortrucks and automobiles, exceeded
$3 billion a year from 1948 to 1954, which equals about a
tenth of the cash receipts from farming during these years. The
highest previous total expenditure for a single year was in 1947
when about $2 billion were expended for this purpose by farmers.
Investment of savings accumulated during the War and early
postwar years and installment buying are the major forces that
explain this high level of machinery and equipment buying.
The accompanying chart presents a comparison between 1940
and 1955 for some of the principal farm machines. All ma-
chines shown in the chart, except automobiles, have had a marked
increase in numbers during this 15-year period. There were
nearly as many automobiles on farms in 1940 as in 1955. All
other types of machinery have had high proportional increases.
There were about 3 times as many tractors and trucks in 1955
as in 1940 ; 4 times as many milking machines ; 5 times as many
combines ; and 6 times as many mechanical cornpickers. Num-
bers of other machines such as cottonpickers and pickup balers
have also increased rapidly.
The use of the mechanical cottonpicker has been one of the
newest and most widely discussed innovations in the farm ma-
chinery field. A comparison of the method of harvesting used
in the 1947^8 harvesting season with that used in the 1954-55
season reveals the fact that most of the mechanical picking of
cotton has been introduced during these years :
Estimated percentage of
crop harvested
Method of harvesting 1947-48 1954-55
Hand-picked 77. 5 54. 2
Hand-snapped 20. 6 24. 3
Machine-picked 0.1 15.9
Machine-stripped 1. 8 5. 6
The use of the machine-picker is restricted mainly to certain
parts of the cotton-producing areas. For the 1954-55 season, 62
percent of the California cotton crop was machine-picked. For
Arizona, machine picking accounted for 44 percent of the crop.
Louisiana ranked next with 28 percent, followed by Missouri,
22 percent ; Arkansas, 16 percent ; Mississippi, 11 percent ; and
New Mexico, 8 percent. In all other cotton-producing States
less than 5 percent of the cotton was machine-picked in the
1954-55 harvesting season.
Regional differences in the use of other kinds of farm ma-
chinery also exist. These differences are explained partly by
contrasts in type of farming but also by the rate at which farmers
have been able to mechanize their operations. Thus for example,
nine-tenths of the cornpickers are on farms located in the 12
North Central States, but these 12 States account for only seven-
tenths of the Nation's corn acreage.
Another kind of farm machinery and equipment that is of
growing importance is that used in the control of insects, plant
diseases, and weeds through spraying and dusting. The intro-
duction of new pesticides has been accompanied by improvements
in the methods of application. The leading developments in
spraying and dusting equipment include high-pressure sprayers
for tree fruits and nuts, low-pressure or low gallonage sprayers
used principally on field crops, and increased spraying and dust-
ing from airplanes. The Production Economics Research Branch,
Agricultural Research Service, has estimated that in 1952 about
31 million acres of farmland were treated one or more times for
the control of weeds and brush and 29 million acres were sprayed
or dusted for the control of insects and diseases.
Much of the land treated for control of weeds and brush is
located in the Corn Belt, Northern Plains, Mountain, and Pacific
regions. Acreage sprayed or dusted for control of insects and
diseases is mainly concentrated in the Southern and Western
States.
The use of machinery on American farms will undoubtedly
continue to increase. Machines and equipment already in use on
some farms will become more widely used. New machinery and
equipment are introduced every year. Existing machines are
being improved to do a better and more efficient job. These
expected changes will continue to affect the use of land resources
and further adjustments in the regional pattern of land use may
be anticipated. These will be related in part to technological
advances in mechanizing farm operations.
44
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
FARM PRODUCTION PER ACRE
AND PER ANIMAL
1920 1930 1940 1950
1920 1930 1940 1950
♦ ESTIMATED ACREAGE FROM WHICH ONE OR MORE CROPS WERE HARVESTED
PLUS ACREAGE OF CROP FAILURE AND SUMMER FALLOW
OINCLUDES ALL BREEDING LIVESTOCK EXCEPT HORSES, AND ALL LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
EXCEPT FARM-PRODUCED POWER OF HORSES AND MULES
U. S. DEPARTMENT Oh AGRICULTURE
NEU. 55 (9)-901A AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
TRENDS IN POPULATION, CROPLAND 8 FARM OUTPUT IN U.S.
Pop- Ctop-
;rop
AND
m.\- ml
160 400
x
120 300
A
F
ARM
IN
OUTPL
DEX
Ty
-POPt
LATIC
N
40 100
0
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
1820 30 40 50 60 70
80 ^0 1900 '10 '20 '30 40 '50'54
54C-036
Total farm output has nearly doubled during the last half
century. A record farm output in 1955 was more than a third
greater than the output of 1940. Population was only a fourth
greater in 1955 than in 1940. The accompanying two charts in-
dicate some of the changes that have occurred.
Farm production per acre and per animal. — Rising production
per acre and per animal unit has characterized American farming,
particularly since the mid-thirties. Drought and depression in
the early thirties interrupted a general upward trend since World
War I. Since 1940, production per acre has increased by a fifth
and production per breeding unit by nearly a fourth. This in-
crease in productivity since 1940 means that the current high
farm output has been reached with about the same acreage of
cropland, 15 percent more breeding units of livestock, and 30
percent fewer man-hours of farm labor. Substitution of resources
nought off the farm for land, labor, and workstock has been a
significant economic change in American farming during recent
years.
High crop production per acre during recent years has been
associated with increased application of fertilizer, use of hybrid
corn and other improved seed and plants, better control of insects,
and good weather. Greater efficiency in livestock production has
come about through more and better feed per animal unit, less
loss through disease, and improvement in breeding stock.
Trends in population, cropland, and farm output in United
States. — Population in the United States continues to increase.
Since World War II this increase has been at an accelerated rate
compared with the lower rates of increase for much of the decade
of the thirties. In 1950, the total United Stales population was
151 million. By 1954 it had reached 162 million, increasing by
about 3 million persons per year.
Until about 1920 the curves that represent cropland and the
farm output index on the accompanying chart closely paralleled
each other. Much of the increase in farm production necessary to
LAND UTILIZATION
45
ACREAGE ON WHICH COMMERCIAL FERTILIZER WAS USED, 1954
UNITED STATES TOTAL
122,730.363
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54-3I8
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
CHANGES IN USE OF FERTILIZER
AND FARM INCOME
% OF 1947-49
.Fertilizer*.
W-^
1950
*Ouahtjtiei or '>i*ii'.i "I'nif.n hied in following tear
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NEC. ii(Wl-1Sl AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
feed the growing population was coming from the rapid expansion
of the cropland acreage. Since 1920, the acreage of cropland has
remained nearly stationary. However, farm output continued to
increase after 1920 and since 1940 the rise has been very sharp.
This means that it has been possible to feed the increasing popu-
lation of the Nation and with a substantially improved diet.
Acreage on which commercial fertilizer was used, 1954. — Some
striking regional changes in the use of fertilizer in the United
States have occurred in the last 25 years. In 1929, very little
fertilizer was used in the Corn Belt, Great Plains, and Western
States. Most of the fertilizer used a quarter of a century ago
was used in the following States or areas : North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, New Jersey,
Delaware, Maryland, southeastern Virginia, southeastern Penn-
sylvania, northeastern Maine, the Connecticut River Valley of
Connecticut and Massachusetts, and the Los Angeles area of
California.
In 1954, commercial fertilizer was used on 123 million acres
of cropland and pasture. Lime was applied to 11 million acres.
The accompanying map shows the distribution of fertilizer use in
1954. When this map is studied against the background of the
above statements relative to the use of fertilizer in 1929 the fol-
lowing striking changes in the distribution of its use may be
noted. Half of the acreage fertilized in 1954 was in the Corn
Belt, Great Plains, and Western States. In 1929, these areas
accounted for only a sixth of the total expenditure made for com-
mercial fertilizer used in the United States. About two-fifths
of the expenditure for fertilizer in 1929 was concentrated in the
Piedmont and Coastal Plain parts of North Carolina, South Caro-
lina, Georgia, and Alabama.
Most of the fertilizer used in 1929 was applied to the more
intensively cultivated crops, especially to cotton, tobacco, fruit,
truck, and potatoes. These crops have continued to absorb an
important part of the fertilizer applied, but several other crops
and pasture that were not formerly fertilized to any great extent
are now widely fertilized.
In 1954, commercial fertilizer was applied to IS million acres
of hay and pasture, to 47 million acres of corn, to more than
11 million acres of wheat, and to about 3 million acres of oats.
Cotton, tobacco, fruits, vegetables, and potatoes, which were
widely fertilized in 1929, were other major crops on which
fertilizer was extensively used in 1954. About 10 million acres
of cotton, more than 1 million acres of tobacco, and 6 million
acres of fruit, vegetables, and potatoes were fertilized. This
means that nearly all of the tobacco ; two-thirds of the fruit,
vegetables, and potatoes ; three-fifths of the corn ; about half of the
cotton ; and a fourth of the acreage of wheat had some application
of fertilizer in 1954.
46
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
AVERAGE VALUE OF FARM PRODUCTS SOLD PER ACRE OF ALL LAND IN FARMS, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
| | UNDER 5 SSSSj 25 TO 49
E115 TO 9 H50 TO 74
] 10 TO 14 ' !■ 75 AND OVER
II 6 TO 24
* NO FARMS
US- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO. A 51- 329
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
VALUE OF ALL CROPS SOLD AS A PERCENT OF ALL FARM PRODUCTS SOLD, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
LEGEND
PERCENT
I I UNDER 20 ',8888 60 TO 79
mffA 20 TO 39 ^H BO AND OVER
8§SH 40 TO 59
X NO FARMS
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54- 327
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
LAND UTILIZATION
47
Ufe
VALUE OF ALL FARM PRODUCTS SOLD
DOLLARS. 1954
•*«=:;■ /'.
m&':
UNITED STATES TOTAL
$24,644,477,087
U.S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
r+':'i', .;'-i
>>&■'■'
w
DOT = $ 2.000,000
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
MAP N0A54- 323
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
SPECIFIED CROPS HARVESTED-- ACREAGE AND VALUE OF PRODUCTION
M
Tl
a 1
MflL
'•
■
1
0,
zz
,,
■
I.I
"
11
1
"
1
0.
■
1.1
"
FOR THE UNITED STATES! 1984
SPECIFIED
CROPS
HARVESTED
VM.UC OF WWJQUCT10M
Changes in use of fertilizer and farm income. — Use of fertilizer
has increased sharply in the United States during the last 25
years. Prior to about 194S the curve showing the quantity of
fertilizer used coincided closely with the curve showing realized
gross income. But during the last few years, the use of ferti-
lizer has continued to rise sharply even though gross farm income
has declined. This increased use of fertilizer is additional rea-
son for the small change in cropland since 1920. Increased ap-
plications of fertilizer are enabling farmers to produce more
on the present acreage of cropland and pasture.
Average value of farm products sold per acre of all land in
farms. — The average value of farm products sold per acre of all
land in farms is highest in those areas with inherently fertile
soils and where a high proportion of the land in farms is used
as cropland. Such areas include the Corn Belt and the lower
Mississippi Valley. Another group of areas with high average
values are those in which high value crops make up an important
part of the farm products sold. Areas in which average values
of farm products sold per acre are low are most extensive in
the Western States, where large acreages of pasture and grazing
land are needed for livestock production. In the Eastern States,
rough topography and poor soils are commonly associated with
a low value of production per acre in numerous areas,
Value of all crops sold as a percentage of all farm products
sold. — Crops sold in 1954 were valued at $12.2 billion, which ac-
counts for half of the total value of all farm products sold. In
1949, crops sold accounted for only 44 percent of this total.
Several of the areas in which the value of crop production is
high, as shown by the accompanying map, have very little live-
stock production. Such areas include the Middle Atlantic and
Southeastern Coastal Plain where such crops as tobacco, cotton,
vegetables, and fruit are important; the lower Mississippi Valley
and the Southern High Plains cotton areas ; and the Columbia
River Basin wheat and small grains area. In parts of the Corn
Belt and in many of the irrigated valleys of the West, the value
of livestock and crop production is more nearly equal.
Value of all farm products sold. — The value of all farm products
sold totaled !?l!4.U billion in 1954. In California, the value of farm
products sold exceeded $2 billion ; and in Iowa, Texas, and Illinois
the amount exceeded $1 billion. The Corn Belt has the largest
area of contiguous counties with a high value of farm products
sold, but some of the heaviest concentrations are in irrigated
areas in the West. Similar high-value production areas are as-
sociated with such products as tobacco in eastern North Carolina
and in the Connecticut River Valley, cotton in the lower Missis-
sippi Valley, citrus fruit and vegetables in Florida, and vegetables
and broilers in the Delmarva peninsula.
Whereas only about two-fifths of the value of all crops sold
comes from farms located in the Northern States, about two-
48
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
ACREAGES IN FOOD GRAINS, FEED GRAINS, OIL SEED CROPS, AND COTTON
FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1879-1954
Millions of Acres
150
1909
CHANGES IN HARVESTEO ACRES OF PRINCIPAL CROPS,
1949-54
DECREASE INCREASE
MILLION ACJ3ES
i'OATs'd 1
ft. fffyvi/A f 3 4
MQsSaiJMi
i% ffi.'i°i'"i %3t4 3
5 SOYBEANS 'FOR BE ANs'/d t6 3
^t0.4 ^ FLAXSEEO
+0 7 < RICE
NET CHANGE * I
For Crops Shown
thirds of the total value of all livestock and livestock products
sold is from the Northern States. Forest products sold from
farms, which totaled $130 million in 1954, are concentrated prin-
cipally in the Northeast, Southeast, and the Pacific Northwest.
Specified crops harvested — acreage and value of production. —
Corn is the leading crop in the United States both from the
standpoint of acreage harvested and value of production. All hay
crops (excluding sorghum hay and specified annual legumes) oc-
cupy the next largest acreage but cotton and cottonseed rank
second in value of production. Corn, cotton, wheat, hay, and
oats account for about three-fourths of the total acreage of
specified crops harvested and about two-thirds of the farm value
of all crops produced in 1954.
Acreages in food grains, feed grains, oilseed crops, and cotton:
1879-1954. — The long-run changes in the acreage used for the
production of these different categories of crops are shown in the
accompanying chart. Considerable fluctuation in acreage used
for the production of food grains has been characteristic. The
acreage used for these food grains — wheat, rice, rye, and buck-
wheat— dropped by more than 19 million acres between 1949 and
1954. This sharp decline is closely related to the existence of
acreage controls on the production of wheat in 1954 and the
absence of such controls in 1949. The total acreage of feed
grains — corn, oats, barley, grain sorghum, and mixed small
grains — occupied about the same acreage in 1954 as in 1949 ; but
some important shifts occured within this group of crops. Corn
harvested for grain declined while the acreage of sorghum har-
vested for grain increased markedly. Acreages of barley and oats
also increased. The acreage of cotton declined sharply during
this period and the acreage used for oilseed crops continued to
increase. The acreage used for oilseed crops has increased in
nearly every decade covered by the accompanying chart. The
principal oilseed crops other than cotton are soybeans, flax, and
peanuts.
Expanding use of vegetable oils for food and industrial pur-
poses has contributed greatly to the long-run increase in the
production of these crops. Between 1949 and 1954 most of the
increase in acreage used for oilseed crops was in soybeans, which
increased from 10.1 to 16.4 million acres. Diversion of acreage
from allotment crops to soybeans is a significant reason for
this substantial increase in soybean acreage. Acreage in peanuts
was reduced sharply, mainly because of the allotment program.
Changes in harvested acres of principal crops, 1949-54. — Major
shifts in the acreage used for different crops occurred between
1949 and 1954 mainly because of acreage allotment programs.
The acreage of wheat and cotton was reduced by about 28 million
acres. Much of the acreage taken out of these crops is used to
produce feed grains, soybeans, and hay. The acreage of oats,
barley, all sorghums, all hay, and soybeans increased by nearly
24 million acres. Cultivated summer fallow also increased. As
acreage allotments for wheat were lowered, many farmers decided
to grow a higher proportion of their wheat crop on cropland that
had been fallowed in order to increase yields.
LAND UTILIZATION
49
is :i*kuX
«5S
ALL WHEAT
ACREAGE
.SB
THRESHED
1954
,-W~"
i SJPn_
Jrii$gfS&?% ■
~JZ~\~
V 'v\ L
Jan
T\v. LAi/^
tlr '.. \r
cjtsrjt ..!
H,
flP
UNITED STATES TOTAL
51.361.664
&
1 DOTHO.000 ACRES V
(COUNTY UHlT BASrS)
KlMMaiMrrarMHwei
~
U* « «. 071
"' "■.■•..,. 0# t-« U-.5U5
OATS THRESHED
ACREAGE. 1954
BARLEY THRESHED
ACREAGE. 1954
RICE THRESHED
ACREAGE. 1954
PRINCIPAL CROPS
Wheat. — Wheat threshed in 1954 was 20 million acres less than
in 1949. This sharp reduction in wheat acreage reflects largely
the existence of an acreage allotment program in 1954 as con-
trasted with 1949 when acreage controls did not apply. This
large reduction in acreage affected all of the major wheat areas,
but the general pattern of wheat distribution remains essentially
the same as that for 1949.
At present spring wheat is grown chiefly in North Dakota,
South Dakota, and Montana. Secondary areas are found in
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and western Minnesota. Only very
scattered acreage is found elsewhere. Winter wheat is much
more widely grown as may be observed by looking at the ac-
companying map. In a few instances, spring and winter wheat
are grown in the same areas.
Oats. — The major concentration of oats is situated just east
of the leading wheat-producing areas in the Great Plains States.
The major oat-producing area also includes Iowa, southern Min-
nesota and Wisconsin, and northern Illinois. In the eastern part
of the Corn Belt, oats are a less important crop than in the west-
ern part. Winter oats rather than spring-planted oats are grown
in the Southern and the Pacific States.
Oats rank next to corn as the principal feed grain in the
United States. The reliance formerly placed upon horses and
mules for farm power and the widespread acceptance of oats
as a good nurse crop for clover, timothy, and other tame grasses,
along with the tolerance of oats for poor soils, help to explain
the present importance of this crop in American agriculture.
Barley. — Most of the barley in the United States is produced
in the 17 Western States and in Minnesota. The leading barley-
producing area is in eastern North Dakota and the adjacent Red
River Valley area of Minnesota. Nearly a third of the total
United States acreage is found in these two States. California is
now second to North Dakota in acreage harvested, having lost its
position as the leading State which it held during the last quarter
of the 19th century and the first quarter of the present century.
Widespread diversion to barley of land taken out of wheat pro-
duction in 1954, under the allotment program resulted in a
marked increase in acreage of barley for that year. Some of the
areas formerly important for their production of barley for malt-
ing purposes such as southeastern Wisconsin, southeastern South
Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, and northwestern Iowa now
grow very little barley. About two-thirds of the barley crop is
now used for feed and one-third for malting. The latter use has
increased from less than a fourth in 1939 to about a third now.
Rice. — The total acreage of rice threshed in 1954 was nearly
three times as great as that in 1939. Production was greatly
accelerated to accommodate export needs for areas where prewar
trade channels had been disrupted by war. The production of
rice in the United States is now mainly concentrated in 4 States,
although production of rice has increased sharply during the last
5 years in some of the Delta counties of Mississippi. The coastal
prairies of Louisiana and Texas, the prairie and lowland areas
of eastern Arkansas and the adjacent lowlands of Mississippi,
and the Sacramento Valley of California are the present rice-
producing areas. All of these areas have heavy subsoils that
retain irrigation water well and all areas have climates favorable
to rice culture. Highly mechanized methods are now used in
producing rice in the United States.
50
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
CORN FOR ALL PURPOSES
ACREAGE. 1954
SOYBEANS GROWN FOR ALL PURPOSES'
Corn. — The total acreage of corn for all purposes was reduced
by about 5 million acres between 1949 and 1954. The 12 North
Central States continued to have about seven-tenths of the total
acreage in the United States. Corn is more widely grown than
wheat in the United States, although very little is raised in the
11 Western States, the western part of the Great Plains States,
and the New England States. During the last 50 years, the
acreage of corn declined by 20 to 25 million acres. Much of this
decline has occurred in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas where
sorghums have replaced corn as an important feed crop. During
this period the acreage of corn in southeastern South Dakota and
southwestern Minnesota has increased substantially. Hybrid
varieties adapted to a shorter growing season have been a factor
in this northward shift of corn production.
Sorghums. — Nearly all sorghums grown in the United States
are grown to feed livestock, either as grain, forage, or fodder.
The use of sorghums as a source of livestock feed in the Southern
Plains helps account for the major concentration of acreage. As
sorghums require less rainfall and withstand drought better than
corn, this crop has become an important feed crop in Kansas,
Oklahoma, and Texas. More than four-fifths of the total acreage
of sorghums grown for all purposes except sirup is found in
these three States. Three heavy concentrations are located in
southwestern Kansas and adjacent Oklahoma and Texas, in the
high plains of western Texas, and in the Corpus Christi area of
Texas.
Sorghums are not grown for grain in the Northern Plains be-
cause of climatic limitations. For the varieties of grain sorghum
now grown in the United States, a frost-free season of 140 days
and a mean summer temperature of at least 70° F. is required.
Annual rainfall should total 15 inches or more. Some sorghum
is grown for forage north of the principal grain-producing areas.
SORGHUMS FOR ALL PURPOSES EXCEPT FOR SIRUP
ACREAGE. 1954
FLAX THRESHED
ACREAGE. 1954
Soybeans. — The acreage of soybeans grown for all purposes
iu 1954 totaled 18.2 million acres compared with 12.3 million acres
grown in 1949. The diversion of acreage from crops included in
the crop-allotment program is important in explaining this sub-
stantial increase. Nearly all of the increase occurred in the
areas that were growing soybeans in 1949.
Three major and two secondary concentrations of soybean
production are shown by the accompanying map. The leading
area of soybean production is centered in the eastern part of the
Corn Belt running from south-central Illinois to northwestern
Ohio. The acreage of soybeans in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio
comprises two-fifths of the total United States acreage. Another
major concentration is in the Mississippi Delta area stretching
from southern Illinois to Louisiana. Northwestern Iowa and
southwestern Minnesota is the third major area. The south-
western part of the Corn Belt in Missouri and eastern Kansas
and the southeastern coastal plain are two secondary areas of
soybean production.
Flax. — Most of the acreage of flax in the United States is con-
centrated in North Dakota, northern and eastern South Dakota,
and western Minnesota. Two secondary areas of production are
located in the Imperial Valley of California and north of Corpus
Christi, Texas. The total acreage in flax in 1954 was greater
than that for 1949. This may be attributed mainly to the wheat
acreage-allotment program in effect in 1954. The acreage sown
to flax has been subject to wide fluctuations from year to year.
Nearly all flax in the United States is grown for the seed rather
than for the fiber.
Peanuts. — The production of peanuts is almost entirely re-
stricted to the southeastern coastal plain and to eastern Texas
and Oklahoma. From the accompanying map, it may be noted
that there are two principal concentrations in the southeastern
LAND UTILIZATION
51
PEANUTS GROWN FOR ALL PURPOSES*
TOBACCO HARVESTED
ACREAGE. 1954
coastal plain — one in northeastern North Carolina and south-
eastern Virginia and the other in southwestern Georgia, south-
eastern Alabama, and northern Florida. In Texas and Oklahoma,
the Cross Timbers area has the largest acreage used for peanuts.
Peanuts need summers that are long and warm. The best
seasonal distribution of precipitation provides a good moisture
supply when nuts are developing, followed by drier weather and
plenty of sunshine during the harvest period. Both nuts and
hay are subject to considerable damage if wet weather coincides
with harvesting. Fine sandy loam soils are preferred for the
growing of peanuts. Dark colored soils are avoided where pea-
nuts are grown for roasting in the shell, as discoloration of the
shell reduces the market value.
Cotton. — The acreage from which cotton was harvested dropped
sharply in 1954 and 1955 from the high acreages reported har-
vested from 1951 to 1953 by the United States Department of Ag-
riculture. The existence of an acreage-allotment program dur-
ing the last 2 years is mainly responsible for this decline.
In 1954, cotton was grown across the entire southern part of the
United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Nearly all cotton
is grown south of latitude 37° N. The two most northern ex-
tensions of cotton production are in southeastern Missouri and
the southern tip of Illinois and in Merced County, Calif., in the
central part of the San Joaquin Valley.
In 1909, practically no cotton was grown west of the 101st
meridian which passes through the west-central part of Texas.
Today, there are major concentrations of cotton production in
the High Plains of western Texas, the Phoenix area of Arizona,
and the San Joaquin Valley of California. Much of the cotton
grown west of the 100th meridian in Texas is now irrigated,
while practically all of that grown in New Mexico, Arizona, and
California is irrigated.
j \ rJ
\ — s>. ^ /
si ? -■ 1
UNITED STATES TOTAL
16.858.145
COTTON HARVE
ACREAGE. 195
STED
4
~ ^
1 DOT -10.000 ACRES \
(COUN1T UNIT BASISI S.
VJi
SUGAR BEETS HARVESTED FOR SUGAR
' : / \
ACREAGE. 1
!54
If
-— ^Lc__^y r.7
~r^l
( FX-jfl
p.* \
UNITED STATES TOTAL
~V lir
864.318
\ -f \ DOT- 1.000 ACRES \
I i tXXJHTt UWT BASS \^
111 to«n»
».««
V -., .*««-„, •
- UU..XOX
The westward shift of cotton production has been one of the
important regional shifts in American agriculture during the
last 50 years. In 1909, nearly two-fifths of the acreage of cotton
was found in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Ala-
bama ; but in 1954 these four States accounted for less than a
fifth of the cotton acreage.
Tobacco. — The four leading States growing tobacco in 1954
were North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, and South Carolina.
During the last 15 years, the acreage of tobacco has changed
very little mainly because of the acreage-allotment program
which is attempting to keep supply in line with demand for dif-
ferent types of tobacco. Some regional shifting of production
occurred between 1949 and 1954, when the acreage of tobacco
grown in Kentucky declined by about 14 percent while that in
North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina increased by about
11 percent. This shift in acreage reflects some of the continuing
changes in demand for different types of tobacco. In 1909, Ken-
tucky had twice as much acreage in tobacco as North Carolina,
but in 1954 the North Carolina acreage was more than twice that
of Kentucky.
The two major tobacco-producing areas are in southern Vir-
ginia, North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina, central
and western Kentucky, and adjacent northern Tennessee. Other
smaller concentrations of tobacco are also found in southern
Georgia and Northern Florida ; southern Maryland ; Lancaster
County, Pa. ; Connecticut Valley of Connecticut and Massachu-
setts; eastern Tennessee; and southwestern Wisconsin.
Sugar beets. — Sugar beets are grown almost entirely in the
Western and North Central States. Most of the acreage is irri-
gated, although some of the eastern areas continue to grow beets
without irrigating. Sugarcane is the other principal crop from
which domestic sugar is refined in the United States. Practically
all of the sugarcane grown for sugar is located in southeastern
Louisiana and just south of Lake Okeechobee in Florida.
52
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
\AJj-_^LAND IN FRUIT OR
2HARDS. GROVES. VINEYARDS ANO PLANTED NUT TREES
ACREAGE. 1954
JH
— T *
t^L \ r ■ .
1 1
V )/-y^ 1[
y/ (
As y
UMTED STATES TOTAL V
4.003,426
\ -f 1 DOT- 1.000 ACRES \T ^
I l (COUNTY UWT BASIS) "\ 1
'.. im*mm « «—««
v «....„. -
IPJSH POTATOES
ACREAGE. 1954
■'" mjiui or nc a«*A
J ;* / L
1
/
■ J
\ 2i ■. >'Y *-*•?
UMTED STATES TOTAL \V~~N
1,210.872
1 0OC5 NOT INO.UW ACREAGE FOT fAJJvs WITH LESS
•nth 20 BUSHELS HORYESTtD i
-.
' 1 DOT-500 A
1 COUNTY UMT
CRES \
Land in orchards. — The total acreage reported in bearing and
nonbearing fruit orchards, groves, vineyards, and planted nut
trees in 1954 was 4 million acres compared with 4.7 million acres
reported in 1950. Part of this decline may be attributed to the
fact that the 1950 data include acreage for farms reporting half
of an acre or more in this use, whereas in 1954 the acreage is
reported only for farms having 20 or more trees or grapevines.
California is the leading fruit-growing State, from the stand-
point of both total acreage and variety of fruit produced. A
third of the total acreage in fruit orchards, groves, vineyards,
and planted nut trees is in California. Other major concentra-
tions are found in central Florida ; in the Yakima, Wenatchee,
and Okanogan Valleys of Washington ; in the Willamette and
Hood River Valleys of Oregon ; the lower Rio Grande Valley of
Texas ; southwestern Mississippi ; the eastern shore of Lake Michi-
gan ; the southern shores of Lake Erie and Ontario ; and the
ridge and valley section of the Appalachians in West Virginia,
Virginia, Maryland, and south central Pennsylvania. Many
lesser concentrations are also indicated on the accompanying map.
Climate plays an important role in accounting for the distribu-
tion of fruits, nuts, and grapes in the United States. Sometimes
striking local differences in temperature and frost hazard asso-
ciated with topography and nearness to the influence of water
account for concentrations of fruit production. The growing of
citrus fruits is limited chiefly to the warmer subtropics in areas
where topography and soils are also favorable. Deciduous fruits
generally have both a northern limit beyond which the winters
become too severe and the hazard of frost too great and a south-
ern limit where the period of dormancy becomes too short.
Vegetables. — Vegetables were harvested for sale from about 3.7
million acres in 1954. An undetermined part of this acreage
grew more than one crop of vegetables during the year. The
vegetable crop harvested for sale is appropriately divided into
two categories — that harvested for processing and that harvested
/*
. ■-*'■ M-l
VEGETABLES
HARVES
ACREAGE.
TED FOR SALE'
954
Tv~
i $K mC *k
r0^-
.-•
V
>> / "'/
j* j
n
UMTED STATES TOTAL
3.739,994
t-' P^~~~~****rS^>
ANO SWEET
POTATOES
•Y 1 DOT- 1.000 ACRES
IT ICOLffTT UMT BASI3
• • «-™
*****
*.
utwm
>. ... -
..a.
u \
UMTED
w /
STATES
455. 239
DRY FIELD AND S
IED BEANS HARVESTED
ACREAGE. 1954
FOR BEANS
\
i
TOTAL V/~~
\ J IDOT-1.000 ACRES \ )
V 1 ICOUMTY UNIT BiSISl *V 1
for the fresh market. In recent years, slightly more than half
of the acreage has been harvested for the fresh market.
The accompanying map showing the distribution of the acreage
of vegetables harvested for sale reveals several major concen-
trations and many widely scattered secondary areas in which
vegetables are grown for sale. The leading States are California,
Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, New York, Georgia, Minnesota, New
Jersey, and Illinois. The combined acreage of vegetables har-
vested for sale in these nine States accounts for more than three-
fifths of the total United States acreage. The five leading vege-
tables in terms of acreage harvested were sweet corn, tomatoes,
watermelons, green peas, and green snap beans.
Irish potatoes. — The commercial crop of Irish potatoes is pro-
duced mainly in the Northern States, although several early
potato areas in the South and in California account for the wide
climatic range of this crop in the United States. Potatoes are
best adapted to a fairly humid and cool climate.
Five relatively small but especially heavy concentrations of
Irish potato acreage are found in Aroostook County, Maine ; Long
Island, N. Y. ; the Eastern Shore of Virginia ; the Red River
Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota ; and the Snake River
Valley of eastern Idaho. These five areas account for about two-
fifths of the total commercial acreage shown by the accompanying
map which does not include acreage on farms with less than 20
bushels harvested. In 1954, Idaho had the largest acreage of
potatoes followed by Maine, North Dakota, California, New York,
and Minnesota.
Dry beans. — Dry beans are produced in both eastern and west-
ern areas. Central Michigan and western New York are the
major eastern areas and together these two areas account for
about a third of the total acreage. In the Western States, dry
field beans are produced both with and without irrigation. Most
of the dry beans are produced where the mean August tempera-
ture does not exceed 70° F.
LAND UTILIZATION
53
LAND FROM WHICH HAY WAS CUT*
ACREAGE. 1954
Ui eOMIKUT &
h^T
ALFALFA CUT
FOR
HAY
>■*£
? V?.-,
_ Ai» *='■...
ACREAGE.
954
: J ."
:^^b-
*«
' ^
< '
,,,
/.« .* - -
^*>W- ----
1 ^m^^^^M
1
■ *
I, Jt v -.•
3? ■■
:;%«
"(pp
UNITED STATE
V_V
> TOTAL
26.007.771
IDOT-2,000 ACRES \
(COUNTY UNIT BfiSKI \_^ J
KBHHTMI
..-,...
«w> wo«M-*s -*" wiu or r
<«««
Land from which hay was cut. — The distribution of the acreage
of all tame and wild hay except soybean, cowpea, peanut, and
sorghum hay is shown for 1954 by the accompanying map. When
the distribution of cattle is compared with that of land from
which hay was cut, it may be noted that areas growing hay are
usually areas where cattle are also reported. But in several
areas in which hay is a minor crop considerable numbers of
cattle are grown. These are located mainly in the southern third
of the country where cool-season temperatures are high enough
to permit grazing during most of the year provided moisture is
adequate and plants that will yield forage in all seasons are
available.
In 1954 in the Northeastern States, the land from which hay
was cut accounted for half of the cropland harvested. This re-
gion, in which dairying is a major type of farming and which
has relatively long winters, needs a big hay crop. In the Appa-
lachian, Lake States, Northern Plains, Mountain, and Pacific
regions, land from which hay was cut accounted for approxi-
mately a fifth to a third of the cropland harvested. In the Corn
Belt, about a sixth of the cropland harvested was in hay crops ;
and in the Southeastern, Delta, and Southern Plains States only
about a tenth of the cropland harvested was accounted for by
hay crops.
The principal tame hay crops are alfalfa, clover, and timothy,
small grains cut for hay, and lespedeza. In 1954, alfalfa ac-
counted for 45 percent of the total acreage of tame hay. Clover
and timothy, which are grown together and separately, accounted
for 29 percent of the acreage. Small grains and lespedeza, re-
spectively, accounted for S and 6 percent of the tame hay acreage.
Wild hay. — Most of the wild hay is cut in the Northern Plains
States where selected areas of pasture and grazing land are cut
for hay. The principal wild hay area, which is a north-south
trending belt in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska lies
N^--r^
WILD HAY CUT*
ACREAGE. 1954
!»■ • ~"*-1i!&m!
ffifi%M&'" ^~~^^—J^
hkLF ''''"■ A^^Vjp^
( y V ^"'f
1 1~Tr^'^^
HBjlB 'ifi ? ^^vT'Jii^S ~""%^
ffliii.'- •'■"■ftM
W Y
— h-&~Jc
Ps&"-*>:\ j
^U \j
v^U.. 7
UNITED STATES TOTAL
I ^^
12.473,387
* SEPARATE DATA AVAILABLE
ONLY FOR PRINCIPAL STATES
^ f ID0T-2.0O0ACRES ',
V. 1 (COuhtv uwrr basgi
U5 KMMIKHT OF UMMftCC
^3 »,»«*« .
""' ttx.ii or t>e cms*
CLOVER OR TIMOTHY CUT FOR HAY'
ACREAGE. 1954
LNTED STATES TOTAL
16.930.114
mainly to the west of the areas where nonirrigated alfalfa is
most heavily concentrated. In the Western States some of the
wild hay is cut from land along streams that can be irrigated by
spreading water over bordering rangeland.
Alfalfa. — The most widely grown hay crop is alfalfa and alfalfa
mixtures. The only major area in which alfalfa is of little im-
portance is in the Southeastern States, where a humid climate
and sandy soils are not conducive to its production. Soils with
adequate lime are the most favorable soils for growing alfalfa.
In the Western States, it is a major irrigated crop. It has been
widely used in irrigated areas to build up organic matter in soils
which under semiarid and arid climates had very little natural
organic matter. In the Northern Plains, a considerable acreage
of alfalfa is grown without irrigation. It is grown not only for
hay but also for seed. Hardy varieties grown in these States
are not so easily damaged by winter killing as are varieties grown
in warmer areas.
The largest concentration of alfalfa acreage is in the southern
part of the Lake States and the northern part of the Corn Belt
where soils favorable for its production coincide with areas in
which dairying is the major type of farming.
Clover and timothy. — In 1909, the acreage of clover and timothy
hay amounted to nearly 37 million acres. In 1954, only 17 mil-
lion acres were cut for hay. Less emphasis on timothy as a hay
crop is noticeable. Part of this decline in the acreage of timothy
is associated with the decrease in number of horses used as draft
animals.
Most of the timothy and clover cut for hay is grown in the
North Central and Northeastern States. It is still the major
hay crop on many soils that are not suited to production of the
higher yielding and better quality alfalfa hay. Timothy and
clover as a hay crop is not as expensive to seed and is less likely
to suffer damage from winter killing than alfalfa.
54
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
FEED FOR ALL LIVESTOCK
Percenta
ge
of All Feed From All Concentrates, 1949-50*
~~~W777^m, lJr" $fe
:i*$$m& \
ymflf'-i' -••"> <■ ■: wf
~ ^Mmm
v~~~~
- — ^~^wi>y^~ 'Jilll^
\ >
f~^^^^^m
^il
"~.'~..-.t, ; -...}.. yMMMg PERCENT
•r- — ' \y--) ■ \ wizlA □ Und"' "
\ r :^|*^«* " ' V E3 25lo49
• MCXUDmC PAITUfiE
^-4 U. S AVERAGE »4*
U i. OCPARTMENT OF AGOIC
ULTU
l»E NEC. U(l|-m AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH iEBYICE
FEED FOR ALL LIVESTOCK
Percentage of All Feed From Pasture and Grazing, 194950
. Mur.iNt of AGRI ■ I i' "i
PERCENT
f~1 Under 20
£22 65 & over
U S AVERAGE 37S ^3-<
NEC SJtl)-S»* AGBICULTUOAL BEKABCH JEBVICE
U.S. PIG CROPS
MIL. HEAD
100
Total
1940
1945
1950
1955
FEED FOR ALL LIVESTOCK
Percentage of All Feed from Hay, 1949-50*
• WCLUDJNC P kllUHE
ITHtHT Of ASBICULTUIX
)• ■__!__! OUnd.rlO
Lr-I 1/SE^T~\ Eg 10-19
"%-A l;\ BZ! 20 lover
U. S AVERAGE US V
NEC. JJ(D-S17 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 1EBV1C
CATTLE ON FARMS JAN. I
I960
• minis i c 'nii ndi roi miiii. and am hkh * inns '■■! MS, * oidea not fOi miir
HOWS » MtrfEtS J r»S A OlDM FOB Mil* DATA FO* I9JS A*E P»fUMINA»r
HMENt OF AGBICULTURE
NEC «0A.Jtll| AGRICULTURAL ".ABU E TING SERVICE
STOCK SHEEP AND LAMBS
ON FARMS JAN. I
MILLIONS
1880
960
' II WESTERN ITATEi 4N0 I. DAK.
J.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
ata cot; nn tre menimnKT
NEC. «JI-SA(11I AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE
LIVESTOCK
Livestock and livestock products are a major source of food
in the American diet. Two-fifths of the total food energy was
contributed by these products in 1954. Although this is ap-
proximately the same proportion that was contributed by these
products during the 1909-13 period, there have been shifts in the
quantities of various livestock products used. More dairy
products, except for butter, and more eggs were consumed per
capita in 1954 compared with 1909-13. Less animal fats and oils,
particularly butter, are now consumed per capita than formerly.
The high proportion of the total nutrients contributed by live-
stock and livestock products has an important bearing on land
use in the United States. Many countries of the world with dense
populations have inadequate land resources to permit much
consumption of animal products, as a greater amount of food
energy from a given amount of land can be obtained by \ising crops
directly for food.
Feed for livestock. — In terms of the relative importance of
different feeds for livestock, pasture is the most important feed
for all livestock with 37 percent of all feed coming from this
source in 1949-50. Corn, which was the next most important feed,
supplied 26 percent and hay 14 percent. Oats, barley, and other
grains accounted for 9 percent. Animal protein feeds, oilseed
LAND UTILIZATION
55
CATTLE
NU*ER.t954
f^~~-~-
HOGS
NUMBER. 1954
'.w&E&'y':j&i ( -&y ^sF*
T^^R
^#
i\ - '] — ft
UNITED STATES TOTAL
57092 J9I9
~^v
\ J^ IDOT-10,00
3 HEAD \
BASIS) *V
UIKMtKirVCW
J -« « »*«»» "
UUJ Of '•* COKU*
:als, other
high-p
roteii
i feeds, and otbe
r byprodi
cts also si
plied 9 percent. Silage, beet pulp, skim milk, and seeds made
up the remaining 5 percent of the feed for all livestock.
The accompanying maps show the relative importance of con-
centrates, hay, and pasture and grazing as sources of feed for
all livestock by States. Grains and other concentrates are most
important as feed for all livestock in the Northern and Southern
States except for Texas. Hay accounts for more than 15 percent
of all livestock feed in most Northern and Western States. Pas-
ture and grazing account for the highest proportions of livestock
feed in Florida, Texas, and the Mountain States.
Cattle. — The number of cattle reported on farms as of January 1
reached an all-time high of more than 95 million head in 1955.
Beef cattle have accounted for most of the increase during the
past 5 years. During this period, the total number of cattle has
increased by more than 17 million head, of which 16 million were
beef cattle. Numbers of dairy cattle have remained fairly stable.
The upward trend in cattle numbers has been accompanied by
an increase in cattle productivity. This has amounted to a 38
percent gain during the last 30 years. Better animals, better
care, more feeding, and greater emphasis on beef types account
for this rise in productivity, which has amounted to an average
increase of about 5 pounds of live weight of cattle and calves
produced per year for each cow on farms at the beginning of the
year.
As shown by the accompanying map, cattle are widely raised
throughout the United States. The heaviest widespread concen-
tration located in southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, Iowa,
eastern Nebraska, and southern Minnesota includes both the
heavy concentration of dairy cattle in the Dairy Belt and large
numbers of beef cattle which are more highly concentrated in
the western part of the Corn Belt. In the Western States, where
cattle are grazed on the extensive rangelands, the highest densi-
ties coincide with areas of irrigated agriculture where cattle are
fattened for market or where dairying is important, as it is near
main centers of population.
The distribution of milk cows is less widespread than that
shown for all cattle. The northeastern Dairy Belt centered in
Wisconsin and Minnesota in the North Central States and New
York in the Northeast is a conspicuous feature. In California,
the influence of metropolitan centers of population on dairying
MILK COWS
NUMBER. (934
f#
SHEEP
/ ' i ' *"""* T~
NUMBER. 19
M
-.
h //TT^r^r
(Ha
rT"J^
pi
\ L ? 1 ■*
,'kL/
\
^\,
\ / -i_ - ■
> * ' r
__i/ - "/ .(
,- ,S' ■■"«-, \
LNTEO STATES TOTAL S r~-
31.618.909
S
-J*sv^
\ f
IDOT'10,000 HEAD
Vi
icawr. w
«TB*S6I
.i
,«caa»
^3
■Uf -
■" ft.
nu » n* cr*M
is apparent. Elsewhere, the main concentrations are associated
with the distribution of urban population or with physical condi-
tions particularly favorable for dairying.
Hogs. — The 1955 pig crop was the fourth largest reported during
the last 30 years. Only in 1942, 1943, and 1951 were more pigs
reported saved than in 1955. About three-fifths of the pig crop
is farrowed in the spring. The demand for pork has declined
sharply since 1947. In 1955, a smaller percentage of the con-
sumer's dollar was spent for pork than in any other year since
1913 except in 1945.
Several reasons for this loss of demand for pork are indicated.
There is less demand for fat pork cuts as shown by the fact that
demand and price for lean cuts have been more favorable than
for fat cuts. As a result of regional shifts in population oc-
curing during the last decade or two, more people are now living
in beef-eating regions than formerly. Increased use of home
freezers and new ways of selling meat may be more favorable to
consumption of beef.
Sheep. — The number of sheep and lambs on farms decreased
sharply during the 10 years from 1942 to 1951. A slight rise in
numbers in 1951 and 1952 has been followed by subsequent de-
cline. Today, only about half as many sheep and lambs are on
farms as compared with the number on farms during the early
forties or during the earlier peak period of 75 years ago. The
decline in the number of sheep and lambs during the last 15 years
has been considerably greater than that occurring between 1909
and 1923. Increased use of synthetic fibers and competition from
foreign sheep-raising areas have been major reasons for this
sharp decline in the number of sheep.
In addition to the change in the total number of sheep for the
United States that has occurred, there has been a major shift in
sheep numbers among regions, as shown by the accompanying
chart and map. The long-term decline in sheep numbers in the
Eastern or native States had already started before 1870. In
that year, the native sheep States still had three-fourths of the
total sheep population. Since World War I, these States have
had only about a third of the total sheep population. In 1955,
the 11 Western States and South Dakota accounted for half of
the total sheep population while Texas accounted for the re-
maining sixth.
56
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
OUTPUT OF POULTRY AND EGGS
COMPARED TO OTHER PRODUCTS
% OF 1935-39
^^— Poultry 4 eggs
— — Meat animals
Dairy products
— — ■ All farm commodities
200
150
100
1940
1945
1950
1955
CEP.OIuEhi OF AGRICULTURE
NEC 10*1-11(10) AGRICULTURAL NMHCITMS lEftviCE
POULTRY MEAT SUPPLY
(READY-TO-COOK BASIS)
LB. PER PERSON
1947
1950
1953
IISS DATA fiTIMATEO
1956
CHICKENS SOLD
NUMBER. 1954
If ' "7 L
1 - • ."]
^~/S? ' \ J rfJ&X
'Wm
■'- \-*A
w\J-~~~4
)-■
L - '^IN
r r •
JiBrja^K
\
♦
«|
* > ^
UNfTEO STATES TOTAL
968.687652
IDOT-100.000 CHICKENS \ \
county uwr basts \.^ i
».. «»—*.*«-««
uu- w in .jj -"' bu^iu or r-« tosui
Poultry. — The per capita consumption of poultry and eggs has
increased markedly during the last half century. The per capita
consumption of chickens and turkeys nearly doubled between 1909
and 1954. Consumption of eggs per person increased by 50 percent
during the same period.
During the last 15 years, the output of poultry and eggs has
risen much more rapidly than that of meat animals and dairy
products. Significant gains in the efficiency of poultry production
have contributed to this relatively greater output of poultry and
eggs.
One of the accompanying charts shows the increases in effi-
ciency that have occurred. Annual egg production per layer in-
creased from 112 to 184 eggs between 1925 and 1954. Broiler
meat production per 100 pounds of feed increased by 9 pounds
between 1925 and 1952. Adoption of practices that are based
on findings in genetics, nutrition, disease control, and poultry
INCREASES IN EFFICIENCY
IN POULTRY INDUSTRY
ANNUAL EGG |||
PRODUCTION '
PER LAYER
BROILER MEAT ^
PRODUCTION
( LB.) PER 100
IB FEED*
TURKEYS
RAISED PER
100 BROODED
LL'Nott i iisii
*ETINC (EOVICE
BROILER CHICK PLACEMENTS
For 1954 ond 1955 Production, Selected Reporting Areos*
100
MIL.
200
300
400
S. ATL. A
DEL-MAR-VA
NE. AND
N. CENT."
TEXAS
PAC. COAST'
SHENANDOAH
VALLEY
■////////////////////////////////////////////////////
7m
"3
mmma^Bk
^
£22^
.1954
'1955
• AREAI tO* *MIQH COHPAft.lt LE PLACEMENT DATA E0« OCT.-lCPr, l*SI-U AMD l»J«-JI
*(ȣ AVAlLAtLE
* ALA., FLA., CA., Hill. AND N. C. ° CONN., MAIM* AND (NO. I CALIF. ANO OftEC.
, I. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
MEG. lflt - ■ ■■ i I" ■ AGRICULTURAL MARKETING IfRVlCE
^&--_ VALUE 0F POULTRY AND POULTRY PRODUCTS SOLD
DOLLARS. 1954
management have led to more economical egg and poultry meat
production.
The growing importance of broilers from specialized enter-
prises is one of the striking changes that has been taking place
in the supply of poultry meat. In 1947, only a fourth of the
chicken production was composed of broilers from specialized
enterprises. In 1955, three-fifths of the chicken production came
from broilers grown on specialized enterprises.
Production of broilers on specialized enterprises is concentrated
in a relatively few areas. This is indicated by the accompanying
chart and maps. The heaviest concentration of broiler produc-
tion in a single area is found on the Delmarva peninsula of Dela-
ware, Maryland, and Virginia. The Shenandoah Valley is another
area in which heavy local concentration exists. Localized areas
of concentrated broiler production are found in several of the
Southern States where production of broilers has been on the
increase.
CHAPTER 2
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
CONTENTS
59
INTRODUCTION
Page
Source and reliability of data 61
Definitions and explanations 61
A farm 62
Farms by size 62
Farms reporting 62
Farms by economic class 62
Farms by type 62
Farms by tenure of operator 63
Farms by class of work power 63
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
Farm power 65
Farm tractors 66
Number of tractors on farms 66
Types of tractors 67
Farms reporting tractors 68
Growth of tractor power 68
Farms reporting one or more field tractors 70
Field tractors by size of farm 71
Field tractors by tenure of operator 71
Farms reporting field tractors, by economic class of farm. 72
Automobiles on farms 75
Farms reporting automobiles 75
Number of automobiles, by size of farm 77
Number of automobiles, by tenure of farm operator 77
Number of automobiles, by economic class of farm 78
Motortrucks on farms 80
Farms reporting motortrucks 80
Motortrucks per farm 80
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES— Continued
Page
Motortrucks on farms — Continued
Number of motortrucks, by size of farm 82
Number of motortrucks, by tenure of farm operator 82
Number of motortrucks, by economic class of farm 82
Electric power on farms 85
Horses and mules 86
Horses and mules by type and economic class of farm_. 87
Displacement of work stock by motor vehicles 89
Harvest machines 91
Grain combines 91
Grain combines by size of farm 92
Corn pickers 93
Number of corn pickers by size of farm 94
Pick-up balers 95
Field forage harvesters 97
Combinations of harvest machines 98
Chore equipment 104
Milking machines 104
Power feed grinders 106
Electric pig brooders 107
Service equipment 109
Telephones 109
Television sets 110
Home freezers 111
Piped running water 111
Combinations of service equipment 112
Some results of farm mechanization 113
More work off the farm 113
Machinery investment costs have increased 115
Purchased machine work has increased 116
Greater dependence on petroleum fuel and oil 116
MAPS AND CHARTS
Page
Tractors on farms, number, 1954 66
Cropland harvested, acreage, 1954 66
Farms with 200 or more acres of cropland harvested, num-
ber, 1954 66
Tractors — increase in number, 1950-1954 67
Crawler tractors, number, 1954 67
Garden tractors, number, 1954 67
Percent of farms reporting tractors, 1954 68
Number of farms reporting field tractors for United States
and areas, 1920-1954 69
Crop acres per field tractor on farms, all farms, United
States, and areas, 1920 to 1954 69
Number of farms reporting 1, 2, 3, 4 or more field tractors
for United States and areas: 1954 70
Number of field tractors on farms by size of farm for the
United States and areas, 1954 71
Number of farms reporting field tractors by tenure of
operator, for the United States and areas, 1954 72
Number of farms reporting field tractors, by economic class;
for United States and areas: 1954 72
Crop acres per tractor, all farms, by economic class; for
United States and areas: 1954 73
Automobiles on farms, number, 1954 75
Number of farms reporting automobiles for the United
States and areas, 1920-1954 76
Number of farms reporting 0, 1, 2, and 3 or more automo-
biles for United States and areas: 1954 76
Number of automobiles on farms by size of farm, for the
United States and areas, 1954 77
Number of automobiles on farms by tenure of operator, for
the United States and areas, 1954 77
Number of farms reporting 1, 2, and 3 or more autombiles
by tenure for United States and areas: 1954 77
Number of farms reporting 1, 2, and 3 or more automobiles
by economic class for United States and areas: 1954 78
Motortrucks on farms, number, 1954 80
Motortrucks — increase and decrease in number, 1950-1954. 80
Number of farms reporting motortrucks for United States
and areas: 1920-1954 81
Number of farms reporting 1, 2, 3 or more motortrucks for
United States and areas, 1954 81
Number of motortrucks on farms by size of farm, for the
United States and areas, 1954 82
Number of motortrucks on farms by tenure of operator, for
the United States and areas, 1954 82
Number of farms reporting 1, 2, and 3 or more motortrucks
by tenure for United States and areas: 1954 83
Number of farms reporting 1, 2, and 3 or more motortrucks
by economic class for United States and areas: 1954 83
Page
Farms reporting electricity — increase and decrease in
number, 1950-1954 85
Percent of farms reporting electricity, 1 954 85
Horses, number, January 1, 1920 86
Mules, number, January 1, 1920 87
Horses and mules, number, 1954 87
Horses and mules — increase and decrease in number, 1950-
1954 87
Number of farms reporting different number of horses and
mules by type of farm, for United States and areas, 1954. 88
Number of farms reporting different numbers of horses and
mules by economic class; United States and areas: 1954.. 88
Farms with tractor and no horses or mules, number, 1954. 89
Farms with tractor and horses and/or mules, number, 1954. 89
Farms with horses and/or mules and no tractor, number,
1954 89
Farms with no tractor, horses or mules, number, 1954 89
Grain combines, number of farms reporting, 1954 91
Grain combines — increase in number, 1950-1954 91
Number of grain combines on farms, United States and
areas, 1945-1954 92
Number of grain combines on farms by size of farm, for the
United States and areas, 1954 92
Number of farms reporting 0, 1, 2, and 3 or more combines
by acreage of small grain harvested, United States and
areas, 1954 93
Corn for all purposes, acreage, 1954 94
Corn pickers, number of farms reporting, 1954 94
Corn pickers — increase in number, 1950-1954 94
Number of mechanical corn pickers on farms by size of
farm, for the United States and areas, 1954 94
Number of farms reporting 1, 2, and 3 or more mechanical
corn pickers by acres of corn harvested for United States
and areas, 1954 95
Land from which hay was cut, acreage, 1954 95
Hay acreage as a percent of cropland harvested, 1954 96
Pick-up hay balers, number of farms reporting, 1954 96
Pick-up hay balers — increase in number, 1950-1954 96
Number of pick-up balers on farms by size of farm for the
United States and areas, 1954 96
Number of pick-up balers on farms by acreage of hay
harvested, for the United States and areas, 1954 97
Field forage harvesters, number, 1954 97
Number of field forage harvesters on farms by size of farm,
for the United States and areas, 1954 97
Number of farms reporting 0, 1, 2, and 3 kinds of field
machines by economic class for the United States and
areas: 1954". 98
60
CONTENTS
MAPS AND CHARTS— Continued
Page
Milking machines, number of farms reporting, 1954 104
Whole milk sold, number of pounds, 1954 104
Number of farms with milking machines, by type of farm,
for the United States and areas: 1954 104
Number of farms reporting milking machines by number of
cows milked, for commercial farms for the United States
and areas, 1954 106
Power feed grinders, number of farms reporting, 1954 106
Number of farms with power feed grinders by type of farm
for United States and areas: 1954 106
Number of dairy farms with power-feed grinders by size of
herd for the United States and areas, 1954
Electric pig brooders, number of farms reporting, 1954
Number of farms reporting pig brooders by size of enter-
prise, for the United States and areas, 1954 107
Percent of farms reporting telephones, 1954 109
Telephones — increase and decrease in number of farms
reporting, 1950-1954 110
Television sets, number of farms reporting, October
November 1954
107
107
110
Pago
Percent of farms reporting home freezers, 1954 110
Percent of farms reporting piped running water, 1954 111
Piped running water, number of farms reporting, 1954 112
Percent of all farm operators working 100 or more days off
their farms, 1954 114
Percent of all farm operators working off their farms in
1954 114
Number of farm operators working off their farms, by
number of days worked, for the United States and areas:
1930-1954
Farm operators working off their farms 100 days or more —
increase and decrease in number, 1949-1954
Expenditures for machine hire, dollars, 1954 116
Number of farms reporting machine hire, by economic
class for the United States and areas, 1954
Expenditures for gasoline and other petroleum fuel and
oil for the farm business, dollars, 1954
Total cost of petroleum products on farms by economic
class; for United States and areas: 1954
Cost of petroleum products per farm by economic class ; for
United States and areas: 1954
1954.
115
115
116
117
117
118
TABLES
Table- . Paee
I Sampling reliability of the estimated number of farms and farms reporting and estimated totals for the United States and 5
areas: Census of 1954 63
2 Number of farms, average size of farm, and farms reporting specified number of tractors, for the United States and areas: 1954. 73
3 Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of field tractors, by size of farm, for the United States: 1954 73
4 Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of field tractors, by tenure of operator, for the United States: 1954 74
5 Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of field tractors, by economic class of farm, for the United States: 1954.. 74
g Percent distribution of all farms, and number of field tractors, by economic class of farm, for the United States and areas: 1954— 74
7 Percent distribution of all farms, and number of field tractors, by tenure of operator, for the United States and areas: 1954.. 74
g Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of automobiles, by size of farm, for the United States: 1954 78
9 Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of automobiles, by tenure of operator, for the United States: 1954 79
10 Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of automobiles, by economic class of farm, for the United States and areas:
1954 79
1 1 Percent distribution of all farms and number of automobiles, by economic class of farm, for the United States and areas: 1954...
12. Percent distribution of all farms and number of automobiles, by tenure of operator, for the United States and areas: 1954...
!3 Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of motortrucks by size of farm, for the United States: 1954
14 Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of motortrucks, by tenure of operator, for the United States: 1954
15 Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of motortrucks, by economic class of farm, for the United States: 1954..
lg Percent distribution of all farms, and number of motortrucks, by economic class of farm, for the United States and areas: 1954..
17 Percent distribution of all farms, and number of motortrucks, by tenure of operator, for the United States and areas: 1954. _
lg Number of farms, and farms reporting by number of horses and mules reported, by economic class of farm, and by type of
farm, for the United States and areas: 1954
19 Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of grain combines, by size of farm, for the United States: 1954
2o' Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of grain combines, by tenure of operator, for commercial farms, for the
United States: 1954
2i Farms reporting and acreage of small grains harvested, and number of grain combines, by the acreage of small grains harvested,
for the United States and areas: 1954
22. Number of farms, farms reporting small grains harvested and farms reporting grain combines, for the United States and areas:
79
79
82
84
84
84
84
90
99
99
99
99
23 Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of corn pickers, by size of farm, for the United States: 1954 100
24 Farms reporting and acres of corn harvested for all purposes, and number of farms reporting corn pickers, for the United States
and areas: 1954 1°0
25 Farms reporting and acres of corn harvested for all purposes, and number of farms reporting corn pickers, by acres of corn
harvested, for the United States: 1954 100
2g_ Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of pick-up balers, by size of farm, for the United States: 1954 101
27. Number of farms, and farms reporting and number of forage harvesters, by size of farm, for the United States: 1954 101
28^ Number of farms, farms reporting and acres of all hay harvested, and farms reporting pick-up balers, by acres of hay harvested
and by size of farm, for the United States and areas: 1954 101
29# Number of farms, and number of farms reporting 1, 2, or 3 kinds of field machines, by economic class of farm, and by type of
farm, for the United States and areas: 1954 . • _-- 102
30. Farms reporting milk cows and farms reporting milking machines, by number of milk cows, for all commercial farms and dairy
farms, for the United States and areas: 1954
31_ Number of farms, and percent of farms reporting milking machines, by type of farm, for the United States and areas: 1954..
32. Number of farms, and percent of farms reporting power feed grinders, by type of farm, for the United States and areas: 1954.
33] Number of farms, expenditure, for feed, and farms reporting feed grinders, for dairy farms, classified by size of herd, for the
United States: 1954 1°8
34. Farms reporting sows farrowing between December 1, 1953, and June 1, 1954, and farms reporting electric pig brooders, for the
United States and areas: 1954 1°8
35 — Number and percent of farms reporting electricity, telephones, and piped running water, for the United States and areas: 1954. 112
3g — Number and percent of farms reporting electricity, telephones, and piped running water, by economic class of farms, for the
United States: 1954 n2
105
105
108
61
INTRODUCTION
The introduction of mechanical power has brought many
striking changes to our farms during the last 3 or 4 decades.
The tractor has supplied a major part of this power. Motor-
trucks, automobiles, and electricity have also been sources of
farm power of growing importance during the last quarter of a
century. The increases in these new sources of power have been
accompanied by large scale reductions in animal work power
on farms. With the increased use of new sources of power,
the number of farmworkers required to produce food and fiber
for a rapidly increasing population has declined significantly.
Farm mechanization has had important influences not only upon
the number of farmworkers and the output per worker but also
upon the amount of agricultural land used to supply the food
and fiber needs of the Nation. This report summarizes the
important changes in farm mechanization since 1920, indicates
the present status of mechanization, and summarizes the effects
of increased use of mechanical power and equipment on farms.
Since 1920, the Censuses of Agriculture taken at 5-year intervals
have provided information on machinery and facilities on farms.
The farm machinery and facility items for which Census statistics
have been collected include a considerable number that are used
for the farm business, some that are used in the farm operator's
home as well as for the farm business and others such as
television sets that are used primarily in the farmer's home.
Farm machinery was enumerated on the farm on which it was
located at the time of the Census. The X's in the following
tabular statement indicate the items for which the nationwide
Censuses of Agriculture have obtained information during the
period, 1920 to 1954.
The number of machines as reported by the Census represents
the number on farms. It does not include machines not on farms.
In the case of automobiles, the number includes automobiles
owned by the farm operator and members of his family and also
those owned by hired employees living on the farm.
Source and reliability of data. — The maps and charts presented
in this report are based upon statistical data published in the re-
ports of the 1954 and prior Censuses of Agriculture. The data
presented in tables 2 to 33 of this chapter and used for the
preparation of a number of maps and charts were obtained from a
special tabulation of data for a sample of 5 percent of the speci-
fied and 1 percent of the remaining farms for the 1954 Census of
Agriculture. (For a description of specified farms, reference
may be made to the Introduction to Volume II of the reports of
the 1954 Census of Agriculture.) As the data given in Tables
2 to 33 are estimates based upon data for a sample of farms,
they differ slightly from data for the same items published in
other reports of the 1954 Census of Agriculture. The estimates
given in these tables are subject to sampling errors. Table 1,
page 63, provides measures of the sampling reliability for the data
in Tables 2 to 33.
DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS
The maps, charts, and text employ terminology consistent with
the 1954 Census of Agriculture. Definitions and explanations
are given for only a few items. For more detailed definitions
and explanations of items related to the Census of Agriculture,
reference may be made to the Introduction of Volume II of the
reports for the 1954 Census of Agriculture.
Farm Facility and Equipment Items for Which
\n Inquiry Was Included in the Census
of Agriculture: 1920 to 1954
Item on Census questionnaire
1954
1950
1945
1940
1935
1930
1925
1920
Item on Census questionnaire
1954
1950
1945
1940
1935
1930
1925
1920
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
(')
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Amount of last monthly bill
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Wheel tractors other than gar-
den or crawler.
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Artificial ponds, reservoirs, and
earth tanks.
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Value of implements and ma-
chinery.
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
' Inquiry asked for number of "combines" on this farm. Data requested were for grain combines used for harvesting and threshing grains or seeds in one operation
however, many types or combinations of equipment were reported instead of the type desired and the results of this inquiry were considered not satisfactory for publication.
407763—57-
62
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
A farm. — For the 1954 and 1950 Censuses, places of 3 or more
acres were counted as farms if the annual value of agricultural
products, exclusive of home-garden products, amounted to $150
or more. The agricultural products could have been either for
home use or for sale. Places of less than 3 acres were counted
as farms only if the annual value of sales of agricultural
products amounted to $150 or more. Places for which the value
of agricultural products for 1954 was less than these minima
because of crop failure or other unusual conditions, and places
operated at the time of the Census for the first time, were counted
as farms if normally they could be expected to produce these
minimum quantities of agricultural products.
For the 1945 and earlier Censuses of Agriculture, the definition
of a farm was somewhat more inclusive. From 1925 to 1945,
farms, for Census purposes, included places of 3 or more acres
on which there were agricultural operations, and places of less
than 3 acres if the agricultural products for home use or for
sale were valued at $250 or more. For places of 3 or more
acres, no minimum quantity of agricultural production was
required for purposes of enumeration ; for places of under 3
acres, all the agricultural products valued at $250 or more may
have been for home use and not for sale. The only reports
excluded from the tabulations were those taken in error and
those with very limited agricultural production, such as only
a small home garden, a few fruit trees, a very small flock of
chickens, etc. In 1945, reports for places of 3 acres or more with
limited agricultural operations were retained if there were 3 or
more acres of cropland and pasture, or if the value of products
in 1944 amounted to $150 or more when there were less than 3
acres of cropland and pasture.
Farms by size. — Farms have been classified by size on the basis
of the total land in the farm. The total land includes cropland,
pastureland, woodland, and wasteland. All the land under the
control of one person or partnership was included as one farm.
Control may have been through ownership, or through lease,
rental, or cropping arrangement.
Farms reporting. — Farms reporting represent the number of
farms with the kind of machinery or facility indicated.
Farms by economic class. — Farms have been classified by eco-
nomic class for the 1950 and 1954 Censuses of Agriculture.
The three criteria used for classifying farms by economic class
were: Total value of all farm products sold; number of days
the farm operator worked off the farm ; and relationship of the
income received from nonfarm sources by the operator and
members of his family to the value of all farm products sold.
Farms were classified into two broad economic groups, namely,
"commercial farms" and "other farms." Each of these major
groups was further classified.
The "commercial farms" were classified into 6 groups and
"other farms," into 3 groups. The following table indicates
the criteria for each economic class of farm and the number
of farms in each economic class for 1954 and 1950.
CRITERIA FOR THE ECONOMIC CLASSES OF FARMS AND NUMBER OF FARMS IN EACH CLASS, FOR THE
UNITED STATES: CENSUSES OF 1954 AND 1950
Class
Number of farms
Criteria
Farms excluded
1954
1950
Value of farm products sold
Other
United States, total...
4. 783. 021
3, 327. 617
134. 003
448, 945
706. 929
811.965
763. 348
462, 427
1, 455. 404
574, 575
878, 136
2,693
5, 379, 250
3, 706, 412
103. 231
381, 151
721.211
882, 302
901, 316
717, 201
1, 672, 838
639, 230
1, 029, 392
4,216
XXX
XXX
XXX.
Commercial farms, total ._
XXX
XXX.. _
XXX.
Class I.
Class II
$10,000 to $24,999
do....
Class III
$5,000 to $9,999 . .
do
Class IV....
$2,500 to $4,999
...do
Class V
$1,200 to $2,499
. do....
Class VI
$250 to $1,199
Less than 100 days of off-farm work by operator, and in-
come of operator and members of his family from non-
farm sources less than value of all farm products sold.
XXX
XXX
XXX.
$250 to $1,199
100 days or more of off-farm work by operator or income of
farm operator and members of his family from nonfarm
sources greater than value of all farm products sold.
Residential ...
Less than $250
Abnormal
Institutional farms, experimental farms, grazing associa-
tions, community-project farms, etc.
XXX.
Farms by type. — Commercial farms have been classified by type
on the same basis for the 1954 and 1950 Censuses of Agriculture.
The classification of commercial farms by type was made on the
basis of the relationship of the value of sales from a particular
source, or sources, to the total value of all farm products sold
from the farm. In some cases, the type of farm was determined
on the basis of the sale of an individual fami product, such as
determined on the basis of sales of a broader group of products,
such as dairy products. In other cases, the type of farm was
determined on the basis of sales of a broader group of products,
such as corn, sorghums, all small grains, field peas, field beans,
cowpeas, and soybeans. In order to be classified as a particular
type, sales or anticipated sales of a product or group of products
had to represent 50 percent or more of the total value of products
sold.
The types of commercial farms for which data are shown,
together with the product or group of products on which the
classification is based, are :
Type of farm Product or group of products amounting to SO
percent or more of the value of all farm products
sold
Cotton Cotton (lint and seed).
Cash-grain Corn, sorghums, small grains, field peas,
field beans, cowpeas, and soybeans.
Other field-crop Peanuts, Irish potatoes, sweetpotatoes, to-
bacco, sugarcane, sugar beets for sugar,
• and other miscellaneous crops.
Vegetable Vegetables.
Fruit-and-nut Berries and other small fruits and tree
fruits, nuts, and grapes.
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
63
Type of farm Product or group of products amounting to SO
percent or more of the value of all farm products
sold
Dairy Milk and other dairy products. The cri-
terion of 50 percent of the total sales was
modified in the case of dairy farms. A
farm for which the value of sales of dairy
products represented less than 50 percent
of the total value of farm products sold
was classified as a dairy farm if —
(n) Milk and other dairy products ac-
counted for 30 percent or more of
the total value of products sold ;
and
(6) Milk cows represented 50 percent
or more of all cows ; and
(c) Sales of dairy products, together
with the sales of cattle and calves,
amount to 50 percent or more of
the total value of farm products
sold.
Poultry Chickens, eggs, turkeys, and other poultry
products.
Livestock farms
other than dairy
and poultry Cattle, calves, hogs, sheep, goats, wool, and
mohair, provided the farm did not qualify
as a dairy farm.
General Farms were classified as general when the
value of products from one source or group
of sources did not represent as much as
50 percent of the total value of all farm
products sold. Separate figures are given
for three kinds of general farms :
(a) Primarily crop
(6) Primarily livestock
(c) Crop and livestock
Primarily crop farms are those for which
the sale of one of the following crops or
groups of crops — vegetables, fruits and
nuts, cotton, cash grains, or other field
crops — did not amount to 50 percent or
more of the value of all farm products
sold, hut for which the value of sales for
all these groups of crops represented 70
percent or more of the value of all farm
products sold.
Primarily livestock farms are those which
did not qualify as dairy farms, poultry
farms, or livestock farms other than dairy
and poultry, but for which the sale of
livestock and poultry and livestock and
poultry products amounted to 70 percent
or more of the value of all farm products
sold.
General crop and livestock farms are those
which could not be classified as either
crop farms or livestock farms, but for
which the sale of all crops amounted to at
least 30 percent but less than 70 percent of
the total value of all farm products sold.
Miscellaneous This group of farms includes those that had
50 percent or more of the total value of
products accounted for by sale of horti-
cultural products, or sale of horses, or sale
of forest products. In 1950, this group of
farms also included those that had 50 per-
cent or more of the total value of farm
products accounted for by the sale of fur
animals or the sale of bees, wax, and
honey.
Farms by tenure of operator. — Farm operators have been classi-
fied by tenure on the basis of how they hold the land they operate.
Owners are farm operators who own all or part of the land
they operate.
Full owners own all the land they operate.
Part owners own land they operate and rent from others
additional land which they operate.
Managers operate farms for others and are paid a wage or
salary for their services. Farms operated for institutions or
corporations are considered managed.
Tenants rent from others, or work on shares for others, all
the land they operate.
Tenants were further classified on the basis of their rental
arrangement, as follows:
Cash tenants pay a cash rental, such as $10 per acre, or
$1,000 for the use of the whole farm.
Share-cash tenants pay a part of the rent in cash and a
part as a share of either the crops or of the livestock or live-
stock products, or both.
Share tenants pay a share of either the crops or livestock or
livestock products, or a share of both. In the South, share
tenants with all work power furnished are not included with
share tenants but are classed separately as croppers. Share
tenants were further classified as :
Crop-share tenants if they paid a share of the crops and
no share of the livestock.
Livestock-share tenants if they paid a share of the live-
stock or livestock products. Livestock-share tenants may or
may not also pay a share of the crops.
Croppers are crop-share tenants whose landlords furnish
all work power. The landlords either furnish all the work
animals or furnish tractor power in lieu of work animals.
Croppers usually work under the close siipervision of the
landlords, or their agents, and the land assigned them is
often merely a part of a larger enterprise operated as a
single unit.
Farms by class of work power. — Farms have been classified ac-
cording to kind of work power on the basis of the presence on
the farm of horses and/or mules, and tractors. This classifica-
tion is based on the presence of the sources of work power on the
farm, and not on the use or extent of use of various kinds of
work power. Many farms do not need work power. Some of
these farms represent rural homes with very limited agricultural
production. Others are poultry farms, dairy farms, livestock
ranches, greenhouses, etc., with little or no cropland. For some
farms, all the work power may be furnished by the landlord.
Work power was to be reported on the farm where located at
the time of the enumeration regardless of ownership. Some
I'arcns classified as having work power may have horses or mules
kept only for nonfarm work, or for purposes other than for work
power. Some farms may have tractors, work power, etc., only
for the purpose of performing custom work or furnishing work
power to others. Some farms without work power may hire
all or part of their work power from others.
Table 1. — Sampling Reliability of the Estimated Number
of Farms and Farms Reporting and Estimated Totals
for the United States and 5 Areas: Census of 1954
If the estimated number of farms reporting is-
1,000..
2.500-.
5,000..
10.000.
25,000.
50,000.
100,000
250,000
600,000
Then the chances
are about 2 in 3
that the estimat-
ed total would
differ from the
results of a com-
plete tabulation
of the items by
less than '—
Percent
31
20
14
10
6.3
4.4
3.1
2.0
1.4
i For Tables 14 and 15 the percent error may be obtained by dividing the percent error
in this table by 5.
65
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
The 168 million people of the United States are better fed
and clothed, as a group, than the people of almost any other
country. Yet our farm population is only about 22 million, and
only 1 worker out of 9 in our entire labor force is engaged chiefly
in farming. More than a century ago, in 1830, 7 workers in 10
were engaged in agricultural pursuits. At that time, 1 farm-
worker produced enough agricultural products for himself and
about 3 others. Now, 1 farmer produces agricultural products
for himself or herself and almost 19 other persons.
Technological progress has been the compelling force in the
large increase in efficiency in agriculture. During the last
quarter century physical output in farm production has in-
creased by a half. Each hour of farm labor now produces two
and a half times as much farm output as it produced at the
conclusion of World War I.
Several phases of farm technology have worked together to
increase farm production and to make each hour of direct farm
labor more effective. New and better machines, new production,
harvesting and marketing methods, and improved arrangements
in and around farm service buildings have operated to reduce
labor requirements in the production and marketing of crops
and livestock. Improved roads, electricity and running water
in the home, and other home facilities, have brought the farm
nearer to hospitals and trading centers, and have made the farm
a better and more comfortable place for living and rearing a
family. On the other side of the productivity picture is in-
creased production per acre and per animal because of a host
of technical advancements in all of the many phases incident
to the raising of crops and livestock.
This report is concerned with that side of technological effi-
ciency that relates to farm power, machinery, and facilities, as
portrayed by data released over the years by the Bureau of the
Census. For the most part the report deals with the farm situa-
tion as it is today with some indications of the future. In some
cases, historical changes since 1920 are indicated.
In a way, 1920 may be taken as a starting place from which to
measure the beginning of modern farm mechanization. At that
time, shortly after the close of World War I, farmers in the
United States were just beginning to take the possibilities of
using the gas tractor seriously. At the beginning of that year,
farmers reported possession of 246,000 tractors (exclusive of
steam), compared with 4,692,000 reported on farms in November
1954. Oxen still were being used to some extent in remote areas,
and horse and mule numbers had just started their long down-
ward trend from a peak of about 27 million head 2 years earlier,
or in 1918. Motortrucks on farms were only one-twentieth as
numerous as they are today, but the number of automobiles on
farms in 1920 was half the number in 1954.
Grain combines were being used in a limited way but improve-
ments in design and adaptability for smaller farms were yet to
come. Mechanical corn pickers were beginning to replace hand
picking in the principal corn States. Milking machines were
being used in a limited way, primarily by the larger dairymen
who had access to electricity. Windmills were being used ex-
tensively in the Central and Plains States. Less than 2 percent
of the farmers had the benefit of electric power. Today 94 per-
cent of the farms have central-station electric service.
The windmill, without which early settlements in the barren,
dry areas of the Plains would not have been possible, has largely
passed out of the picture. Tear by year, with the coming of
electricity to the farm, rural people are installing more refrigera-
tors, freezers, washing machines, water systems, television sets,
and other equipment in their homes. The electric light has largely
replaced the coal oil lamp in the home, and the lantern in the
barns and other service areas. Only in the last 15 years or so
has the automatic tie pick-up baler and modern field forage har-
vester been available to farmers. Electric farm shops, and elec-
trically operated barn cleaners, elevators, blowers, driers, and
lifting devices are relatively new on the farm.
The machines and facilities reported on in this report do not
cover all details of farm mechanization. Included here are the
machines and facilities reported on by the Bureau of the Census —
basic machines and facilities around which mechanization has
been built. The presentation is organized in five parts, dealing
with farm power, harvest machines, farm chore equipment, serv-
ice equipment, and some results of mechanization.
FARM POWER
Use of mechanical power on farms in the United States had
its beginning in the 19th century. Adoption of power machines
for fieldwork was at first almost entirely limited to steam trac-
tors. Internal-combustion engines of small size and largely
adapted for stationary work only, were first reported at the end
of the 19th century. Use of internal-combustion engines as a
source of farm power in tractors, trucks, automobiles, and as
stationary engines made little headway until the beginning of
World War I. Now internal-combustion engines are used in
more than 11 million farm motor vehicles, and to some extent as
auxiliary mounted engines on heavy equipment, such as grain
combines, hay balers, and forage harvesters. Their use as sta-
tionary engines for pumping water, grinding feed, and other
chore work about the service buildings has decreased as more
farms received central-station electricity. This section of the
report contains Census graphic material for tractors, automobiles,
motortrucks, horses and mules, and farm electricity.
66
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
FARM TRACTORS
The internal-combustion tractor was first used in farming in
the United States shortly before 1910. The early tractors were
heavy, crude machines compared with later models. For the
most part they were used for performing heavy operations,
such as threshing, silo filling, plowing, disking, and harrowing.
In many cases they were used at first for belt work and to draw
horse and mule implements already available on the farm.
Gradually, tractor design and adaptability for farm jobs were
improved. Following introduction of the general purpose tractor
in the 1920's, and rubber-tired wheels in the 1930's, tractor num-
bers and uses increased widely. Old style horse-drawn imple-
ments were discarded for more suitable and efficient tractor ma-
chines and tools. Improvements in tractor design and in tractor-
drawn and mounted machines for fitting land, cultivating and
harvesting crops, lifting and moving farm materials and sup-
plies, followed rapidly and continues even today. Recently, more
powerful and versatile tractors with improved power take-off
units, and tractor-machines have speeded up farmwork in the
fields and service areas. Many farm families are now doing the
work formerly done with the aid of one or more hired hands.
Generally, all kinds of farmwork are being done better and
more in season. In many cases the farmer has reduced the
average length of many very long work days during rush sea-
sons of the year; he has lessened materially the drudgery which
at one time was so evident in farming.
NUMBER OF TRACTORS ON FARMS
There now are on farms of the United States approximately
4.7 million tractors of all types, sizes, and ages, compared with
246,000 on farms in 1920. And in addition, farmers now have
between 150,000 and 200,000 self-propelled machines, most of
which are harvest machines. In little more than a third of a
century, and in the memory of many farmers of today, mechani-
cal power has almost completely displaced animal power for
farming purposes. This displacement has resulted in a decrease
in horse and mule numbers on farms from 27 million head in
1918 to less than 4 million head at present. Many of the work
animals remaining on farms are used little for farmwork.
Tractor numbers of all types on farms have almost doubled
since the last year of World War II (1945). This large increase
TRACTORS ON FARMS
NUMBER. 1954
has taken place even though the level of total agricultural pro-
duction has increased only moderately. Thus, while total agri-
cultural output has increased since the War by 17 percent, tractor
numbers have doubled, increasing from about 2.4 million to 4.7
million. Only a small part of the increase in tractor numbers
since 1945 has been caused by loss of work animals. The in-
crease is a part of the general pattern of more fully mechanizing
farming operations in the face of rising farm wages, higher value
of farm products per acre, and in the general movement through-
out all types of industry to reduce labor inputs and excessive
drudgery.
CROPLAND HARVESTED
ACREAGE. 1954
The country distribution of number of tractors in 1954 fol-
lows closely the distribution of cropland harvested in 1954.
Naturally, the greatest concentration of tractors is in areas
where the greatest concentration of crops occurs, as, for ex-
ample, in the Corn Belt, Lake States, Eastern fruit and vege-
table areas, the important cotton areas, and the western irrigated
and other crop-growing areas. Tractors are relatively less
numerous in the eastern Appalachian region where much of the
land is in trees and permanent pastures. In the Western States
where mountain and arid acreages are large, and where much
of the land is in forests and range pastures, tractor numbers
per square mile are exceptionally low.
FARMS WITH 200 OR MORE ACRES OF CROPLAND HARVESTED
NUMBER. 1954
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
67
Although the number of farms in the United States decreased
from April 1950 to November 1954 by about 600,000, numbers
of tractors of all types actually increased by more than a million.
TRACTORS-INCREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
TYPES OF TRACTORS
Of the 4.7 million tractors on farms in November 1954, about
89 percent were field wheel type tractors, 3.5 percent were field
crawler type tractors, and 7.5 percent were garden type trac-
tors. The field wheel type of tractor so completely dominates
the situation so far as numbers are concerned, that the distribu-
tion chart for all types gives an equally accurate general view
of the distribution of field wheel tractors.
The earliest gas tractors were of the wheel type. They were
used almost exclusively for land preparation and belt work.
Their use was confined largely to the larger farms, primarily
in the Great Plains and Western States. Gradually, newer
models were developed which were suitable for farms which
were smaller than the large sizes, located in most areas of the
United States.
With the development of the general purpose wheel tractor
in the 1920's, use of wheel tractors spread rapidly in all areas,
especially in those areas where row crops are grown. The gen-
eral purpose tractor, as the name implies, is used for many
kinds of farmwork, including crop cultivation and other row
crop work. Introduction of rubber tires in the 1930's, and de-
velopment of wheel tractors suitable for the smaller family sized
farms as well as for the larger farms speeded up the change
from animal to mechanical power.
The crawler type of tractor has an endless beltlike type of
track on which it operates as it moves over the terrain. This
type of tractor probably was first used for farmwork along
about 1910. Although the number of crawler tractors on farms
is small, compared with the number of wheel tractors, it has a
distinct place under some farming conditions. It is well suited
for pulling heavy loads, especially where the ground is soft or
steep. Because of construction some models can be operated
under overhanging limbs of trees and close to tree trunks. This
feature makes it well suited for cultural operations and other
work in commercial orchards.
Although crawler tractors are used to some extent in all areas,
their number is greatest in the Pacific Coast States and in Idaho.
About 55 percent of all crawler tractors on farms in 1954 were
in the Mountain and Pacific States. They are used extensively
in the principal fruit and truck areas of Washington, Oregon,
and California, and in the wheat area of eastern Washington,
northern Idaho, and central Oregon.
CRAWLER TRACTORS
NUMBER. 1954
Garden tractors, as the name implies, generally are used to
cultivate small acreages of vegetables and other garden crops.
They were first reported by the Census of Agriculture in 1945,
although some garden tractors were used on farms as early
as 1940 or 1941. Their use has expanded rapidly. The number
en farms has increased from 68,000 in 1945 to 347,000 in Novem-
ber 1954. Concentration of garden tractors is particularly heavy
in the Corn Belt and Eastern States, and in the western part
of the Pacific Coast States. More than half of those reported
GARDEN TRACTORS
NUMBER. 1954
in 1954 were in the Corn Belt and Northeastern States, 10
percent were in the Appalachian States and 11 percent were in
the Pacific Coast States. Many commercial farms have garden
tractors for cultivating the home garden and truck patch.
Numbers of Field Wheel, Crawler, and Garden Tractors
on Farms by Farm-Production Areas, November 1954
Field wheel
Crawler
Garden
Area
Number
(000)
Percent
distribu-
tion
Number
(000)
Percent
distribu-
tion
Number
(000)
Percent
distribu-
tion
382.3
1,091.6
619.2
540.8
365.5
219.1
205.8
365.1
214.4
181.5
9.1
26.1
14.8
13.0
8.8
5.2
4.9
8.7
5.1
4.3
16.5
14.0
10.8
9.3
6.4
5.0
3.7
5.5
22.1
66.6
10.3
8.7
6.8
5.8
4.0
3.1
2.3
3.4
13.9
41.7
59.3
118.7
37.4
15.4
34.6
10.3
7.3
12.9
11.9
39.1
17.1
Corn Belt
34.2
10.8
Northern Plains
4.4
10.0
3.0
Delta States
2.0
Southern Plains
3.7
3.4
Pacific
11.3
United States...
4. 185. 0
100.0
159.9
100.0
346.9
100.0
68
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
FARMS REPORTING TRACTORS
Although agriculture in the United States is highly mechanized,
only about 60 percent of our 4.8 million farms reported tractors
in November 1954. For the most part, those reporting tractors
are the farms that are most suitable for some degree of modern
mechanization and that actually need mechanical field power.
They are the farms that produce a very large part of total agri-
cultural production. The actual agricultural output on farms
not having tractors is not available. Census data for 1954 do
show, however, that 40 percent of all farms produced less than
$1,200 worth of products for sale in 1954. As a group, this 40
percent of the farms produced only 3.4 percent of the total value
of products sold in that year. Less than one-third of these low
production farms reported tractors in 1954.
The largest percentage of farms that reported tractors In 1954
is in the northern and central farming areas, and the smallest
percentage is in the Southeastern States. From 60 to 80 percent
houses and some commercial poultry enterprises who cultivate no
land may have no reason to own field tractors. On many such
farms, motortrucks may represent the important motive power
unit.
GROWTH OF TRACTOR POWER
It is not surprising that in the beginning, farmers' unqualified
acceptance of the farm tractor was slow to develop. The limited
capacity of the early tractor to do various types of farmwo-rk
meant that few work animals were disposed of when a tractor
was bought. Even after tractor models and tractor-drawn equip-
ment were greatly improved, many jobs still were done by horses
and mules. In the severe depression of the 1930's, cash with
which to buy gasoline, oil, and repairs was very limited. But
farmers could produce their own power in the form of corn, oats,
and hay, at little cash cost. In many instances, jobs which had
been done with tractor power were again done with animal power
PERCENT OF FARMS REPORTING TRACTORS, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
LEGEND
PERCENT
I I UNDER 10 ET3ij 40 TO 59
EMU 10 TO 19 SSS60 TO 79
111120 TO 39 IHsO AND OVER
*NO farms
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54-OS2
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
of the farm units in most of the northern and central areas
apparently are of a size and type suitable for some degree of
mechanization, and, therefore, suitable for individual owner-
ship of tractor power and equipment. In the Southeastern States
less than 40 percent of the farms in many of the counties reported
tractors.
The fact that a farmer does not have a tractor does not mean
that he does not use tractor power. Custom operators, many of
whom are farmers, are available in all sections for preparing
land, tending crops, and for performing harvesting operations.
Sharecropper farms in the South are operated with equipment
owned by the "home farm." Many fruit farmers in some areas
hire all or a part of their field work done. Operators of green-
and equipment and the tractors remained idle. Even after more
versatile tractors were developed and farm economic conditions
began to improve, many farmers felt obliged to keep a well-shod
team or two for work in icy and muddy places. Pioneering
farmers led the way in complete displacement of work stock with
tractors. The movement grew rapidly from the beginning of
World War II. Few commercial farmers now depend on work
stock for doing field work.
The increase between 1920 and 1954 in number of farms re-
porting tractors was 2,648,000. About 24 percent of this increase
occurred between 1920 and 1930, 21 percent occurred between
1930 and 1940, 42 percent occurred between 1940 and 1950, and 13
percent since 1950.
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
69
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING FIELD TRACTORS FOR
UNITED STATES AND AREAS, 1920-1954
1920 1930 1940 (945 1950 1954
A-54 -SM
CROP ACRES PER FIELD TRACTOR ON FARMS, ALL FARMS,
UNITED STATES, AND AREAS - 1920 TO 1954
'NORTHEAST
-71 I U™^rk&-
I9ZO 1930 ©40 I94S 1950 1954
407763—57-
70
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
In 1954, almost 58 percent of all farms reporting field tractors
were in the Corn Belt, Lake, and Great Plains States, distributed
as follows: Corn Belt, 24.4 percent; Lake States, 14 percent;
Northern and Southern Plains States, 19.3 percent. It was in these
areas that farmers bought tractors most rapidly in the early days
of farm mechanization. It is in these States and in the North-
east area where number of farms reporting tractors has increased
considerably less than average during the last 10 years. The
greatest relative increase in farms reporting tractors during the
last 10 years has been in the Appalachian, Southeast, and Missis-
sippi Delta areas, where mechanization was relatively slow in
getting started.
Although the number of field tractors on farms in 1954 is 18
times the number in 1920, the number of crop acres has changed
very little. Consequently, total crop acres per field tractor de-
creased during the period from 1,417 to 71, or by almost twenty-
fold. The downward trend has been pronounced in each of the
10 areas shown in the map. In November 1954, the smallest
average crop acres per field tractor was 35.5 in the Northeast and
the largest was 140.1 in the Northern Plains States.
FARMS REPORTING ONE OR MORE FIELD
TRACTORS
As farmers became more dependent on tractor power and
tractor-drawn and tractor-mounted equipment, many bought a
second or a third tractor. Consolidation of farms into larger
operating units also helped to increase the average number of
tractors per farm. In the early days of tractor use, few farms
had more than one tractor. As late as 1940 the average number
of field tractors per farm reporting tractors was 1.1. By 1954
the average had risen to 1.6.
In November 1954, 61 percent of the 2.8 million farms report-
ing field tractors reported one tractor, 28 percent reported 2, 8
percent reported 3, and 3 percent reported having 4 or more
tractors.
Regionally, the largest percentage of tractor farms reporting
4 or more field tractors per farm in 1954 was in the Western
States (7 percent), and the second largest was in the Great
Plains 'States (4.4 percent). A relatively large proportion of
the farms reporting only one field tractor each was in the
Southern States (82 percent), followed in rank by the Eastern
States where 69 percent of the tractor farms reported only one
tractor each.
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING 1,2,3,4 OR MORE FIELD
TRACTORS FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
71
FIELD TRACTORS BY SIZE OF FARM
Many farms, small ia terms of acreage, are difficult to mecha-
nize economically. This is particularly true of those that are
general in type and have low incomes; Many small fruit and
vegetable farms, and other types having intensive production
enterprises require much field work per acre and are economically
suitable for tractor power and tractor equipment. Many small
part-time farms are effectively equipped with tractors and tractor
equipment. Although the machinery investment per acre for part-
time farms may appear unreasonably high, from the standpoint
of income both on and off the farm it may be quite reasonable.
In 1954 more than a third of all farms in the United States
were under 50 acres in size. This group had 11 percent of all
the tractors reported that year. At the other end of the scale,
farms of 500 or more acres represented 6.7 percent of all farms
and had 17.2 percent of the total number of field tractors. Al-
most 60 percent of all field tractors reported were on farms
having from 100 to 499 acres.
Small farmers reported field tractors in all regions. Field
tractors were relatively numerous on small farms in the Southern
and Western States, and relatively numerous on large farms in
the Great Plains and Western States.
FIELD TRACTORS BY TENURE OF OPERATOR
Farm owners, part owners, and farm managers operated 76
percent of all farms in 1954, and tenants of all classes operated
24 percent. The share tenant and cropper group represented 62
percent of all tenants. Within each tenure group are both small
and large farms. Farmers in each group have access to custom
operators for major field operations.
Number of Farms Reporting Tractors and Average Number
of Tractors per Farm, by Tenure, United States: 1954
Farms reporting tenure
Percentage
reporting
tractors
Average
number of
Tenure
Number
Percent
distribution
tractors
per farm
reporting
2, 760, 840
871, 780
22, 220
1,150,860
159, 500
165,000
716, 700
109,660
57.4
18.1
0.5
23.9
3.3
3.4
14.9
2.3
52.7
80.3
80.9
53.1
45.7
92.2
47.9
38.7
1.4
1.8
3.4
1.6
1.6
1.8
Share tenants and croppers.
Other and unspecified tenants
1.6
1.5
Total
4, 805, 700
100.0
57.9
1.6
PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF NUMBER OF FARMS AND NUMBER OF FIELD TRACTORS, BY SIZE OF FARM,
FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
United States
Area
Size of farm (total acres)
Eastern
Southern
Central
Great Plains
Western
Farms
Tractors
Farms
Tractors
Farms
Tractors
Farms
Tractors
Farms
Tractors
Farms
Tractors
Percent
38.3
22.2
22.2
8.3
6.9
1.6
0.4
Percent
14.0
18.6
30.8
14.0
15.8
4.6
2.2
Percent
53.0
21.4
13.3
5.2
4.3
1.9
1.0
Percent
18.8
20.7
20.0
10.9
11.8
9.6
8.2
Percent
21.0
18.3
29.5
16.4
12.6
1.9
0.3
Percent
7.9
13.7
31.5
21.3
20.5
4.1
1.0
Percent
18.5
10.5
17.4
11.2
22.0
12.7
7.8
Percent
3.9
5.3
14.2
11.8
28.1
15.8
20.9
Percent
46.4
11.4
12.0
4.4
7.5
6.6
11.7
Percent
35.6
18.0
19.8
9.8
10.1
4.0
2.7
Percent
10.7
13.4
24.3
15.2
19.2
8.2
9.0
Percent
19.6
11.4
100 to 179 acres -
15.4
6.9
260 to 499 acres --
11.4
500 to 999 acres,.
11.1
24.2
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
NUMBER OF FIELD TRACTORS ON FARMS BY SIZE OF FARM
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS. 1954
The owner group contains a large number of small farms,
many of which are low-income places, and many of which are
part-time farms for families who work off the farm. Because
of the large number of small units in this group it is not surpris-
ing that only 53 percent of such farms reported one or more trac-
tors in 1954. Part-owner farms are owned farms with additional
rented land. Renting additional land is one way of increasing
size of farm and making the unit more suitable for tractor power
and tractor equipment. More than 80 percent of the farms in this
group reported having tractors in 1954. Full-owner and part-
owner farms are important tenure types in all regions of the
United States.
Manager and share-cash tenant farms are found in a limited
way in each of the five areas shown, and tend to be larger than
average in size. A high percentage of farms in each of these
groups reported tractors in 1954. Share tenants and croppers
are important groups in all regions. Many farms of these types
of tenure are small in size. In 1954 less than half reported
tractors.
72
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
<, yi NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING FIELD TRACTORS BY TENURE OF OPERATOR.
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS. 1954
FARMS REPORTING FIELD TRACTORS, BY
ECONOMIC CLASS OF FARM
Generally, the volume of tractors and other farm machinery
bought by farmers is closely related to farm cash receipts and
size of farm operation. Individually, and by groups, the larger
the cash sales are, the more need farm operators have for the
more expensive types of machines and equipment, and the better
able they are financially to fully equip their farms.
About 85 percent of all commercial farmers in Economic Classes
I, II, III, and IV in 1954 reported one or more field tractors.
These were the farmers whose products sold ranged from $2,500
to more than $25,000 per farm. This group made up less than
half of all farms in 1954. Of the remaining commercial farms,
less than half reported tractors in 1954. Many of these low-
income operators sold less than $1,000 worth of products in that
year. Few of them worked off the farm as much as 100 days.
Only 28 percent of the 1.5 million noncommercial farms reported
field tractors in 1954. Regionally, a relatively large proportion
of the farmers reporting tractors that are in the higher economic
classes are in the Western, Central, and Great Plains States.
Large proportions of the residential and part-time farmers that
reported tractors in 1954 are in the Eastern and Southern States.
Farms Reporting Tractors, Average Number of Tractors
per Farm Reporting, and Average Crop Acres per Tractor,
by Economic Class of Farm: 1954
All
farms
(000)
Farms reporting
tractors
Average
number
of trac-
tors per
farm re-
porting
Average
crop
Economic class of farm
Number
(000)
Percent
ofaU
farms
acres
per trac-
tor
Commercial farms:
Class I
135.5
442.8
726.3
821.1
769.1
457.7
122.5
409.7
648.4
620.1
430.2
145.7
90.4
92.5
89.3
75.5
55.9
31.8
3.4
2.2
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.2
117.1
Class II
96 4
Class III
83 2
Class IV _
70.5
Class V.
57.2
Class VI
56 4
Commercial farms, total
Other farms:
3, 352. 5
575.6
874.6
3.0
2, 376. 6
241.1
164.4
1.9
70.9
41.9
18.8
61.6
1.6
1.1
1.1
4.3
82.4
30.7
21.2
87. 1
1,453.2
407.4
28.0
1.1
28.0
United States, total
4,805.7
2, 784. 0
57.9
1.6
76.9
^......UNITED STATES
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING FIELD TRACTORS. BY ECONOMIC CLASS;
FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
73
CROP ACRES PER TRACTOR. ALL FARMS. BY ECONOMIC CLASS;
FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
CENTRAL
Closely related to the proportion of farmers in each economic
class that reported tractors, are average number of tractors per
farm and average crop acres per tractor. For example, farms
with tractors in the Economic Class I group had an average of 3.4
tractors per farm and those in Economic Class VI had an average
of only 1.2 tractors per farm reporting tractors. The abnormal
farms reporting tractors had the highest average number per
farm, and the residential and part-time farms had the lowest
average number per farm reporting. Crop acres per tractor,
based on all crop acres in each economic class, was highest (117)
Table 2. — Number of Farms, Average Size of Farm, and
Farms Reporting Specified Number of Tractors, for the
United States and Areas: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
United
States
Area
Item
Eastern
South-
ern
Central
Great
Plains
West-
ern
4.806
242.2
2,784
42.1
3S.4
16.1
4.5
1.9
779
110.5
396
49.1
35.1
11.4
3.0
1.3
1,477
109.1
482
67.4
26.7
3.8
1.1
1.0
1.366
153.9
1,088
20.4
43.0
27.6
7.0
1.8
761
482.9
543
28.7
37.0
24.0
7.2
3.2
Average size of farm acres . .
Farms reporting
tractors farms (000) - .
Percentage of farms reporting by
number of tractors reported:
No tractors .. .percent. .
1 tractor.. percent. .
2 tractors percent..
3 tractors percent..
4 or more tractors. ..percent..
798.2
275
35.0
38.4
16.2
6.1
4.4
in Economic Class I, and lowest (21) in the residential group.
Generally, when the farms were grouped by economic class the
crop acres per tractor declined as sales per farm decreased. This
relationship was less evident in the Eastern and Southern States
than it was in the other three regions.
Table 3. — Number of Farms, and Farms ReportingJand
Number of Field Tractors, by Size of Farm, forithe
United States: 1954
37a
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms
Field tractors
Size of farm
Farms reporting
Number of tractors
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
distri-
bution
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
per farm
(all farms)
Average
number
per farm
reporting
Total
4,806
100.0
2,784
67.9
4,375
0.9
1 6
Under 10 acres
10 to 29 acres
489
719
497
348
519
492
10.2
15.0
10.4
7.2
10.8
10.2
9.6
5.4
4.4
10.2
4.0
2.7
61
174
190
163
322
358
388
220
183
434
176
115
12.5
24.3
38.2
46.8
62.0
72.8
83.7
84.7
87.2
89.0
92.1
87.7
66
192
212
185
399
487
576
351
314
841
358
394
.1
.3
.4
.5
.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.5
1.7
1.9
3.0
1.0
30 to 49 acres
50 to 69 acres...
70 to 99 acres...
100 to 139 acres
1.4
140 to 179 acres
180 to 219 acres
220 to 2S9 acres
260 to 499 acres
500 to 999 acres
1,000 acres and over..
463
259
210
488
191
131
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.9
2.0
3.4
74
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Table 4. — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Field Tractors, by Tenure of Operator, for
the United States: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms
Field tractors
Tenure of operator
Farms reporting
Number of tractors
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
distri-
bution
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
per farm
(all farms)
Average
number
per farm
reporting
Total
4,806
100.0
2,784
57.9
4,345
0.9
1.6
2,761
872
22
1,151
160
165
717
110
57.4
18.1
.5
23.9
3.3
3.4
14.9
2.3
1,455
700
18
611
73
152
343
42
52.7
80.3
SO. 9
53.1
45.7
92.2
47.9
38.7
2,022
1,269
61
992
114
269
546
64
.7
1.5
2.7
.9
.7
1.6
.8
.6
1.4
1.8
3.4
1.6
Cash tenants
Share-cash tenants
Shire tenants and
croppers..
Other and unspec-
ified tenants —
1.6
1.8
1.6
1.5
Table 5. — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Field Tractors, by Economic Class of Farm,
for the United States: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms
Field tractors
Economic class
of farm
Farms reporting
Number of tractors
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
distri-
bution
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
per farm
(all
farms)
Average
number
per farm
reporting
Total..
4,806
100.0
2,784
57.9
4,345
0.9
1 6
Commercial farms. . .
Class I
Class II..
3,352
136
443
726
821
769
458
1,453
69.8
2.8
9.2
15.1
17.1
16.0
9.5
30.2
2,377
122
410
648
620
430
146
407
70.9
90.4
92.5
89.3
75.5
55.9
31.8
28.0
3,895
418
896
1,059
839
513
169
450
1.2
3.1
2.0
1.5
1.0
.7
.4
.3
1.6
3.4
2 2
Class III.
1 6
Class IV
1.4
Class V...
1.2
Class VI.
1.2
1.1
Table 6.— PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF ALL FARMS, AND NUMBER OF FIELD TRACTORS, BY ECONOMIC CLASS
OF FARM, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms
. See text]
United States
Area
Economic class of farm
All farms
Field
tractors
Eastern
Southern
Central
Great Plains
Western
All farms
Field
tractors
All farms
Field
tractors
All farms
Field
tractors
All farms
Field
tractors
A 11 farms
Field
tractors
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
69.8
2.8
9.2
15.1
17.1
16.0
9.5
30.2
89.6
9.6
20.6
24.4
19.3
11.8
3.9
10.4
61.2
2.2
8.0
12.2
14.1
15.0
9.7
38.8
83.9
7.9
19.9
21.7
18.0
12.2
4.2
16.1
62.2
1.1
2.7
6.7
15.4
21.2
15.0
37.8
82.8
9.7
10.2
14.7
21.1
19.0
8.2
17.2
79.8
2.7
14.1
23.1
20.0
13.7
6.1
20.2
92.0
6.1
24.2
28.9
19.7
10.3
2.8
8.0
75.4
3.5
11.3
19.6
19.4
13.8
7.9
24.6
93.5
8.9
20.7
27.3
21.6
11.4
3.6
6.5
69.2
9.1
14.7
15.7
14.8
10.9
4.0
30.8
89.7
Class I
25.5
Class II
22.5
Class III
18.5
Class IV
12.8
Class V .
8.0
Class VI
2.4
10.3
Table 7— PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF ALL FARMS, AND NUMBER OF FIELD TRACTORS, BY TENURE OF OPER-
ATOR, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
United States
Area
Tenure of operator
All
farms
Field
tractors
Eastern
Southern
Central
Great Plains
Western
All
farms
Field
tractors
All
farms
Field
tractors
All
farms
Field
tractors
All
farms
Field
tractors
All
farms
Field
tractors
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
57.4
18.1
0.5
23.9
3.3
3.4
14.9
2.3
46.5
29.2
1.4
22.8
2.6
6.2
12.6
1.5
72.6
14.7
0.5
12.3
2.3
0.4
7.6
2.0
62.3
25.5
1.7
10.5
2.2
0.6
6.2
1.5
52.7
13.2
0.4
33.7
3.7
0.5
26.6
2.9
48.3
26.8
2.9
22.1
2.7
1.0
16.3
2.0
58.8
19.0
0.3
21.9
3.1
6.5
10.3
1.9
48.1
24.8
0.7
26.4
2.8
9.0
13.2
1.4
43.4
28.5
0.5
27.6
4.1
8.0
12.9
2.5
31.7
39.3
0.9
28.2
2.2
10.3
14.4
1.4
67.1
20.2
1.0
11.7
3.2
1.1
5.8
1.6
48.3
33.5
2.9
15.2
3.0
1.9
9.2
1.2
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
75
AUTOMOBILES ON FARMS
The first automobiles used on farms bore little resemblance
to those of today. Relatively little horsepower was developed
by the engines which were started manually with a crank. Tires
consisted of a fabric body covered with a thin layer of rubber.
They required frequent repair and had a short life. In many
areas, especially in the Northern States, use of early automobiles
was confined largely to the summer months because of bad roads
and hard starting. Under most conditions, however, travel time
was reduced greatly over travel by use of horses or mules.
By 1920, there were 2,146,000 automobiles on farms, or an
average of 1 car for each 3 farms. Few farmers had trucks at
that time and the automobile was used for hauling farm produce
and supplies as well as for pleasure. Rural travel by automobile
was largely over unsurfaced roads because in 1920 only 13 per-
cent of the rural roads were hard-surfaced.
By 1930, many improvements had been made in automobiles
and automobile tires. The mileage of improved roads had in-
creased, and the number of automobiles on farms was nearly
double the number reported in 1920.
From 1930 to 1954 the number of automobiles on farms in-
creased only 12S,000 making a total of 4,263,000 in November
1954. At that time, there was an average of one automobile for
each 1.1 farms, but many farms had more than 1.
Although the increase in automobile numbers between 1930
and 1954 was small, it did occur while the number of farms was
decreasing from 6.3 million to 4.8 million.
Rural highway improvement continued steadily and by 1954,
63 percent of the mileage was hard-surfaced. Truck numbers on
farms have increased, but automobiles still are used to some
extent to pull trailers and for hauling small amounts of produce
and supplies.
The 4,263,000 automobiles on farms in 1954 were distributed
over the country in varying degrees of concentration. Heavy
concentrations were evident in States where a high percentage
of the land was used for crop production and where farm homes
were concentrated. Comparatively few automobiles were re-
ported in much of the western Plains and Mountain regions where
ranches and farms are large, and in localized eastern and south-
ern areas where farm population is sparse.
AUTOMOBILES ON FARMS
NUMBER. 1954
The four Corn Belt States, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio,
have a remarkably even distribution and a heavy concentration
of automobiles. In Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico relatively
few farm automobiles were reported in 1954.
FARMS REPORTING AUTOMOBILES
The number of farms in the United States reporting automobiles
has increased and declined during several Census periods, due to
several factors. The period 1920 to 1930 was the only period in
which a really large increase occurred. Farm incomes were good
in the latter half of the decade and the number of farms with
automobiles increased rapidly. The low-income years in the first
half of the decade between 1930 and 1940, along with some re-
duction in the number of farms caused a decline during that
period in the number of farms with automobiles. With farm
incomes rising after 1940, and despite some further reduction in
the number of farms, number of farms with automobiles in-
creased until in 1945 the number was about the same as in 1930.
From 1945 to 1950, the decline in number of farms with auto-
mobiles was noteworthy. Contributing to this decline was a
further marked reduction in the number of farms. The number
of farms with automobiles reported in 1954 is substantially the
same as the number reported in 1950.
Regional changes during the different periods followed the pat-
tern of change for the United States, with the exception of the
Corn Belt, where the number of farms reporting automobiles in-
creased between 1930 and 1940. More than a fifth of all the
farms reporting automobiles in the United States in 1954 were
in this area.
The greatest reduction between 1945 and 1954 in the number
of farms reporting automobiles occurred in the Northeast States
where the decrease in the number of all farms was greater than
in the remaining States. Farmers in the Appalachian, Southeast,
and Delta States did not acquire automobiles as rapidly as those
in other areas, but the trend in numbers has been upward since
1940. In the Northern and Southern Plains States, where con-
solidation of farms into larger units has been most pronounced,
the trend by 10-year intervals in number of farms reporting
iiutomobiles has been downward since 1940.
Almost a third of the farms in the United States reported no
automobiles in 1954. Farms with no automobiles are usually
small, low-income places, and sometimes are located in rough
places not readily accessible to improved roads. Some of them
are operated by elderly folks who no longer drive an automobile.
Some are farmers who use a pick-up truck for farm and family
transportation. Such farms without automobiles were reported
in all five areas shown on the map for 1954. They were espe-
cially numerous in the southern area, and considerable numbers
were in the eastern area.
Of the farms reporting automobiles, more than 80 percent had
1, and the other farms had 2 or more. Farms reporting two or
more automobiles are most numerous in the central area, and
least numerous in the southern area.
76
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING AUTOMOBILES FOR THE
UNITED STATES AND AREAS, 1920-1954
Thousonda
1920 1930 1940 1945 1950 195
A-54 -369
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING 0.1,2. AND 3 OR MORE AUTOMOBILES
FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
77
NUMBER OF AUTOMOBILES, BY SIZE OF FARM
About 70 percent of all farms in the United States reported
one or more automobiles in 1954. Although the larger farms
had more automobiles per farm than did the small farms, the
distribution of automobiles by size of farm is governed to some
extent by the number of farms in each size group. For ex-
ample, because of the preponderance of the smaller farms, or
those of less than 100 acres, this group had a larger proportion
of all automobiles in 1954 than any other size group. Although
many small farms of less than 50 acres do not have an auto-
mobile, there are so many of them that, as a group, they reported
27 percent of all automobiles on farms in 1954.
The eastern and southern areas of the country with many
small farms reported more than a third of all of the automo-
biles on farms, and the rich agricultural Central States re-
ported another third.
NsT
-^^ NUMBER OF AUTOMOBILES ON FARMS BY SIZE OF FARM.
^~~~Tr——I9f^
THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS
, 1954
J 1 f>£j-j/£^
^X"
|grEat| \^ 1
I ^^1 central!
/#V~
IPLAI N s\- 0$m \ 1 I J
jsM^W
/5sy
d C~i i ^'" ^' L**~^\*$
ERN^T
Sv
[740.620 \ If S0UTH,ERJ1^
?
~~]gr->
'^t
«t«»
Mwm
_e^«__ j^
',
g =
-— ■-
^UNITED STATES
-,».—..-,
MM
^~J wa.at.ni
«»« m cm
In the western area, farms of less than 30 acres, and those of
more than 1,000 acres reported half of all automobiles on farms
in that area. This region contains large numbers of fruit and
truck farms, many of which are small in acreage, but are inten-
sively operated and consistently are well equipped with automo-
biles aud some types of farm machinery.
NUMBER OF AUTOMOBILES, BY TENURE OF
FARM OPERATOR
Well over half of the automobiles on farms in the United
States in 1954 were on farms operated by full owners, and 80
percent were reported by full owners, part owners, and managers.
Tenants of all classes reported 20 percent of the total number.
Share tenants and croppers accounted for about half of the
automobiles on tenant-operated farms.
N3r^
NUMBER OF AUTOMOBILES ON FARMS BY TENURE OF OPERATOR.
7T -^__F0RTHE UNITED STATES AND AREAS. 1954
/~~~~^~y
M r r ' 1 G RE4T \ 7
"7 T 1 ^JCENTMU
ff , 7 ^ ~J-r L a ' N A— J|\
7^~^Jt»
r / J j*^\ ) 1 l«s.T3^f / -r-
^\\
> / rn^iTi — y^^S^-
f ii /-~
659^9
\0k
ms iwj cnornns \ w^ L
- UNITED STATES
\ 1 4,262,785
V
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING I, 2, AND 3 OR MORE AUTOMOBILES BY
TENURE FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
1 AUTOMOBILE
2 AUTOMOBILES
3 OB MORE
78
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Full-owner and part-owner operated farms are the dominant
tenure types in all five regions. Share-tenant and cropper oper-
ated farms reporting automobiles are especially numerous in the
Southern and Great Plains regions.
Only about one-ninth of the automobiles on farms in the
western area were on farms operated by tenants.
A large share of the farms reporting 1, 2, and 3 or more auto-
mobiles were operated by full owners and part owners, the two
most important tenure classes in the United States, in 4 of the
5 regions. In the Southern area share-tenant and cropper farms
having one automobile each exceed the number of part-owner
farms having automobiles.
NUMBER OF AUTOMOBILES, BY ECONOMIC
CLASS OF FARM
Of the 4.3 million automobiles on farms in 1954, three-quarters
of them were on commercial farms and one-quarter was on non-
commercial farms. Economic Classes I to IV contain farms
reporting sales of products of $2,500 or more per farm in 1954.
This group contains 44 percent of all farms and reported 57
percent of all automobiles on farms. Many of the farms in the
lower economic classes reported no automobiles, and relatively
few of those reporting automobiles had more than one.
Farms in Economic Class I, or those with $25,000 or more in
value of products sold in 1954, had the largest proportion of
farms reporting 2 and 3 or more automobiles per farm in the
United States. As the value of farm products sold declined the
proportion of farms having more than one automobile declined.
Generally, the farms in the higher economic classes were larger,
employed more labor, and had greater need for more than one
automobile than did the farms in the lower economic classes.
Relatively few of the part-time and residential farms reported
more than one automobile.
The number of farms with automobiles and the number with
2 and 3 or more per farm are heavily concentrated in the Central
States. In all regions a considerable proportion of the farms
in the higher economic classes and in the part-time class reported
more than one automobile. In all areas very few farms in
Economic Class VI, the lowest commercial farm class, reported
more than one automobile.
Table 8. — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Automobiles, by Size of Farm, for the United
States: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms
Automobiles
Num-
ber
(OOfl)
Percent
distri-
bution
Farms reporting
Number of automobiles
Size of farm
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
per farm
(all
farms)
Average
number
per farm
report-
ing
Total
4,806
100.0
3,396
70.7
4,272
0.9
1.3
tinder 10 acres
10 to 29 acres
30 to 49 acres
4S9
719
497
348
519
492
463
259
210
488
191
131
10.2
15.0
10.4
7.2
10.8
10.2
9.6
5.4
4.4
10.2
4.0
2.7
300
404
300
219
359
359
372
208
174
417
168
116
61.3
66.1
60.3
63.0
69.2
72.9
80.3
80.4
83.2
85.5
87.8
88.6
343
463
344
254
418
430
454
259
222
677
265
243
.7
.6
.7
.7
.8
.9
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.4
1.9
1.1
1.1
1.1
50 to 69 acres
1.2
70 to 99 acres
1.2
100 to 139 acres
140 to 179 acres
180 to 219 acres
220 to 259 acres
260 to 499 acres
600 to 999 acres
l,000acres and over. __
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.6
2.1
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING I, 2, AND 3 OR MORE AUTOMOBILES BY
^ ECONOMIC CLASS FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
Thou
.on*
/
l
/
•V
l
|\
<L.
1
\ r
'
1 X
\
4UU
i
330
-
JOG
230
200
-
1
IOO
|
SO
_
L£GEND
1 AUTOMOBILE
2 AUTOMOBILES
IS 3 OR MORE
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
79
Table 9. — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Automobiles, by Tenure of Operator, for the
United States: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms
Automobiles
Tenure of operator
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
distri-
bution
Farms report-
ing
Number of automobiles '
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
per farm
(all farms)
Average
number
per farm
reporting
Total
4,806
100.0
3,396
70.7
4,263
0.9
2,761
872
22
1,151
160
165
717
110
57.4
18.1
.5
23.9
3.3
3.4
14.9
2.3
1,937
690
17
751
105
148
431
67
70.2
79.2
78.3
65.2
65.9
89.6
60.1
61.4
2,386
938
52
886
125
180
499
83
.9
1.1
2.4
.8
.8
1.1
.7
.8
Cash tenants
Share-cash ten-
1.2
Share tenants
and croppers. ..
Other and un-
specified ten-
1.2
1 Estimates are based on a sample of approximately 20 percent of the farms.
Table 10. — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Automobiles, by Economic Class of Farm, for
the United States and Areas: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms
Automobiles
Economic class
Num-
ber
(000)
Per-
cent
distri-
bution
Farms
reporting
Number of automobiles >
of farm
Num-
ber
(000)
Per-
cent of
all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
per farm
(all
farms)
Average
number
per farm
report-
ing
Total..
4,806
100.0
3,396
70.7
4,263
0.9
1.3
Commercial farms
Class 1
3,353
136
443
726
821
769
458
1,453
69.8
2.8
9.2
15.1
17.1
16.0
9.5
30.2
2,491
127
413
631
626
486
209
905
74.3
93.9
93.2
86.9
76.2
63.2
45.6
62.3
3,200
305
603
774
730
558
230
1,062
1.0
2.3
1.4
1.1
.9
.7
.5
.7
1.3
2.4
1.5
1.2
1.2
1.1
1.1
1.2
Class 11
Class III
Class IV
Class V._
Class VI...
' Estimates are based on a sample of approximately 20 percent of the farms.
Table 11.— PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF ALL FARMS AND NUMBER OF AUTOMOBILES, BY ECONOMIC CLASS
OF FARM, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
United States
Area
Economic class of farm
All farms
Automo-
biles
Eastern
Southern
Central
Great Plains
Western
All farms
Automo-
biles
All farms
Automo-
biles
All farms
Automo-
biles
All farms
Automo- •
biles
All farms
Automo-
biles
Total....
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
69.8
2.8
9.2
15.1
17.1
16.0
9.5
30.2
75.1
7.2
14.2
18.2
17.1
13.1
5.4
24.9
61.2
2.2
8.0
12.2
14.1
15.0
9.7
38.8
67.8
6.4
13.1
15.2
15.1
12.7
5.3
32.2
62.2
1.1
2,7
6.7
15.4
21.2
15.0
37.8
62.0
4.6
5.1
8.9
16.1
18.0
9.4
38.0
79.8
2.7
14.1
23.1
20.0
13.7
6.1
20.2
82.8
4.8
18.3
24.0
19.2
12.2
4.3
17.2
75.4
3.5
11.3
19.6
19.4
13.8
7.9
24.6
82.1
6.7
15.8
22.5
19.9
12.3
5.0
17.9
69.2
9.1
14.7
15.7
14.8
10.9
4.0
30.8
74.6
19.9
Class I
Class II.
Class III
Class IV
■Class V
Class VI
Table 12.— PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF ALL FARMS AND NUMBER OF AUTOMOBILES, BY TENURE OF
OPERATOR, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
United States
Area
Tenure of operator
All
farms
Automo-
biles
Eastern
Southern
Central
Great Plains
Western
All
farms
Automo-
biles
All
farms
Automo-
biles
All
farms
Automo-
biles
All
farms
Automo-
biles
All
farms
Automo-
biles
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
57.4
18.1
.5
23.9
3.3
3.4
14.9
2.3
56.0
22.0
1.2
20.8
2.9
4.2
11.7
1.9
72.6
14.7
.6
12.3
2.3
.4
7.6
2.0
69.7
18.2
1.5
10.6
2.0
.4
6.3
1.9
62.7
13.2
.4
33.7
3.7
.5
26.6
2.9
55.0
16.3
1.5
27.2
3.2
.6
20.7
2.7
58.8
19.0
.3
21.9
3.1
6.6
10.3
1.9
56.3
21.0
.6
22.0
2.9
6.8
10.7
1.6
43.4
28.5
.5
27.6
4.1
8.0
12.9
2.5
40.0
32.5
.7
26.7
3.3
8.9
12.5
2.1
67.1
20.2
1.0
11.7
3.2
1.1
6.8
1.6
80
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
MOTORTRUCKS ON FARMS
Delivery of crops and livestock to market and of supplies to
the farm always has been a sizable job. Before the motortruck
became available, fat cattle, sheep, and even hogs were often
driven on foot to local points of delivery. Horsedrawn wagons
and sleds were used to haul crops to market and supplies back
home. In the sparsely settled Plains region, it sometimes re-
quired more than 1 day to deliver a load of produce. In that
region and in other northern agricultural areas, bobsleds were
used extensively to haul grain and other produce to market when
snow covered the ground. In areas where rainfall was heavy,
early dirt roads often became impassable for a team with a load
of any size in spring and winter.
The motortruck appealed to farmers. Although the mileage of
improved roads in 1920 was small, and motortrucks were far
from foolproof, there were 139,000 motortrucks on farms. The
number continued to increase rapidly, even through the post World
War I years of adjustment. Only during the severe depression
years of the 1930's did number of motortrucks on farms decrease.
In November 1954, farmers reported about 2.7 million trucks on
their farms. These were widely distributed throughout the
country. They were most numerous in areas where farms are
numerous and in areas where a relatively large percentage of the
total land area is in harvested crops. In most sections of the
Corn Belt and in the southern portion of the Lake States, crop-
land accounts for more than half of the total land.
In these areas motortrucks are relatively numerous in relation
to total land area. This is true also in some areas of the Ap-
palachian and Northeast States, and in some of the irrigated
and humid areas of the Pacific Coast States where farms tend
to be small and where intensive crops are widely gTown.
In the more arid areas, where farms are of large size and only
a small percentage of the total land is in farms, there are rela-
tively few motortrucks. Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and
New Mexico, together had less than 3 percent of farm motor-
trucks reported in November 1954.
MOTORTRUCKS ON FARMS
NUMBER. 1954
From April 1950 to November 1954 total motortrucks on farms
increased from 2.2 million to 2.7 million, or by 23 percent. In-
creases were reported in all States except New York, Massa-
chusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, where mod-
erate decreases were reported.
Counties reporting increases in numbers of motortrucks since
the 1950 Census were numerous and widely distributed through-
out the country. The pattern of increase by counties followed
rather closely the pattern of total distribution of motortrucks.
In the Northeast States, total numbers of motortrucks on farms
changed but little from April 1950 to November 1954 and relatively
few counties in this area reported increases in numbers of motor-
trucks. In the more arid areas of the country, and in the north-
ern portions of the Lake States truck numbers increased in many
counties.
Counties reporting declines in the number of motortrucks tend
to be concentrated in the Northeast States. Scattering counties
in other areas also reported declines in the number of motortrucks.
In general the counties in which motortruck numbers declined
from April 1950 to November 1954, had relatively large expansion
in nonfarm population and farm consolidation.
MOTORTRUCKS -INCREASE AND DECREASE
IH NUMBER. 1950-1954
FARMS REPORTING MOTORTRUCKS
In 1920, only 132,000 of the 6,448,000 farms in the United
States reported motortrucks. Since 1920, each Census has shown
increases in the number of farms reporting motortrucks. From
1920 to 1930 the increase in number of farms reporting motor-
trucks occurred in all areas, and ranged from a low of about 400
percent in the Northeast and Corn Belt States to more than 900
percent in the Mississippi Delta, Southern Plains, and Lake
States.
During the years of relatively low prices and adjustment from
1930 to 1940, numbers of farms with motortrucks increased mod-
erately in all areas, except in the Lake States, Corn Belt, and
Northeast. From 1940 to November 1954, farms reporting motor-
trucks increased by 1,269,000, or by 134 percent. Of this increase,
■13 percent occurred between 1945 and 1950.
The pattern of increase in farms reporting motortrucks since
1940 has varied widely in the different areas. Percentage in-
creases in the Southeastern, Appalachian, and Mississippi Delta
States, areas in which mechanization lagged for some time, have
consistently been substantially above the average since 1940. In
the Southern and Corn Belt areas, relative increases in numbers
have been above average, and in the Pacific, Mountain, and Lake
States increases since 1940 have been less than the average for
all areas. In the Northeast States the number of farms reporting
motortrucks has declined slightly since 1945. primarily because
of large reductions in numbers of farms.
MOTORTRUCKS PER FARM
In November 1954, about 85 percent of the farms reporting
motortrucks had only 1, and about 4 percent reported 3 or more.
Number of motortrucks per farm is closely associated with size
and type of farm business and distance to markets. In the areas
east of the Mississippi River, few farms reported more than one
motortruck. But in the Great Plains and Western areas where
hauling distances are greater and where considerable quantities
of grain, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables, and other cash crops are
grown for sale, farms reporting two or more trucks were most
numerous. In the western area, a fifth of the farms reporting
motortrucks had 2 trucks, and 10 percent had 3 or more.
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
81
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING MOTORTRUCKS FOR UNITED STATES
AND AREAS: 1920-1954
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING 1.2.3 OR MORE MOTORTRUCKS
FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS. 1954
82
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
NUMBER OF MOTORTRUCKS, BY SIZE OF FARM
About 46 percent of all farms reported one or more motor-
trucks in 1954. Roughly, a third of the motortrucks reported
were on farms of less than 100 acres in size, another third were
on farms of 100 to 259 acres, and the remaining third were on
farms of 260 acres or more in size. Almost a fifth of all motor-
trucks were reported by farmers who were operating less than
50 acres of land. The large number of farms of the smaller
sizes is responsible for this group having such a high proportion
of all motortrucks.. Frequency of motortrucks is dh-eetly re-
lated to the size of farm. For example, in 1954, there were
about 35 motortrucks on each 100 farms of less than 100
acres, 60 motortrucks per hundred farms of 100 to 259 acres,
and 120 per 100 farms of 260 or more acres. On a regional
basis, motortrucks per 100 farms ranged from 40 in the southern
area to 106 in the western area. The numbers reported include
trucks of all ages and sizes that are on farms. Probably few of
them have a rated capacity of more than 3 tons. Many of them
are of 1%-ton rated capacity and some of them, especially those
of the pickup type, have a rated capacity of one-half ton.
Generally, the trucks of higher capacity are on the larger farms.
NUMBER OF MOTORTRUCKS ON FARMS BY SIZE OF FARM.
NUMBER OF MOTORTRUCKS, BY TENURE OF
FARM OPERATOR
In November 1954, farmers who own all the land they operate
had half of the farm motortrucks, and full owners and part
owners combined had about 80 percent of all motortrucks on
farms. Tenants of all classes had 20 percent of the total number
of motortrucks on farms. Share tenants and croppers had
more than half of all motortrucks reported by tenants of all
classes. Full owners and part owners are the dominant tenure
classes in each of the five major areas, and, consequently, own
a large proportion of farm motortrucks in each area. Motor-
trucks owned by share tenants and croppers are especially
numerous in the Southern area, although share tenants and
croppers represent a significant part of motortruck owners in the
other four areas, especially in the Central, Great Plains, and
Western areas.
Each of the tenure classes shown in the maps contained many
small farms, many of which reported no motortrucks in 1954.
Of the farms that reported motortrucks the number having only
1 truck ranged from 78 percent for part owners to 89 percent
for full owners. About 16 percent of the part owners had 2
trucks each and 0 percent had 3 or more trucks per farm. In
the other 3 tenure groups combined, approximately 10 percent
reported 2 trucks and 3 percent reported 3 or more. In each of
the 5 regions, most of the farms having more than 1 truck were
in the owner, part-owner, and share-tenant and cropper tenure
groups.
NUMBER OF MOTORTRUCKS ON FARMS BY TENURE OF OPERATOR.
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS. 1954
NUMBER OF MOTORTRUCKS, BY ECONOMIC
CLASS OF FARM
Farms with a large volume of sales have substantially more
motortrucks per 100 farms than do farms with a lesser volume
of sales. For example, 90 percent of the farms in Economic
Class I, those with farm sales of $25,000 or more, reported 1 or
more motortrucks in 1954, whereas only 30 percent of the com-
mercial farms in the lowest economic class reported motortrucks.
In between these two extremes, the percentage of farms report-
ing motortrucks by economic class declined as volume of sales
decreased. This general pattern of relationship between volume
of sale and number of farms reporting motortrucks exists for
each of the five areas as well as for the United States. Because
of the large numbers of small farms in the Southern and East-
ern areas, relatively large numbers of commercial farms having
sales of less than $1,200, part-time, and residential farms re-
ported motortrucks. Many of the farms having motortrucks in
these 3 economic classes reported only 1 truck. Most farms
that reported 2 or 3 motortrucks were in the higher income
economic class groups. Farms having more than one truck
were relatively numerous in the Great Plains and Western re-
gions, where large quantities of crops per farm and hauled to
market.
Table 13. — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Motortrucks by Size of Farm, for the United
States: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms
Motortrucks
Num-
Percent
Farms reporting
Number of motortrucks
Size of farm
ber
distri-
Average
Average
(000)
bution
Num-
Percent
Total
number
number
ber
of all
(000)
per farm
per farm
(000)
farms
(all
farms)
report-
ing
Total
4,806
100.0
2,217
46.1
2,720
0.6
1.2
4S9
10.2
119
24.2
130
.3
1.1
10 to 29 acres .
719
497
348
15.0
10.4
7.2
184
161
126
25.7
32.4
36.3
202
177
139
.3
.4
.4
1.1
30 to 49 acres ..
1.1
50 to 69 acres..
1.1
70 to 99 acres..
519
10.8
219
42.2
240
.5
1.1
100 to 139 acres
492
10.2
238
48.3
266
.5
1.1
140 to 179 acres.
463
9.6
247
53.4
278
.6
1.1
180 to 219 acres _.
259
5.4
151
58.3
169
.6
1.1
220 to 259 acres
210
4.4
132
63.1
155
.7
1.2
260 to 499 acres
488
10.2
353
72.3
439
.9
1.2
500 to 999 acres
191
4.0
166
86.6
247
1.3
1.5
1,000 acres and over. -
131
2.7
120
91.8
278
2.1
2.3
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
83
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING I, 2. AND 3 OR MORE MOTORTRUCKS BY
TENURE FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954 EASTERN
CENTRAL
A B C 0 E F G SHARE-CASH TENANTS
SHARE TENANTS AND
LEGEHD
MOTOR TRUCK
2 MOTOR TRUCKS
3 MOTOR TRUCKS
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING I, 2, AND 3 OR MORE MOTORTRUCKS BY
ECONOMIC CLASS FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
LEGEND
1 MOTORTRUCK
2 MOTORTRUCKS
3 OR MORE
84
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Table 14. — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Motortrucks, by Tenure of Operator, for
the United States: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms
Motortrucks
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
distri-
bution
Farms reporting
Number of motortrucks '
Tenure of operator
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
pel farm
(all
farms)
Average
number
per farm
report-
ing
Total
4,806
100.0
2,217
46.1
2,703
0.6
1.2
2,761
872
22
1,151
160
165
717
110
67.4
18.1
.5
23.9
3.3
3.4
14.9
2.3
1,178
571
16
452
67
92
255
38
42.7
65.5
71.0
39.3
41.9
55.7
35.6
34.6
1,364
772
47
519
81
107
286
46
.5
.9
2.1
.5
.5
.6
.4
.4
1.2
1.4
3.0
1.1
Cash tenants
Share-cash ten-
1.2
1.2
Share tenants
and croppors...
Other and un-
specified ten-
1.1
1.2
i Estimates are based on a sample of approximately 20 percent of the farms.
Table 15. — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Motortrucks, by Economic Class of Farm, for
the United States: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See textl
All farms
Motortrucks
Economic class
Num-
ber
(000)
Per-
cent
distri-
bution
Farms report-
ing
Number of motortrucks '
of farm
Num-
ber
(000)
Per-
cent of
all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
per farm
(all
farms)
Average
number
per farm
report-
ing
Total
4,806
100.0
2,217
46.1
2,703
0.6
1.2
Commercial farms. - -
Class 1
3,353
136
443
726
821
769
458
1,453
69.8
2.8
9.2
15.1
17.1
16.0
9.5
30.2
1,778
121
347
458
410
305
137
438
53.0
89.2
78.4
63.1
50.0
39.6
29.9
30.2
2,223
284
477
530
454
334
144
479
.7
2.1
1.1
.7
.6
.4
.3
.3
1.3
2.3
Class II..
1.4
Class III
1.2
Class IV
1.1
Class V
1.1
Class VI
1.0
1.1
' Estimates are based on a sample of approximately 20 percent of the farms.
Table 16.— PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF ALL FARMS, AND NUMBER OF MOTORTRUCKS, BY ECONOMIC CLASS
OF FARM, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
Economic class of farm
Total..
Commercial farms
Class I.
Class II
Class III
Class IV
Class V
Class VI
Other farms
United States
All
farms
100.0
69.8
2.8
9.2
15.1
17.1
16.0
9.5
30.2
Motor-
trucks
100.0
82.3
10.5
17.7
19.6
16.8
12.4
5.3
17.7
Area
Eastern
All
farms
100.0
61.2
2.2
8.0
12.2
14.1
15.0
9.7
38.8
Motor-
trucks
100.0
77.2
9.5
17.2
17.6
15.4
12.3
5.3
22.8
Southern
All
farms
100.0
62.2
1.1
2.7
6.7
15.4
21.2
15.0
37.8
Motor-
trucks
100.0
71.9
6.1
7.2
11.2
17.4
19.2
10.8
28.1
Central
All
farms
100.0
79.8
2.7
14.1
23.1
20.0
13.7
6.1
20.2
Motor-
trucks
100.0
88.2
6.8
23.0
26.2
18.4
10.5
3.3
11.8
Great Plains
All
farms
100.0
75.4
3.5
11.3
19.6
19.4
13.8
7.9
24.6
Motor-
trucks
100.0
87.8
9.1
19.9
24.2
19.2
11.0
4.3
12.2
Western
All
farms
100.0
69.2
9.1
14.7
15.7
14.8
10.9
4.0
30.8
Motor-
trucks
loo.o
84.2
24.9
20.7
16.3
11.8
7.9
2.5
15.8
Table" 17.— PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF ALL FARMS, AND NUMBER OF MOTORTRUCKS, BY
OPERATOR, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
TENURE OF
United States
Area
Tenure of operator
All farms
Motor-
trucks
Eastern
Southern
Central
Great Plains
Western
All farms
Motor-
trucks
All farms
Motor-
trucks
All farms
Motor-
trucks
All farms
Motor-
trucks
All farms
Motor-
trucks
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Full owners
57.4
18.1
.5
23.9
3.3
3.4
14.9
2.3
60.5
28.6
1.7
19.2
3.0
4.0
10.6
1.7
72.6
14.7
.5
12.3
2.3
.4
7.6
2.0
65.6
23.8
1.8
8.8
2.1
.4
4.7
1.5
52.7
13.2
.4
33.7
3.7
.5
26.6
2.9
54.7
22.4
1.8
21.1
3.4
.8
14.6
2.4
58.8
19.0
.3
21.9
3.1
6.5
10.3
1.9
51.2
25.5
.8
22.5
2.8
7.0
11.3
1.5
43.4
28.5
.5
27.6
4.1
8.0
12.9
2.5
35.0
39.0
1.0
25.1
3.1
7.9
12.4
1.7
67.1
20.2
1.0
11.7
3.2
1.1
5.8
1.6
49.8
Part owners
32.3
4.1
AU tenants
13.8
Cash tenants... _ _
3.4
1.6
7.6
Other and unspecified tenants
1.3
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
85
ELECTRIC POWER ON FARMS
Extension of electric distribution lines to almost every farm
in the United States is one of the outstanding achievements in-
cident to rural progress and farm mechanization. According
to estimates made by Edison Electric Institute, only about 100,000
farmers had central-station electric service in 1920, and these
made little use of the power outside of their homes. During the
next 15 years electric service was extended to about 644,000
more farms which meant that about 11 percent of the farms
had such service. In 1936, the Rural Electrification Administra-
tion was formed and distribution systems were extended in
rural areas much more rapidly.
By 1945 almost half of our farms were electrified and during
the next 5 years, electric power suppliers were busy constructing
additional facilities to serve the people in rural areas. Almost
1.5 million more farms were connected during these 5 years
making a total of 77 percent of the farms with electric service.
From 1950 to the present time effort to extend electric service
to all farms has continued. Distribution systems have been
extended across the Great Plains where the density of con-
sumers is low. The service has been expanded in low-income
areas so that electric power would be available to all people
for electric lights and refrigeration, and other kinds of modern
equipment. According to estimates made by Rural Electrifica-
tion Administration more than 4.5 million farms, or 94.2 percent
of the total had central-station electric service on June 30, 1956.
In addition to these there were some farms with home generat-
ing plants.
Electricity on the farm is used almost exclusively at the farm-
stead but it is used for three very important purposes, namely,
lights, heat, and motive power. It has revolutionized the farm
home and made it possible for the farm family to have as modern
a home as urban families. For farmwork it is applied to a wide
variety of jobs, especially on dairy and poultry farms. Push-
button farming still is a long way off, but electric power has done
much to reduce costs and increase labor efficiency in farming and
in the home.
Electricity is now generally used by farms of all types, sizes,
economic classes, and tenures of operator. Almost 90 percent
of the share tenants and croppers and about 83 percent of the
farms of Economic Class VI reported electric service in 1954.
Most of the farms that remain unserved are in parts of the
Southern States and in some of the sparsely settled sections of
the Mountain area.
By 1950 about 90 percent of all the farms in the Northeast, Lake
States, Corn Belt, and Pacific States were receiving electric serv-
ice. In the Great Plains and Southern States farms receiving
electric service continued to increase substantially after 1950.
On a county basis, decreases after 1950 in number of farms re-
ceiving electric service occurred in widely distributed counties,
which were largely concentrated in the Northeast and Central
States. These reductions were caused by reductions in the num-
ber of farms between the two Census dates, and not by the dis-
continuance of service by farmers. In some localities the num-
ber of rural consumers has actually increased while the number
of farm consumers has decreased. This has come about because
many urban workers and others have moved to small rural places
in the country which, by definition, are not classified as farms.
FARMS REPORTING ELECTRICITY-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
UNTIED STATES NET INCREASE
235.012 OR 5 6 PERCENT
i of«Ti«»t c* mwttcc
PERCENT OF FARMS REPORTING ELECTRICITY, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
LEGEND
PERCENT
i 1 UNDER 60 SS3 90 TO 94
^^60 TO 79 HI 90 AND OVER
E£ffij 60 TO 69
• NO FARMS
US DEPARTMENT Of COMMERCE
MAP MO tMOU
BUREAU Of THE CENSUS
86
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
HORSES AND MULES
Horses were first brought to this country by early explorers
of the 17th century. Their number in the United States increased
rapidly and continuously with the growth of the new Nation
until 1918 when the number of horses and mules on farms and
in cities, mines, and elsewhere reached a peak of about 30 million
head. In a way, the most important result of modern mechaniza-
tion has been the displacement of about 85 percent of this vast
number of horses and mules by mechanical power. The change
from animal to mechanical power on farms and elsewhere, in-
volving a decrease of more than 25 million head of horses and
mules has diverted about 80 million acres of cropland and much
pasture from production of horse and mule feed to the production
of food and fiber for human use. Crop acreages thus released
between 1918 and 1956 now produce a large share of the food
and fiber used to feed and clothe our larger population. Eighty
million acres is about a fourth of the total acres of crops har-
vested in recent years. Annual colt crops, which from 1910 to
1920 usually exceeded 2 million head, have declined to less than
100,000 head. This number is not sufficient to maintain present
numbers of horses and mules on farms. However, there are only
about 4 million head now on farms, and we can no longer look
to disappearance of horses and mules to supply many additional
acres for food production.
When farming was done with animal power, horses were used
primarily in the northern and western farming areas, and mules
were used principally in the Southern States. The horse num-
bers were most dense in the Central and Lake States where large
acreages were in corn and other row crops that required several
cultivations during the growing season. The general pattern of
horse and mule numbers changed markedly between 1920 and
1954. Density is much thinner throughout the country now than
it was in 1920, although numbers of horses and mules still are
relatively dense in the Southeastern States. In 1954, about 37
percent of all horses and mules in the United States were in the
Appalachian and Southern areas, compared with only 14 percent
in 1920. From April 1950 to November 1954, horse and mule
numbers decreased throughout the country, although increases
were reported in a few counties in Colorado, New Mexico, and
Arizona.
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
87
MULES
(EXCLUDING COLTS AND YEARLINGS. INCLUDING MULES IN CITIES AND VILLAGES)
MULES ON FARMS JAN. 1, 1920
(TWO YEARS OLD AND OVCR|
fa
li...
AL,
0U.
tutu*
774.517
399,801
288.971
287.939
285.838
26S.133
295.455
N. C
K>
5 C
U
l.o.
NUMMR
746.212
245.717
715.712
172.347
IS7.402
113.271
88.042
72.162
NL'MHEA
N,6f
C.W
lo».
f.
tl.
Md
Obi.
Colo .
69.643
S2.46I
51.205
49.386
40.997
30.033
25.495
23.123
NUMBER JAN. 1. 1920
EACH DOT REPRESENTS
2.000 HEAD
". . • •".'•:S'.'-\.>.>..-v • ••'/.'•: •;•, .
MULES ON FARMS— Conllnucd
W V.
0rt|
NUMBER
19.549
16.104
13.286
11.171
S.1S3| 111
ITiti OK WIS U«
1920
iCnntiniud)
STAIE
NUN9U
IHIIU
• 1114
Moil
1.046
SIM
II .
6.615
168
N Dili.
6.374
108
U.bo.
S.927
III
N.J...
5.392
1(0
M.ib ..
S.165
117
w„ . .
3.(13
lit
w„ . . .
2.578
114
1 'lib . . .
1.740
82
.......
1.602
83
Conn
129
160
Vl . . . .
544
IS7
Mt
387
1(8
Mui
310
131
N H ..
227
143
11 ...
70
122
U. S . . . .
4.651.694
154 1
HORSES AND MULES
NUMBER. 1954
HORSES AND MULES BY TYPE AND ECONOMIC
CLASS OF FARM
Of the 1.8 million farms reporting horses and mules in Novem-
ber 1954, 80 percent reported having only 1 or 2 head. These
were reported in all five areas, but were especially numerous in
the southern area. Certainly the horses and mules on these
farms play a very minor role in our present day agricultural
production. Farms with three or more horses or mules were rel-
atively numerous in the Southern, Great Plains, and Western
areas. Large proportions of the farms having two or more head
were cotton farms in the southern region, and livestock other
than dairy or poultry farms in the Great Plains and Western
HORSES AND MULES -INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
regions where forage crops and range lands are prevalent. Many
dairy farms in the Central and Eastern States still have one or
more horses or mules.
Some farms in each economic class, including those with sales
of $25,000 or over reported horses and/or mules. Many of these
animals are saddle horses, or old animals which will not be re-
placed as they die off. This is true in all five areas shown. How-
ever, very few farmers in any class group, in any region, reported
more than 1 or 2 animals. It is apparent from the wide distribu-
tion of the 4 million head of horses and mules among all farm
types, economic classes, and size-of-farm groups that few com-
mercial farmers depend to any great extent on animal power for
farmwork.
88
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING DIFFERENT NUMBER OF HORSES AND MULES
BY TYPE OF FARM. FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING DIFFERENT NUMBERS OF HORSES AND
MULES BY ECONOMIC CLASS; UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
^^^^"
./-'
^i ^
'25
C—
j— «-
IOC
VI
i
1*
- B
\
1
2&
.il
LEGEND
11 1-2 HORSES G MULES
|^|| 3-5 MORSES G MULES
] 6<« MORE
S *> t> b *i 9 & $ &
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
89
DISPLACEMENT OF WORK STOCK BY MOTOR
VEHICLES
After the coming of the gas tractor, year after year more and
more farmers gradually disposed of all work stock. Yet, as late
as 1940, only 4 percent of all farmers reported tractors and no
horses or mules. By November 1954, the number of farms re-
porting tractors only, had increased to 38 percent of all farms.
Another large group of farmers having tractors still retained
some horses or mules. This group constituted about one-fifth
of all farms in both 1940 and 1954. Together, these 2 groups of
what may be called tractor farms comprised 58 percent of all
farms in 1954 compared with 23 percent in 1940. The remaining
42 percent were farms with horses or mules only, or farms with-
out tractors, or horses or mules, as shown by the following data :
1940 1954
Percentage of all farms reporting tractors and
(no horses and/or mules 4 38
Percentage of all farms reporting both tractors
and horses and/or mules 19 20
Percentage of all farms reporting horses and/or
mules but no tractors 53 17
Percentage of all farms reporting no tractors
and no horses and/or mules 24 25
Farms with tractors and no work stock were most heavily con-
centrated in the better agricultural areas where much of the
land is suited for crop production and where land values per
farm are high. Such areas in the Western States predominate in
the intensive dairy-, fruit-, and vegetable-producing areas. In
the East, tractor farms with no horses or mules are most nu-
merous in the Corn Belt and Lake States areas, and in western
New York, southeastern Pennsylvania, and the New Jersey, Mary-
land, and Virginia vegetable-growing areas. Parts of the Mis-
sissippi Delta and eastern Great Plains areas reported large
numbers of tractor farms with no horses or mules. Farms with
FARMS WITH TRACTOR AND NO HORSES OR MULES
NUM3ER. 1954
tractors and work stock in 1954 were well scattered throughout
the agricultural areas, but the heaviest concentrations were in
portions of the southeastern States, particularly in the tobacco
and general farming areas. It is in such areas that animal
power still is used to some extent for farmwork. Retention of
horses or mules on many of the larger farms in this group is
probably a matter of personal likes of the operators, and does
not reflect a low degree of mechanization. More than three-
quarters of a million farms reported horses or mules and no
tractors in 1954. About 62 percent of these were in the 10
Appalachian and Southeastern States, where many of the farms
are small commercial, residential, and part-time places. One of
the unusual features of agricultural production is that about
1.2 million farms reported no tractors, horses, or mules in 1954.
FARMS WITH TRACTOR AND HORSES AND /OR MULES
MAeCR. 1934
"u&-_ FARMS WITH HORSES AND /OR MULES AND NO TRACTOR
NUWER.1954
These farms are located very largely in the eastern half of the
United States, and are most numerous in the Southeastern States.
Farms without tractors or work animals were heavily concen-
trated in the Mississippi Kiver Delta. Many of these are
operated by sharecroppers who own none of the equipment with
which the places are operated. Such farmers had use of tractor
or animal power, or both, reported by the "home farm." Many
other farmers in this class, because of size or type of farm,
operated their places without owning either tractors or work
animals. Those who needed such power undoubtedly hired their
work performed. Operators of greenhouses and some com-
mercial poultry enterprises who cultivate little or no land may
not need to own tractors or work stock. Fruit farmers in some
areas, and other farmers too, hire all of their field work done.
FARMS WITH NO TRACTOR. HORSES OR MULES
WABER.I954
90
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Table 18.— NUMBER OF FARMS, AND FARMS REPORTING BY NUMBER OF HORSES AND MULES
REPORTED, BY ECONOMIC CLASS OF FARM, AND BY TYPE OF FARM,
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms.
number
(000)
Farms reporting horses and/or
mules by number reported
Area and item
All farms,
number
(000)
Farms reporting horses and/or
mules by number reported
None
(000)
lor 2
(000)
3 to 5
(000)
6 or more
(000)
None
(000)
1 or 2
(000)
3 to 5
(000)
6 or more
(000)
4,806
4,806
3,352
136
443
726
821
769
458
1,453
4,806
547
528
373
33
86
554
157
694
342
78
65
199
1,491
3,013
3,013
2,034
84
307
482
503
439
218
979
3,013
419
287
154
23
74
348
125
374
203
44
42
118
1,004
1,426
1,426
1,007
26
90
177
243
269
202
419
1,426
98
187
193
9
9
167
29
202
106
27
18
61
427
291
291
245
13
31
53
62
53
33
46
291
25
49
23
1
2
34
3
79
26
6
4
16
49
C)
C)
76
76
67
13
15
14
13
8
4
9
76
5
5
3
6
1
39
7
2
1
4
11
1,366
1,366
1,090
37
193
316
273
188
84
276
1,366
269
12
8
8
7
288
38
316
139
10
43
87
282
1,037
1,037
814
27
156
242
199
133
57
223
1,037
228
11
5
6
6
195
33
223
102
8
29
65
228
267
267
223
8
28
60
60
46
22
44
267
34
1
3
1
1
77
5
70
31
2
11
18
44
51
51
45
2
6
12
13
8
4
4
51
5
(■)
C)
(')
C)
14
C)
19
5
C)
2
3
6
11
ECONOMIC CLASS
Total. - .-
ECONOMIC CLASS
Total
Commercial farms
Class I
11
8
1
Class II
2
Class III
Class III
2
Class IV
Class IV
Class V _.
Class VI....
2
2
Class VI
1
3
TYPE OF FARM
TYPE OF FARM
Total _.
11
1
Other field-crop farms ...
C)
2
(■)
4
Livestock farms other than dairy and
Livestock farms other than dairy and
1
(•)
1
1
M iscellaneous and unclassified farms .
Miscellaneous and unclassified farms....
3
779
779
477
17
62
95
110
117
76
302
779
26
1
125
7
11
146
49
58
42
9
7
26
313
481
481
274
14
43
61
61
62
33
207
481
18
(■)
53
5
9
90
41
26
22
6
4
12
216
252
252
165
1
14
25
38
48
38
87
252
6
C)
61
2
2
45
7
24
15
3
2
10
89
37
37
32
1
4
7
10
6
4
6
37
1
9
(•)
(•)
9
1
6
4
(')
1
3
6
C)
(■)
C)
C)
(')
C)
(•)
(■)
(■)
8
8
6
1
1
2
1
1
1
8
1
2
2
1
2
761
761
574
26
86
149
148
105
60
187
761
182
91
6
3
1
31
13
177
68
12
10
45
188
475
475
349
13
50
94
96
66
32
126
475
129
64
4
2
1
18
10
79
42
9
7
26
127
206
206
155
6
25
37
35
31
20
51
206
40
20
2
1
(■)
10
3
60
18
3
2
13
51
62
62
63
3
8
15
13
7
6
9
62
11
6
C)
C)
C)
3
C)
26
7
1
5
9
18
ECONOMIC CLASS
Total
ECONOMIC CLASS
Total
18
17
Class I ... - - --- --- -
Class I
3
Class II - -
Class II..
3
Class III
Class III
3
Class IV
Class IV
3
ClassV
ClassV
2
Class VI
Class VI
2
1
TYPE OF FARM
Total ---
TYPE OF FARM
Total
18
1
1
(")
(■)
C)
Livestock farms other than dairy and
Livestock farms other than dairy and
poultry. _
12
2
C)
(*)
1
Miscellaneous and unclassified farms
Miscellaneous and unclassified farms
1
1,477
1,477
918
17
39
99
228
313
222
658
1,477
26
413
222
8
16
47
35
77
61
29
3
29
571
733
733
411
8
18
43
109
148
85
322
733
14
204
85
4
13
16
22
29
19
10
1
9
328
624
624
409
4
13
43
96
135
118
215
624
8
163
124
3
2
26
12
32
33
15
2
16
220
104
104
85
3
6
12
19
27
18
19
104
3
42
13
C)
1
5
1
12
7
3
C)
3
21
(■)
C)
C)
(•)
15
15
13
3
3
2
3
2
1
2
15
1
3
1
1
5
2
1
1
3
423
423
293
38
62
67
63
46
17
130
423
45
11
11
7
50
43
22
66
32
17
2
12
137
286
286
186
23
40
42
39
31
11
100
286
30
8
7
6
45
29
20
17
18
11
1
6
106
77
77
55
6
11
12
14
10
3
21
77
9
2
3
1
4
9
2
16
8
4
1
4
22
36
36
30
4
6
8
7
4
2
6
36
4
C)
1
C)
1
4
(•)
16
3
1
C)
2
7
24
ECONOMIC CLASS
Total.
ECONOMIC CLASS
Total
24
22
Class I
Class I .
5
Class II
Class II...
5
Class III
Class III...
4
Class IV.
Class IV
4
ClassV
Class V. ..
2
Class VI
Class VI
1
Other farms.
2
TYPE OF FARM
Total
TYPE OF FARM
Total
24
Cash-grain farms
Cotton farms.. .
Cash-grain farms
2
(•)
Other field-crop farms _.
(•)
Vegetable farms
(")
Fruit-and-nut farms _.
(■)
Dairy farms
1
Poultry farms
(">
Livestock farms other than dairy and
Livestock farms other than dairy and
• 16
General farms
2
Primarily crop
(•)
Primarily livestock
C)
1
Crop and livestock
Miscellaneous and unclassified farms
Miscellaneous and unclassified farms
2
■ Less than 500.
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
91
HARVEST MACHINES
Adaptable and versatile tractor power has supplied the real
force back of the development and improvement of field ma-
chinery suitable for our many types and sizes of farms. The
harvest machines discussed in this report are those for which
the Bureau of the Census has reported information on numbers
and farms reporting. Including are grain combines, corn
pickers, pick-up balers, and field forage harvesters. These are
timesaving machines which enable the farmers to do better
harvest jobs, especially under emergency conditions when time-
liness of operation is most essential. Generally, they enable 1
man or a small crew, to do the work done by 2 or more men under
harvest conditions prevailing about the time of World War I.
They have enabled farmers to reduce the hours of labor used to
harvest an acre or ton of product, and to do the work faster and
easier. The labor savings of these machines over older harvest
methods are indicated by the following data :
Item and area
WHEAT in the Great
Plains.
CORN in the Corn Belt.
HAY in the Central
States.
HAY in the Central
States.
Man-hours used by-
Old harvest method
6 hours per acre. Cut with
binder, shocked, and
threshed from shock.
8.2 hours per acre. Har-
vested by hand from
standing stalk.
2.8 hours per ton. Handled
from windrow to storage
with hay loader and pow-
er fork.
2.8 hours per ton. Same
method as above.
New harvest method
1.5 hours per acre. Com-
bined from standing grain.
2.8 hours per acre. Harvest-
ed with mechanical picker
from standing stalk,
2 hours per ton. Handled
from windrow to storage
with automatic-tie pick-up
baler and tractor trailer.
1.1 hours per ton. Handled
from windrow to storage
with pick-up chopper and
motortruck.
GRAIN COMBINES
The first grain combine was built in Michigan before the
middle of the 19th century. After a decade of limited use, it
was not considered a success under eastern conditions and it
was shipped to California. Its use under California conditions
was encouraging and in 1880 factory -production of combines
was initiated there.
The first combines were of large size, with a cutting width
up to 35 feet. They were pulled principally with large teams
(as many as 40 horses) and were traction powered. Prior to
World War I, combines were used almost exclusively in the
Pacific Coast States and Idaho. Smaller combines, adapted for
use with gas tractors, and equipped with mounted engines came
into use during World War I. With the new combines, the
combine method of harvesting small grains soon became pop-
ular in the Plains and Mountain States. Gradually, the use of
combines spread into the more humid areas of the United States.
Small combines, some with a cutting width of about 40 inches,
were first developed around 1930. The small combines are usu-
ally operated with tractor power take-off. During World War
II the self-propelled combine came into use and has proved quite
popular.
In November 1954, the number of farms reporting grain com-
bines and number of combines reported was greater than for
nny previous year. The 989,000 combines of that date were
located on 934,000 farms. Modern combines are used primarily
to harvest small grains, flax, soybeans, sorghums, and grass and
legume seeds, and are concentrated in areas where these crops
are grown commercially. About half of the farms with combines
in 1954 were located in the Central area and about one-fourth
were located in the Great Plains area. Together, the Western,
Southern and Eastern States had only about a fourth of the
farms reporting combines. In the humid areas of the country,
combines tend to be smaller in size than they are in the Great
Plains and the Western regions where grain fields and grain
acreage per farm are large.
GRAIN COMBINES
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING. 1954
Between April 1950 and November 1954, the number of com-
bines increased from 714,000 to 9S9.000. Although increases
occurred throughout the grain areas, almost 80 percent of the
total increase was in the Corn Belt, Northern Plains, and Lake
States. Increases were greatest in the northern and western
areas of the Corn Belt and in the southern portions of the Lake
States. It is principally in these areas that the binder-thresher
method of harvesting small grain has decreased less rapidly
than elsewhere. In many of the areas where combines have
shown substantial increases since 1950 a considerable portion
of the small grain acreage is combined from the windrow.
On a county basis, some localities showed reductions in num-
bers of combines between 1950 and 1954. Most of the counties
reporting reductions in numbers are in the Southern and Central
Plains, where recent small grain production declined because
of reduced plantings and severe drought.
GRAIN COMBINES-INCREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
92
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
NUMBER OF GRAIN COMBINES ON FARMS
UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1945-1954
LAKE STATES
£S»
HRLM W Till IUW4>
Although factory production of combines started around 1880,
the number on farms as late as 1920 probably did not exceed
4,000 and most of these were in the Pacific Coast States. In
1930, the Pacific Coast, Mountain, Northern Plains, and Southern
Plains States together had 96 percent of the 61,000 combines
then on farms. By 1945 the number in the United States had
increased to 375,000 and by November 1954 to 980,000. During
this period of approximately 10 years, the number of combines in-
creased by about 160 percent. A part of the increase reflected
a further rapid spread of the combining method of harvesting
small grains and soybeans in the central, eastern and southern
areas, where increases in numbers of combines was about 200
percent. Since 1950, increases in numbers has continued rela-
tively heavy in the Northern Plains, the Lake States, the Corn
Belt, the Northeast and the Mississippi Delta States. In the
other regions, the rate of increase has been less in recent years.
GRAIN COMBINES BY SIZE OF FARM
Although crops suitable for combining are widely produced
throughout the United States, the major commercial areas are
the important wheat growing areas of the Great Plains and
Western States, and the small feed grains, bread grains, and
soybean producing areas of the Central States. Smaller com-
mercial producing areas of barley, dry beans, dry peas, sorghums,
grass and legume seeds, and other crops suitable for combining
are located with the limits of 1 or more of these 3 areas. As a
group, the farmers in this area had 85 percent of all the combines
on farms in November 1954. About three-fourths of the total
number were located in the Plains and Central States. In
general, grain combines tend to be concentrated on farms in
the larger size groups. This is especially true in the Great
Plains and Western areas where grain farms are numerous and
usually relatively large. The number of combines indicate only
a part of the total picture of combine use, for these harvest
machines vary greatly in size and harvesting capacity. Many
of the combines in the Great Plains and Western regions where
acreages per farm are large are more than 10 feet in size. In
the irrigated areas, and in the humid areas east of the Great
Plains, most combines are 5 and 6 feet in size.
H^^-
NUMBER OF
Tr— -FOR
GRAIN COMBINES ON
THE UNITED STATES
FARMS BY SIZE OF FARM,
AND AREAS. 1954
J BREAT 1
irTL
N
f | cenNral/ ( if
\ PUlNsA
1 "j^c T
r_ff>\
«74 760 L-*
'*fJ^!L-~~L
**v i
1 277,000
~~y south
ERN J*
TT.4W \
'■■ ■■■."•.: -. /
G3 U.OMKX. HI
~-~.
V 1 UNITED STATES
■>•'•—*- - — «
— - — ■*»
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
93
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING 0, I, 2. AND 3 OR MORE COMBINES BY ACREAGE
OF SMALL GRAIN HARVESTED, UNITED STATES AND AREAS. 1954
LEGEHD
0 COMBINES
1 COMBINE
'•' t 2 COMBINES
lmS\M 3 OB MORE
About one-fifth of all farms in the United States reported having
one or more combines in 1954. Because of the wide range in size
of combines most farmers can buy a size suitable for the work to
be done. Few farmers own more than 1 combine. Many of those
reporting more than 1 combine were farms having at least 100
acres of small grain, and were located in the Great Plains area.
Estimates made by the United States Department of Agri-
culture show that grain combines were used to harvest almost 63
percent of the total small grain acreage of 1945, 84 percent of the
acreage of 1950, and more than 90 percent of the small grain
acreage harvested in 1954. Farmers have bought substantially
more combines since World War II. Much of the increase was
east of the Great Plains area where many of the combines are
of the small sizes, and acreage per combine is less than in the
specialized wheat areas. These changes resulted in an average
decrease in acres of all small grain per combine from 297 acres
in 1945 to 112 acres in 1954.
CORN PICKERS
Early settlers arriving in the New World soon discovered that
for a long time corn had been an important food of the Indians.
Since then, corn production has spread into most countries of
the world, but so well adapted to its production are our soils and
climate that our farmers alone produce about 60 percent of the
world crop. Our corn acreage has grown with the growth of the
Nation — from 34 million acres in 1866 to a peak of 117 million
acres in 1917. Now, about 1 in 4 acres of land planted to crops
is in corn.
Although the first patents for a field-type corn picker were
issued around 1850, it was not until 1910 that pickers on farms
reached the 1,000 mark, according to estimates by the United
States Department of Agriculture. Ten years later the number
had increased to 10,000. All of the early corn pickers were one-
row traction-operated machines. Use of pickers made little head-
way until about 1928, when the tractor power take-off was first
adapted for use with them. Two-row pickers came into use about
the same time. With these improvements, farmer's use of the
corn picker began to increase. By November 1954, corn pickers
were reported by 684,000 farmers.
Corn harvest was a long, tiresome job before the mechanical
picker came into general use. Estimates of the United States
Department of Agriculture show that in 1913, 40 percent of the
corn acreage for grain was cut, shocked, and husked, much of it
by hand, and nearly all of the remaining 60 percent was harvested
by hand from the standing stalk. In recent years, little of the
corn acreage is cut, shocked, and husked, and probably as much
as three-fourths of the acreage is harvested with mechanical
pickers. The mechanical harvester has reduced the time re-
quired to harvest and crib an acre of corn in the Corn Belt from
about 8 hours when harvested from standing stalk by hand to
less than 3 hours when harvested with mechanical picker.
407763—57-
94
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Much of the total corn acreage is in the Corn Belt, Lake States,
and in eastern South Dakota and Nebraska, although some corn
Is grown in all areas where the climate is suitable.
As the number of corn pickers on farms increased by about 50
percent between 1950 and 1054, many of those reported in 1954
CORN FOR ALL PURPOSES
ACREAGE. 1954
sb>
CORN PICKERS
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING. 1954
h^~^-~^-
CORN PICKERS- INCREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
^ic
I .. U-y, /^N
1~- 'm 1$[J
$&%
'•i'SSL ■cr"***-'
w
l v«
r ^-r-
■ *'i
"**\ \ j
■JS
UNITED STATES NET INCREASE
/~-- <L.-*~~ -*S. 'x!>^^^''^\
231.947 OR 50 9 PERCENT
\ JT 1 DOT ■ 50 INCREASE
V^^l 1 COUNTY UNIT BASS)
U c«*.»i-t»T » to-«.ra
J MM IMI
» M tt»U!l
were of recent manufacture. Most (70 percent) of the corn
pickers are concentrated in the important corn-producing area
of the Corn Belt and Lake States. The use of pickers is spread-
ing into other areas as the commercial corn acreage increases.
In the Southeast area the number of pickers increased by 400
percent between 1950 and 1954, hut the total number in that
region in 1954 was less than 10,000.
NUMBER OF CORN PICKERS BY SIZE OF FARM
The Central States, with 70 percent of the corn pickers in
1954, completely dominate the general pattern of picker distribu-
tion. In this important corn-producing region, pickers were re-
ported on many small and medium sizes of farms, but the out-
standing size group contained farms ranging in size from 100
to 179 acres. In the eastern and southern areas, about half the
corn pickers were on farms containing more than 100 acres of
land. In the Great Plains and Western regions relatively large
proportions of the corn pickers were reported on the larger farms,
or those having more than 260 acres.
NUMBER OF MECHANICAL CORN PICKERS ON FARMS BY SIZE OF FARM.
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS, 1954
In 1954 more than two-thirds of all farms reporting corn pickers
had from 25 to 99 acres of corn. Nearly all of these farms had
only one corn picker. In fact, only 2 percent of all farms re-
porting corn pickers in 1954 had more than 1 picker. Corn harvest
seasons vary in length, primarily because of variations in weather
conditions. When corn was picked by hand the harvest season
in central Illinois usually extended from about the middle of
October to the middle of December. When the first killing frost
was late, or fall rains were unusually heavy the season might
be so delayed that the corn harvest was extended into January.
As mechanical pickers came into use farmers in the Corn Belt
were able to shorten the picking season and to complete the job
before severe winter weather. Many of the pickers now on farms
normally are used a short period on the home farm and then are
used to harvest corn for other farmers, some of whom have more
corn acreage than can be harvested by their picker during good
weather. Under good harvest conditions a 1-row picker can
harvest up to 200 acres, and a 2-row picker can harvest up to 400
or 450 acres per season. Many pickers actually are used to
harvest only a fourth or a third of these acreages.
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
95
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING I, 2, AND 3 OR MORE MECHANICAL CORN
PICKERS BY ACRES OF CORN HARVESTED FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS
1954
/
UNITED STATES
Thouiandi /
<
B3C
225
f
\
200
175
\~|
_\
ISO
C\
—
125
—
N
100
—
75
50
■ - -
25
—
- -
.1
LEGEND
1 MECHANICAL CORN PICKER
2 MECHANICAL CORN PICKERS
^3 OR MORE
_ » « a, oi e, C
& *■ .op o ^ * " ,r
PICK-UP BALERS
Hay crops are widely grown and represent one-fifth of all har-
vested crop acreage in the United States. This extensive acreage,
which normally yields in excess of 100 million tons of hay, pro-
vides a big harvesting job.
Hay acreage is concentrated mainly in or adjacent to the dairy,
beef cattle, and sheep-producing areas of the country. In some
areas where the hay acreage is small in relation to land area,
it makes up a large part of the total cropland harvested. In
these areas, soil and climatic conditions are not suitable for ex-
tensive production of crops other than hay and grass. For ex-
ample, in eastern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, SO to 90
percent of the cropland harvested in 1954 was in hay. In the
southern parts of these States where corn and small grains are
grown extensively, less than 40 percent of the cropland harvested
was represented by land from which hay was cut. High pro-
portions of the harvested cropland are in hay also in the colder
portions of the Northeastern States, and in some of the irrigated
areas of the Mountain and Western States.
The practice of baling hay began about the middle of the 19th
century when a simple press operated by animal power was used.
Steam power was first used to operate stationary hay presses,
or balers, around 18S5. These early balers were used primarily
for baling both hay and straw from stacks and mows for ship-
ment to cities and other off-farm places for use as feed for horses
and mules, and some cattle.
The first baler for picking up and baling hay or straw from the
windrow in the field was introduced around 1930. This early
pick-up baler required manual tying and required a crew of 3 or
4 men for operation. Its use in the hay field eliminated the
handling of loose hay at both harvest and feeding time. The
baled hay requires less storage space than loose hay, and the
bales facilitate the hauling and stacking in sheds, and in fields
where rainfall is not a problem. About 10 years later the auto-
matic-tie pick-up baler became a reality. This type of baler used
twine for tying and was operated by one man. Savings in man-
power was a big factor in the subsequent rapid increase in farms
reporting pick-up balers. From 1950 to 1954 the number of farms
reporting pick-up balers increased from 192,000 to 443,000. Since
some farmers had more than one baler in both years, the increase
in number of balers was somewhat greater than the number of
farms reporting.
LAND FROM WHICH HAY WAS CUT •
ACREAGE. raS4
96
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
HAY ACREAGE** AS A PERCENT OF CROPLAND HARVESTED, 1954
I 1 UNDFR 10
I ' I 10 TO 19
W%A 20 TO 39
IS&H 40 TO 59
* NO FARMS
*-* EXCLUDING SOYBEAN, COWPEA
PEANUT AND SORGHUM MAY
U S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54-066
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
The nationwide distribution pattern of pick-up balers resembles
the distribution pattern of the hay acreage. The greater part
of the increase in number of balers between 1950 and 1954 oc-
curred in areas of heavy hay concentration. In the area com-
prising Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan the increase was
nearly 200 percent.
PICK-UP HAY BALERS
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING. 1954
The pick-up baler is well adapted for customwork since it can
handle a fairly large hay acreage during the haying season.
Many owners of balers who have only average tonnages of hay
on their farms do some baling for their neighbors. In this way
the owner increases the use of and lowers the annual cost of his
baling, and enables other small farmers to harvest and feed
their hay in baled form. In November 1954, about 11 percent
of the pick-up balers were reported by farmers having farms of
less than 100 acres. More than half of all farms are in this size
PICK-UP HAY BALERS- INCREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
NUMBER OF PICK-UP BALERS ON FARMS BY SIZE OF FARM
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
97
group. Another 46 percent of the pick-up balers were on farms
ranging in size from 100 to 260 acres. These farms are most
numerous in the Central and Eastern States and many of the
livestock farms are in this size group. More than half of the
pick-up balers reported in the Southern region were on farms of
260 or more acres in size. In the Great Plains and Western
areas, large numbers of balers were reported on ranches and
farms with 500 or more acres of land.
Harvested hay acreage is a better indicator of need for a baler
than is total acres of land in the farm. When the farms are
segregated by acres of hay, and numbers of pick-up balers re-
ported, the data show that many farmers with 10 to 25 acres
of hay have pick-up balers. For example, about S percent of all
pick-up balers were reported by farmers who harvested less than
10 acres of hay on their own farms, and more than a third of
the balers were owned by farmers who reported less than 25
acres of hay. Undoubtedly many such farmers did custom bal-
ing and some of them may have owned their balers jointly with
other farmers. About 90 percent of all pick-up balers were re-
ported by farmers who had less than 100 acres of hay. This
group, of course, includes the majority of farms in the United
States. In the Great Plains and Western areas about half of the
balers were reported on farms having more than 50 acres of hay.
IJi^JJJMBER OF PICK-UP
BALERS ON FARMS BY ACREAGE OF HAY HARVESTED.
FOR THE
UNITED STATES AND AREAS
. 1954
Y
W^f3
«
| G RE AT | \ j
1 ■ s^i CE NT RAlJ
\ \ M
\ \ L w
1^ 1 C_1^*L '
© ) (S) i
K\ >
60,100 ^ i \r*
0Ulii?^-X f
\ /^
W720 y mfflk
A
BE ir maim
CJ "■«■ '0 ^S1tn
/ \ JK~~~a\*& | \ UNITED STATES
\ JP^ \ \ 449,440
UMBO* MM
;? — - u. * -"' „,,
T« ««*
FIELD FORAGE HARVESTERS
Harvesting of corn and other green crops for silage is a slow,
tiresome job when the crops are cut by hand or with a binder,
loaded by hand or elevator, and unloaded into the silage cutter
by hand. For many years farmers looked to the time when this
heavy job could be made easier. Finally, the field forage har-
vester, a machine that cuts and chops green forage crops into
desirable lengths as it is driven over the field, brought the long-
sought solution of the problem. The first field forage harvesters
were used around 1920, almost exclusively for harvesting row
crops, mainly corn for silage. In time the field forage harvester
was improved and equipped with attachments for doing several
jobs. Many of the harvesters on farms in 1954 were equipped
to harvest row crops, cut and chop standing grass and legume
crops, and to pick up and chop from the windrow such crops
as hay and straw.
Field chopping as of today is a relatively quick, easy, labor-
saving way of harvesting forage crops. The increase in the
use of this machine has been rapid since World War II.
According to estimates of the United States Department of
Agriculture there were about 81,000 field forage harvest-
ers on farms in 1950. By November 1954 over 200,000 were
reported on farms. Although the field forage harvester is dis-
tributed throughout all farming areas, the heavy concentrations
are in the principal dairy areas where chopping corn and grass
for silage is common. In some areas the machine is used to
some extent for chopping grass for green feed and for chopping
hay.
'%-— -
FIELD
FORAGE HARVESTERS
NUMBER. 1954
r\
pn
life^^
^ J>
/ ^ /
(• ■ /. / ^—r
-''m^.f^jr
r - \ ' /
f 1
• ~\\y<^i
UMTED STATES TOTAL
201.605
>^K^
^ ID0T-25 HARVESTERS V ^
ut CCPU.NCM «f «*«.«
Harvest machines, like the field forage harvester, require
relatively large investments. Economic use of such machines
depends largely on the volume of crops to be harvested year after
year. On many of the larger farms there are adequate quanti-
ties of crops for their use. But many farmers with limited
acreages on their own farm find it desirable to do contract work
for others or to own such machines jointly with one or more
other farmers. In November 1954, half of all forage harvesters
reported by farmers were on farms of less than 260 acres in
size. These farms of less than 260 acres represent about 73 per-
cent of all farms in the United States. Farms between 260
and 500 acres in size had 28 percent of all forage harvesters in
1954.
Geographically, farmers in the central area reported almost
half of the forage harvesters in 1954. Concentration was par-
ticularly heavy in the eastern dairy area of Wisconsin. More
than 80 percent of the forage harvesters reported in the central
area were on farms between 100 and 500 acres in size. In the
Eastern States many of the smaller dairy farms have a large
proportion of their crop acreage in corn and grass for silage.
Almost 40 percent of the forage harvesters in this area were
reported by farmers having less than 180 acres of land, while
in the Great Plains area less than 7 percent of the forage har-
vesters were on farms of this size. In both the Great Plains
and Western areas almost a fourth of the forage harvesters were
on farms of 1.000 or more acres.
NUMBER OF FIELD FORAGE HARVESTERS ON FARMS BY SIZE OF FARM.
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS. 1954
98
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Estimates by the United States Department of Agriculture
show the extent to which mechanical harvesting of hay has
replaced old hay harvesting methods. In 1944, for example,
about 27 percent of the entire hay tonnage was baled, 2 percent
was chopped, and 71 percent was handled as long loose hay.
Pick-up baling and field chopping increased markedly during the
next 10 years. In 1954, about 73 percent of the hay was baled,
7 percent was chopped, and only 20 percent was handled in long
loose form. Much of the present long loose hay is in the low
rainfall areas of the Great Plains and some Western States where
large quantities of wild hay and alfalfa are stacked for cattle
and sheep feeding. Only in a few areas is much of the hay
chopped. The field forage harvester is used primarily for har-
vesting forage crops for silage.
Percentage of Hay Harvested by Different Methods,
United States For Specified Years '
Year
Crop of 1944,
Crop of 1948.
Crop of 1951.
Crop of 1954,
Percentage of specified hay crop that
was—
Baled
26.8
47.5
61.7
72.5
Chopped
1.7
5.6
7.5
7.2
Stored as
loose long
hay
71.5
46.9
30.8
20.3
1 "Harvesting Hay and Straw and Use of Balers" F. M. 107, United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture, June 1953, and "Harvesting Hay and Straw" ARS 43-27, United
States Department of Agriculture, May 1956.
COMBINATIONS OF HARVEST MACHINES
The larger, specialized harvest machines, like pick-up balers,
forage harvesters, etc., require a considerable investment, es-
pecially on farms where more than one kind of a machine is
necessary. High investment and the operating costs for such
machines undoubtedly influence many farmers to contract for
their use or to arrange with neighbors for exchange of machine
work. In 1954, for example, only 157,000 farmers reported hav-
ing one or more of each kind of the 3 harvest machines, grain
combine, corn picker, and pick-up baler, although many hundreds
of thousands of farmers harvested crops which could be harvested
by these machines. Nearly all of the farmers (96 percent) who
had all 3 kinds of these machines were in 4 type-of-farming
groups, namely cash-grain, livestock other than dairy or poultry,
dairy, and general farming. These are the types of farms grow-
ing relatively large acreages of small grains, corn, and hay.
For the most part, the farms of these types are in the higher
economic class groups. Seventy percent of all farmers reporting
all 3 harvest machines, and 60 percent of those reporting 2 of the
3 machines were located in the important grain and livestock
areas of the Corn Belt and Lake States. Most of these farms
were in Economic Classes I, II, III, and IV.
In all economic classes of farms, in all 5 areas, some farmers
did not have any of the 3 machines, grain combines, corn pickers,
or pick-up balers. For the United States as a whole, nearly 63
percent of the farmers had none of the machines. These farmers
were especially numerous in the Southern area where 90 percent
of all farms did not have a grain combine, a corn picker, or a
pick-up baler in 1954. Of course, some farms do not have these
machines because they are not needed for the type of farming
followed. In many other cases, however, the farmer has so
little work for them that he cannot afford them. This does not
mean necessarily that combines, corn pickers, and pick-up balers
tire not used on the smaller farms. Operators of small farms
frequently engage a neighboring farmer to combine his small
grain, machine pick his corn, or bale his hay.
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING 0, I, 2. AND 3 KINDS OF FIELD MACHINES"
BY ECONOMIC CLASS FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
99
Table 19. — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Grain Combines, by Size of Farm, for the
United States: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms
Orain combines
Size of farm
Farms reporting
Number of grain combines
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
distri-
bution
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
per farm
(all farms)
Average
number
per farm
reporting
Total
4.806
100.0
934
19.4
989
0.2
1. 1
Under 10 acres. . ...
10 to 29 acres
30 to 49 acres
50 to 69 acres.
70 to 99 acres _._
100 to 139 acres
140 to 179 acres
180 to 219 acres
220 to 259 acres. _
260 to 499 acres
500 to 999 acres
1,000 acres and over. .
489
719
497
348
519
492
463
259
210
488
191
131
10.2
15.0
10.4
7.2
10.8
10.2
9.6
5.4
4.4
10.2
4.0
2.7
3
8
13
15
56
86
147
96
90
243
111
67
.7
1.1
2.5
4.3
10.8
17.5
31.7
36.9
43.1
49.8
57.9
51.5
3
8
13
15
56
88
148
97
92
254
125
90
C)
C)
C)
(')
.1
.2
.3
.4
.4
.5
.7
1. 1
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.3
■ Less than 0.05 percent.
Table 20. — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Grain Combines, by Tenure of Operator, for
Commercial Farms, for the United States: 1954
Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample, approximately 20 percent
of the farms. See text]
All farms
Grain combines
Farms reporting
Number of grain combines
Tenure of operator
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
distri-
bution
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
per farm
(all
farms)
Average
number
per farm
report-
ing
Total...
3,328
100.0
896
26.9
950
0.29
1.06
1,594
756
18
960
95
160
642
63
47.9
22.7
0.5
28.8
2.8
4.8
19.3
1.9
326
309
5
255
20
92
132
11
20.5
40.9
30.8
26.6
20.6
57.6
20.6
17.6
339
338
7
267
20
95
140
12
.21
.45
.41
.28
.21
.60
.22
.18
1.04
Part owners
1.09
1.32
1.05
Cash tenants
Share-cash ten-
1.04
1.03
Share tenants
and croppers...
Other and unspec-
ified tenants
1.06
1.05
Table 21. — Farms Reporting and Acreage of Small Grains
Harvested, and Number of Grain Combines, by the
Acreage of Small Grains Harvested, for the United
States and Areas: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See textl
Area and acres of small grains
harvested
United States, total.
Farms by acres of small grain
harvested:
Under 10 acres
10 to 49 acres
50 to 99 acres
100 to 199 acres....
200 to 499 acres
500 acres and over
Eastern area
Farms by acres of small grain
harvested:
Under 10 acres
10 to 49 acres
50 to 99 acres
100 to 199 acres...
200 to 499 acres
500 acres and over
Southern area-
Farms by acres of small grain
harvested:
Under 10 acres
10 to 49 acres
50 to 99 acres
100 to 199 acres
200 to 499 acres
500 acres and over
Central area
Farms by acres of small grain
harvested:
Under 10 acres
10 to 49 acres
50 to 99 acres
100 to 199 acres
200 to 499 acres
500 acres and over
Great Plains area
Farms by acres of small grain
harvested:
Under 10 acres
10 to 49 acres
50 to 99 acres
100 to 199 acres
200 to 499 acres
500 acres and over
Western area.
Farms by acres of small grain
harvested:
Under 10 acres
10 to 49 acres
50 to 99 acres
100 to 199 acres
200 to 499 acres
500 acres and over _.
Small grains
harvested
Farms
report-
ing
(000)
2,010
447
1.054
264
132
91
22
116
133
12
2
(■)
130
74
10
6
4
1
1,024
170
683
137
29
6
1
363
11
106
88
81
65
12
135
Acres
(000)
109,158
2,259
25, 184
17,767
18, 081
27. 367
18. 499
4.323
549
2,749
742
252
31
560
1,433
672
781
1,151
416
32. 175
979
16,644
8,885
3,676
1,452
539
49,710
60
3,098
6,248
11,358
19,534
9, 412
17, 938
112
1,260
1,220
2,015
5,198
8,132
Grain combines
Farms reporting
Num-
ber
(000)
905
70
464
180
96
76
20
66
(")
13
27
7
4
3
M
102
24
5
1
Percent
of farms
reporting
small
grains
45.0
15.6
44.0
68.0
72.4
83.8
90.0
8.2
34.8
67.6
83.5
80.0
10.0
37.2
66.9
63.4
79.2
57.1
P
48.8
24.7
47.7
74.2
84.8
92.4
91.4
61.6
26.3
42.3
61.8
69.6
83.5
89.0
45.8
11.4
33.2
52.6
66.2
82.9
93.6
Number
Total
(000)
71
474
186
103
90
32
68
(■)
43
332
104
26
Per
farm
report-
ing
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.6
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.3
2.0
1.0
1.0
1.2
1.1
1.5
2.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.2
2.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.5
1.0
1.0
1.1
1. 1
1.2
1.7
■ Less than 500.
Table 22.— NUMBER OF FARMS, FARMS REPORTING SMALL GRAINS HARVESTED, AND FARMS REPORTING
GRAIN COMBINES, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text)
United States
Area
Eastern
Southern
Central
Great Plains
Western
All farms number (000)..
4.806
2,010
905
956
55.0
42.8
2.0
.2
779
263
66
68
75.1
24.0
0.8
■)
1,477
225
54
59
75.7
22.4
1.6
.2
1.366
1 , 024
499
512
51.2
47.6
1.1
C)
761
363
223
244
38.4
56.8
4.2
.6
423
Farms reporting small grains harvested farms (000)..
Farms reporting both small grains harvested and a grain combine. . . farms (000) . .
Percentage of farms reporting small grains harvested and reporting —
135
62
73
54.2
39.3
5.4
1.2
" Less than 0.05 percent.
100
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Table 23.— NUMBER OF FARMS, AND FARMS REPORTING AND NUMBER OF CORN PICKERS, BY SIZE OF
FARM, FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms
See text]
All farms
Corn pickers
Number
(000)
Percent
distribution
Farms reporting
Number of corn pickers
Number
(000)
Percent of
all farms
Total (000)
Average
number per
farm (all
farms)
Average
number per
farm re-
porting
Total
4.806
100.0
684
14.2
694
0.1
1.0
Under 10 acres __- - ...
10to29acres . . ... --
30to49acres ... ... .--
489
719
497
348
519
492
463
259
210
488
191
131
10.2
15.0
10.4
7.2
10.8
10.2
9.6
5.4
4.4
10.2
4.0
2.7
2
5
10
11
46
74
133
86
79
176
46
17
.4
.8
1.9
3.1
8.9
15.0
28.7
33.0
37.8
36.0
23.9
12.9
2
5
10
11
47
74
134
86
80
180
48
18
(■)
[>)
(■)
C)
.1
.2
.3
.3
.4
.4
.2
.1
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
100 to 139 acres . .. ..
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
260 to 499 acres .. .. .. . ..
1.0
500 to 999 acres . . . . .
1.0
1.1
1 Less than 0.05 percent.
Table 24.— FARMS REPORTING AND ACRES OF CORN HARVESTED FOR ALL PURPOSES, AND NUMBER OF
FARMS REPORTING CORN PICKERS, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text)
Corn harvested
Corn pickers
Area
Com harvested
Corn pickers
Farms reporting
Number
Farms reporting
Number
Farms
report-
ing
(000)
Acres
(000)
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of farms
reporting
corn
Total
(000)
Per
farm
report-
ing
Farms
report-
ing
(000)
Acres
(COO)
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of farms
reporting
com
Total
(000)
Per
farm
report-
ing
United States, total.. _
2,818
1,038
1,282
359
136
3
1
78, 623
4,926
28, 678
24, 363
18, 663
1,029
964
652
12
266
255
115
2
1
231
1.2
20.8
71.2
84.5
74. 1
62.1
662
12
268
258
120
3
1
1.02
1.00
1.01
1.01
1.04
1.36
1.76
1,029
181
535
235
76
1
1
335
65
143
80
46
1
C)
35
14
18
1
(•)
(■)
41,513
986
13, 712
15, 895
10. 272
250
397
16, 542
317
3.581
5,512
6, 456
453
224
925
59
392
175
170
40
98
458
194
188
69
1
1
121
1
27
53
38
1
(■)
3
C)
2
1
1
C)
(■)
44.6
3.7
36.3
79.9
90.1
88.2
89.3
36.1
1.8
18.7
66.7
83.9
81.0
61.5
8.6
466
195
190
72
1
1
123
1
27
54
39
1
(■)
3
(■)
2
1
1
(■)
(■)
1.02
Farms by acres of corn har-
vested:
Farms by acres of corn har-
vested:
1.00
1.01
50 to 99 acres .
50 to 99 acres....
1.01
100 to 299 acres
100 to 299 acres...
1.05
300 to 499 acres .
300 to 499 acres...
1.70
1.88
Great Plains area
Farms by acres of corn har-
vested :
Under 10 acres
10 to 49 years
457
263
176
14
4
8
962
515
409.
29
9
1
(■)
6,142
1,137
3, 397
873
499
55
181
13,500
2,427
7, 594
1,907
1,267
240
64
46
3
32
8
3
C)
C)
23
1
11
6
4
C)
C)
10.1
1.0
18.3
56.1
85.3
76.0
35.3
2.4
0.3
2.8
21.0
43.3
52.9
33.3
47
3
32
8
4
(■)
C)
24
2
12
6
4
(■)
C)
1.02
1.00
1.01
1.01
1.13
1.33
1.33
1.02
1.00
1.03
1.00
1.05
1. 11
1.00
1.02
Farms by acres of corn har-
vested:
1.00
1.00
1.01
100 to 299 acres
1.02
300 to 499 acres ....
1.25
300 to 499 acres....
1.88
1.00
Farms by acres of corn har-
vested:
Farms by acres of corn har-
vested:
9.6
46.3
50.0
25.0
20.0
1.00
50 to 99 acres . ....
1.00
100 to 299 acres
100 to 299 acres
1.00
300 to 499 acres
300 to 499 acres
1.00
1.00
■ Less than 500.
Table 25.— FARMS REPORTING AND ACRES OF CORN HARVESTED FOR ALL PURPOSES, AND NUMBER OF
FARMS REPORTING CORN PICKERS, BY ACRES OF CORN HARVESTED, FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1954
[Data are estimates based
upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
Corn harvested
Farms reporting corn pickers
Item
Farms reporting
Acres
(1.000)
Total
1 corn picker
(1,000 farms)
2 corn pickers
(1.000 farms)
Number
(1,000 farms)
Percent
distribution
Number
(1.000 farms)
Percent of
farms report-
ing corn
harvested
3 or more
corn pickers
(1,000 farms)
Farms reporting com harvested by acres harvested:
Total
2,818
1.038
802
480
359
136
4
100.0
36.8
28.5
17.0
12.7
4.8
1
78,623
4,926
12, 134
16. 543
24,363
18, 663
1,993
652
12
78
189
255
115
3
23.1
1.2
9.7
39.3
71.2
84.5
70.3
641
12
78
188
252
110
2
10
(•)
(■)
1
3
5
1
(■)
50 to 99 acres _
C)
100 to 299 acres...
(')
(•)
■ Less than 500.
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
101
Table 26. — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Pick-up Balers, by Size of Farm, for the United
States: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms
Pick-up balers
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
distri-
bution
Farms reporting
Number of pick-up balers
Size Of farm
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
per farm
(all farms)
Average
number
per farm
reporting
Total.
4.806
100.0
459
9.6
463
0.1
1.0
Under 10 acres
10 to 29 acres...
489
719
497
348
519
492
463
259
210
488
191
131
10.2
15.0
10.4
7.2
10.8
10.2
9.6
5.4
4.4
10.2
4.0
2.7
2
5
8
8
29
50
70
47
42
117
47
34
.4
.6
1.6
2.3
5.6
10.3
15.0
18.2
20.2
24.0
24.4
26.0
2
5
8
8
29
51
70
47
43
118
47
36
(«)
(•)
C)
(•)
. 1
.1
.2
.2
.2
.2
2
!3
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
100 to 139 acres
140 to 179 acres
180 to 219 acres
220 to 259 acres.
260 to 499 acres
500 to 999 acres
1 .000 acres and over. _
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1. 1
1 Less than 0.05.
Table 27- — Number of Farms, and Farms Reporting and
Number of Forage Harvesters, by Size of Farm, for the
United States: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
All farms
Forage harvesters
Size of farm
Num-
ber
(000)
Per-
cent
distri-
bution
Farms report-
ing
Number of forage har-
vesters
Num-
ber
(000)
Per-
cent of
all
farms
Total
(000)
Average
number
per farm
(all
farms)
Average
number
per farm
report-
ing
Total
4.806
100. 0
203
4.2
205
(')
1.0
Lender 10 acres
489
719
497
348
519
492
463
259
210
488
191
131
10.2
15.0
10.4
7.2
10.8
10.2
9.6
5.4
4.4
10.2
4 0
2.7
1
2
2
2
11
20
27
20
20
57
24
18
.1
.2
.5
.6
2.0
4.0
6.0
7.5
9.4
11.6
12.7
13.8
1
2
2
2
11
20
27
20
20
58
25
19
(■)
(")
1.0
1.0
30 to 49 acres
50 to 69 acres
70 to 99 acres
100 to 139 acres
140 to 179 acres
180 to 219 acres
220 to 259 acres..
260 to 499 acres
500 to 999 acres
1,000 acres and over. .
C)
(■)
(■)
(■)
0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
" Less than 0.05.
Table 28.— NUMBER OF FARMS, FARMS REPORTING AND ACRES OF ALL HAY HARVESTED, AND FARMS
REPORTING PICK-UP BALERS, BY ACRES OF HAY HARVESTED AND BY SIZE OF FARM, FOR THE UNITED
STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
Item
All farms number (000).
Farms reporting hay harvested farms (000).
Acres of hay harvested acres (000).
Farms reporting both hay harvested and pick-up balers farms (000).
Percent of farms reporting hay harvested
Number of pick-up balers (000).
Average acres of hay harvested per pick-up baler
Percent of farms with specified acres of hay harvested, reporting pick-up balers
. Under 10 acres of hay.. _ percent.
10 to 24 acres of hay do...
25 to 49 acres of hay.. do...
50 to 99 acres of hay.. _ do...
100 to 299 acres of hay do...
300 acres of hay and over do...
Percent of farms in each size of farm group, reporting pick-up balers:
Under 10 acres percent.
10 to 29 acres __ do...
30 to 49 acres do...
50 to 69 acres do...
70 to 99 acres .do.-.
100 to 139 acres do...
140 to 179 acres do...
180 to 219 acres do...
220 to 259 acres do...
260 to 499 acres do...
500 to 999 acres do...
1.000 acres and over do...
United States
4.806
2,573
70,017
445
17.3
449
155.8
4.3
15.2
28.5
39.4
42.1
in i;
1.6
2.3
5.6
10.3
15.0
18.2
20.2
24.0
24.4
30.0
era
Southern
779
1,477
547
460
11,583
5.438
105
33
19.2
7.3
106
34
109.6
161.3
4.6
1.9
16.2
9.8
34.8
27.2
52.5
46.6
76.4
57.2
72.7
68.8
.6
.2
.5
.4
1.9
.7
3.1
.8
9.0
1.4
15.3
3.1
25.5
4.0
26.1
6.6
35.3
9.1
41.5
13.9
49.0
27.5
55.2
34.3
tral
Great Plains
Western
1,366
761
423
1,001
356
210
23,069
19, 878
10, 049
204
59
43
20.4
16.7
20.4
206
60
44
112.1
330.7
228.2
7.6
4.8
3.1
17.2
10.1
16.1
29.1
20.8
25.4
41.9
25.7
38.0
55.0
28.1
38.8
53.8
32.4
47.1
.1
.2
.1
1.4
1.3
2.7
1.3
4.6
4.4
.7
6.4
7.0
2.7
14.8
12.6
4.3
20.8
19.2
4.5
16.0
23.1
6.7
20.9
24.4
10.0
22.8
33.6
13.7
15.5
41.1
18.2
16.2
51.5
22.1
24.1
407763—57-
102
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Table 29.— NUMBER OF FARMS, AND NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING 1, 2, OR 3 KINDS ' OF FIELD MACHINES
BY ECONOMIC CLASS OF FARM, AND BY TYPE OF FARM, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
Number of
;ili farms
(000)
Farms reporting, by numbe
of 3 kinds r,
f field machines
Item
None
I
2
3
Number
(000)
Percent of
all farms
Number
(000)
Percent of
all farms
Number
(000)
Percent, of
all farms
Number
(000)
Percent of
all farms
United States, total ..
4. 806
3, 352
136
443
726
821
769
458
1. 453
547
528
373
33
86
554
157
694
342
78
65
199
1,491
3. 504
2,096
51
125
299
544
650
428
1,408
157
481
339
31
82
329
136
341
166
48
30
87
1.443
72.9
62.5
37.8
28.1
41. 1
66.2
84. 5
93.5
96.9
28.6
91.2
90.9
92.5
95.3
59.3
86.7
49.1
48.5
62.0
46.9
43.7
96.7
685
648
39
119
207
176
84
23
37
194
37
24
2
3
129
14
160
85
19
16
49
39
14.3
10.3
28.5
26.9
28.5
21.4
10.9
5.1
2.5
35.4
6.9
6.4
5.8
3.6
23.2
8.7
23.0
24.9
25.0
25.4
24.6
2.0
458
451
28
136
169
83
30
5
7
156
8
8
C)
1
65
5
140
66
8
12
46
8
9.5
13. 5
20.8
30.7
23.3
10.1
3.9
1.1
.5
28.6
1.6
2.3
1.1
.8
11.8
3.4
20.1
19.4
10.5
18.8
23.0
.5
158
157
17
63
51
19
5
1
2
40
2
9
(■)
(■)
32
2
54
25
2
6
17
1
Economic claps of farm:
4.7
ClassI
Class II
Class III...
Class IV. .
Class V....
Class VI .._
3
Type of farm:
7.4
Livestock farms other than dairv anrl poultry ..
7.8
Primarily crop _
2.6
Primarily livestock _
8 9
Crop and livestock
8 6
Miscellaneous and unclassified farms _
1.2
Eastern area, total _ _
779
477
17
62
95
liri
117
76
302
26
125
i
11
146
49
58
42
9
7
26
313
638
345
9
26
52
83
103
72
294
13
1
113
7
10
78
43
41
27
7
4
16
304
82.0
72.3
51.3
41.8
54.2
75.8
88.3
94.9
97.4
52.5
100.0
90.3
94.1
91.5
53.6
87.6
70.7
64.5
71.7
59.5
63.1
97.1
84
78
4
18
25
18
10
3
6
6
10.8
16.3
21.9
28.5
26.5
16.7
8. 1
4.4
2.0
25.3
39
38
2
11
13
4
C)
2
3
5.1
7.9
13.3
18.4
14.0
6.0
3.1
.4
.6
12.9
17
17
2
7
5
2
1
C)
C)
2
2 2
Economic class of farm :
Commercial farms
3.5
ClassI
Class II
11 3
Class III
5 3
Class IV.
1.5
Class V
.4
Class VI
3
Other farms
C)
9.3
Type of farm:
Cash-grain farms. .
Other field-crop farms
(")
1
40
4
11
8
2
2
4
7
6.7
4.0
4.8
27.4
9.0
18.7
18.2
17.6
22.3
17.3
2.1
4
(0
C)
19
1
4
1
1
3
2
3.2
.3
3.7
13.0
2.6
7.2
12.5
7.9
15.2
13.5
. 7
1
C)
.8
Vegetable farms.
1.6
Fniit-and-nut farms
Dairy farms.
9
C)
2
2
C)
C)
2
C)
6.0
.7
Livestock farms other than dairy and poultry.
3.4
Genera] farms
4.8
Primarily crop
2.8
Primarily livestock
3.0
Crop and livestock
6. 1
Miscellaneous and unclassified farms
. 1
Southern area, total ..
1,476
918
17
39
99
228
313
222
558
26
413
222
8
16
47
35
77
61
29
3
29
571
1,377
826
8
22
78
207
297
215
551
14
392
210
8
16
36
32
60
47
23
2
22
562
93.2
90.0
45. 1
56.0
78.0
90.8
94.9
96.9
98.6
52.6
95.0
94.5
97.7
97.4
76.8
92.0
77.7
77.0
77.5
72.3
77.0
98.4
68
61
5
9
14
16
12
5
7
8
14
10
(«)
(•)
6
2
11
9
4
1
4
8
4.6
6.6
29.3
22.8
13.6
7.1
3.7
2.4
1.2
31. 0
3.3
4.3
1.5
1.7
13.1
6.0
14.0
14.9
14.9
16.9
14.6
1.4
26
25
3
7
7
4
4
1
C)
4
6
3
(')
1.7
2.8
16.7
16.7
7.1
1.9
1.1
.5
(■)
14.3
1.3
1.1
.3
7
6
2
2
1
1
1
C)
(')
1
1
C)
C)
C)
1
(■)
1
1
1
(■
1
(■)
.4
Economic class of farm:
Commercial farms
.7
ClassI
8.9
Class II
4.6
Class III
1.3
Class IV
.3
Class V
.2
Class VI
Other farms .
. 1
Type of farm :
Cash-grain farms
2. 1
Cotton farms
.3
Other field-crop farms
.1
. 5
Fruit-and-nut farms .. . .
.9
Dairv farms.
4
1
5
4
2
(')
2
1
7.9
1.7
6.6
6.0
5. 1
6.8
6.7
.1
2 1
Poultry farms
.3
Livestock farms other than dairy and poultry
1.8
General farms .
2.2
Primarily crop
2.5
Primarilv livestock
4. 1
Crop and livestock...
Miscellaneous and unclassified farms
. 1
See footnotes at end of table.
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
103
Table 29.— NUMBER OF FARMS, AND NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING 1, 2, OR 3 KINDS ' OF FIELD MACHINES,
BY ECONOMIC CLASS OF FARM, AND BY TYPE OF FARM, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954— Con.
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
1 1 em
Central area, total
Economic class of farm:
Commercial farms
Class I
Class II --..
Class III
Class IV....
Class V....
Class VI....
Other farms
Type of farm :
Cash-grain farms
Cotton farms
Other field-crop farms
Vegetable farms .-
Fruit-and-nut farms
Dairy farms
Poultry farms
Livestock farms other than dairy and poultry
General farms
Primarily crop
Primarily livestock
Crop and livestock
Miscellaneous and unclassified farms
Great Plains area, total
Economic class of farm:
Commercial farms. __
Class I
Class II
Class III
Class IV
Class V
Class VI
Other farms
Type of farm:
Cash-grain farms
Cotton farms
Other field-crop farms
Vegetable farms
Fruit-and-nut farms
Dairy farms
Poultry farms _
Livestock farms other than dairy and poultry
General farms
Primarily crop
Primarily livestock
Crop and livestock
Miscellaneous and unclassified farms -
Western area, total
Economic class of farm:
Commercial farms _
Class I
Class II
Class III
Class IV.
Class V
Class VI
Other farms
Type of farm:
Cash-grain farms
Cotton farms
Other field-crop farms
Vegetable farms
Fruit-and-nut farms
Dairy farms
Poultry farms
Livestock farms other than dairy and poultry.
General farms
Primarily crop
Primarily livestock
Crop and livestock
Miscellaneous and unclassified farms-
Number of
all farms
(000)
1.366
1.00(1
37
193
31fi
273
188
84
276
269
12
8
7
288
38
316
139
10
43
87
282
574
26
86
149
148
105
60
187
182
91
6
3
1
31
13
177
68
12
in
45
188
293
38
62
67
63
46
17
130
45
II
11
7
50
43
22
66
32
17
2
12
137
Farms reporting, by number of 3 kinds of field machines
None
Number
(000)
458
5
19
82
140
138
74
258
165
29
108
50
4
19
27
Percent of
all farms
264
271
9
23
45
68
74
53
179
26
6
4
16
181
132
52.4
42.0
14.0
9.9
26.0
51.2
73.5
88.5
93.6
26.9
73.8
70.7
89.1
86.3
57.4
76.9
34.3
35.9
44.7
44.4
93.6
59.2
47.3
34.8
27.0
30.1
45.9
70.2
87.6
95.8
25.1
78.7
60.5
96.5
100.0
59.7
87.3
50.1
38.1
50.7
40.2
34.2
95.8
196
66.8
21
53.8
34
55.0
42
63.8
46
73.1
38
81.6
15
88. 1
126
96.7
12
25.7
8
70.9
7
59.6
6
86.8
48
96.7
30
71.3
20
93.0
43
65.2
16
50. 3
8
48.3
1
53.7
6
52.2
96.3
Numher
(0001
248
6
38
93
74
31
7
14
185
11
34
57
53
24
6
7
(■)
80
Percent of
all farms
22.8
14.9
19.5
29.4
27.2
16.7
8.0
5.0
24.1
19.9
18.6
6.6
9.7
22.4
12.3
23.5
25.0
32.6
24.0
24.6
5.0
25.2
32.2
40.9
39.3
38.3
35.9
22.9
10.2
3.5
48.0
19.4
34 3
3.5
24.7
9.0
26.3
32.7
31.9
33.8
32. 7
3.5
26.2
35.8
33.8
28.2
22. 5
15.6
II. 1
2.7
60.6
25.4
30.4
12.9
3.2
24.4
5.6
25.7
35.5
36.8
32.5
34.4
3.1
Number
(000)
Percent of
all farms
273
15
89
106
46
15
2
3
(')
(')
103
1
1
(■)
(■)
(■)
(■)
«
(■)
(■)
20.2
25. 1
41.0
46.4
33.4
16.8
8.0
2.6
I. 1
38.1
5.3
7.7
4.0
2.7
13.0
6.8
29.1
26.8
18.2
20.2
31.0
1.0
12.6
16.6
15.8
25.4
25.6
15.8
6.3
1.8
.5
22.5
1.8
5.2
11.8
3.8
18.3
23.0
14.2
20.0
26. 1
Numher
(000)
110
11
47
35
13
3
1
1
C)
(■)
(■)
C)
(■)
(')
(■)
(■)
4.8
6.7
9.7
10.8
7.6
4.0
2.8
.8
.6
13.2
3.5
9.5
.3
.1
4.1
1.4
8.5
13.7
13.9
13.8
13.4
C)
C)
(■)
C)
(■)
C)
C)
C)
<■)
(■)
(■)"
(■)
C)
C)
Percent of
all farms
1 Quantity less than half of the smallest unit: less than 500 or less than 0.05 percent. ' The 3 machines included are grain ombines, corn pickers, and pick-up hay balers.
104
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
CHORE EQUIPMENT
Human labor is the oldest form of power in agriculture. Even
after a hundred years of the development of labor-saving
machines and practices, much farniwork remains to be done by
hand or with small hand tools. A large part of this handwork
is used for feeding and caring for livestock, although even in this
field of work several important labor-saving machines and prac-
tices have been put into effect on many farms. The extension
of central station electric service to almost 95 percent of the
farms has made possible the use of many kinds of electrical
equipment in service buildings and service areas. Many of these
pieces of equipment, such as tool grinders, portable drills, and
circular saws, require little electric power for operation. Other
items, such as crop driers, may require motors of 7.5 and even
10 horsepower. The livestock chore equipment discussed here
is limited to only three items, namely, milking machines, power
feed grinders, and electric pig brooders. These are the items of
chore equipment reported for the 1954 Census of Agriculture.
MILKING MACHINES
Dairy farmers generally have accepted the milking machine as
a necessary item in the barn or milking parlor. The number of
farms with milking machines almost doubled between 1945 and
1954, increasing from 365,000 to 712,000. Most of this increase
came between 1945 and 1950, a period when electric distribution
lines were being extended rapidly in rural areas and when many
farming areas were experiencing labor shortages.
The number of farms reporting milking machines in the south-
ern area, where dairying is expanding, increased from 6,000 in
1945 to almost 35,000 in 1954. Although the number of milking
machines in the Southern States still is small, the rapid increase
does indicate considerable progress in dairying in this part of
the country.
MILKING MACHINES
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING. 1954
.Milking machines are concentrated in the areas that produce
whole milk for sale. Farms of the central and eastern areas
produced three-fourths of the milk sold by farmers in 1954 and
had three-fourths of the milking machines reported.
Wisconsin, the leading dairy State, with 2.2 million milk cows
and more than 14 billion pounds of milk sold in 1954, had 100,761
farms with milking machines. Minnesota with 74,000 farms with
milking machines and New York with 51,000 followed in order
of number of farms reporting. Dairy farms in California fre-
quently have large herds of 100 or more cows. Farmers in Cali-
fornia sold about 8 percent of the whole milk sold in 1954 and had
only 2 percent of the farms with milking machines.
Several types of farms other than dairy farms have milk
cows varying in number from only a few head to sizable herds.
Consequently, milking machines are used by many farmers who
are not classified as dairy farmers. Of the 712,000 farms re-
porting milking machines in 1954, more than 300,000 or 44 percent
were classified as other than dairy farms. Livestock farms other
than dairy and poultry farms accounted for 13 percent of all farms
with milking machines, and general farms, many of which have
milk cows, accounted for another 13 percent. Dairy farms, and
other types with milking machines are especially numerous in the
central area. In the Great Plains area dairy farms having milk-
ing machines are only half as numerous as other types of farms
which reported milking machines.
WHOLE MILK SOLD
NUMBER OF POUNDS. 1954
NUMBER OF FARMS WITH MILAIN0 MACHINES, 8V TYPE OF FARM FOR UNITED STATES AND AREA& 1994
1
Milking machines are now generally used throughout the coun-
try on farms with 10 or more milk cows. Seventy percent of the
commercial farms with 10 to 19 milk cows in 1954 reported a
milking machine while 90 percent of the farms with 20 or more
milk cows reported a milking machine. In recent years many
farms with small herds of milk cows have turned to machine
milking. Estimates made by the United States Department of
Agriculture show that only 7 percent of the milking machines on
January 1, 1943, were on farms where less than 9 cows were
milked. In November 1954 according to the Census, almost one-
fourth of all commercial farms reporting milking machines had 1
to 9 milk cows. About a fourth of these were farms having less
than live milk cows. Most of the older milking machines on farms
are of the two-unit type. The operator carries the milk to the
milk room and pours it into a milk can. Recently, however,
dairy installations of pipeline milkers and bulk coolers have been
increasing rapidly. By this method the milk is handled entirely
by mechanical means. It is another step in the mechanization
of farm chore operations and has reduced the time used to milk
a cow and has made the work much easier.
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
105
Table 30.— FARMS REPORTING MILK COWS, AND FARMS REPORTING MILKING MACHINES, BY NUMBER OF
MILK COWS, FOR ALL COMMERCIAL FARMS AND DAIRY FARMS, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS:
1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
Item
Number of farms reporting milk cows by number of cows:
All commercial farms - farms (000).
1 to 4 cows do
5 to 9 cows do
10 to 19 cows do
20 to 29 cows do
30 to 49 cows do
50 or more cows do
Dairy farms do
1 to 4 cows do
5 to 9 cows do
10 to 19 cows_ do
20 to 29 cows do
30 to 49 cows do
50 or more cows.. do
Percent of farms reporting milking machines for farms classified by number of
milk cows:
All commercial farms percent..
1 to 4 cows do
5 to 9 cows ^do
10 to 19 cows do
20 to 29 cows do
30 to 49 cows _ _.do
50 or more cows do
Dairy farms do
1 to 4 cows __do
5 to 9 cows do
10 to 19 cows _ do
20 to 29 cows _.do
30 to 49 cows do
50 or more cows do
United States
2,141
1,066
432
404
151
62
26
537
25
96
219
118
57
22
31.3
3.8
26.1
69.8
90.2
95.4
88.0
73.2
17.1
35.3
77.7
92.0
96.2
94.1
Eastern
336
143
56
67
38
23
138
5
18
51
35
22
39.8
2.9
22.0
73.7
92.1
97.3
95.5
80.6
12.8
44.6
81.3
92.8
97.7
95.4
Southern
497
384
62
30
10
6
5
47
4
6.4
.4
4.5
30.0
74.0
92.1
77.6
52.0
7.1
8.7
48.4
78.7
92.6
93.1
Central
il
Great Plains
Western
785
371
151
247
210
81
197
91
25
233
50
23
81
12
9
22
4
7
4
2
6
280
30
41
11
2
3
55
6
7
131
9
13
60
7
7
19
3
6
3
2
5
48.1
18.2
39.2
7.6
3.9
9.2
34.7
19.1
45.3
77.1
47.6
77.5
93.1
75.2
94.9
95.0
88.9
97.1
95.9
81.1
83.7
73.4
60.4
80.7
19.3
9.5
36.8
35. 3
17.4
62.6
80.6
64.1
78.2
94.1
88.4
91.4
95.3
91.3
100.0
95.6
85.2
94.5
Table 31.— NUMBER OF FARMS, AND PERCENT OF FARMS REPORTING MILKING MACHINES, BY TYPE
OF FARM, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
United
States
Area
Item and type of farm
United
States
Area
Item and type of farm
East-
ern
South-
ern
Cen-
tral
Great
Plains
West-
ern
East-
ern
South-
ern
Cen-
tral
Great
Plains
West-
ern
Numb(
r (000)
Percent of all farms reporting by
type of farm:
Percent
4,806
779
1,477
1,366
761
423
13.8
.8
2.3
3 2
2.8
72.4
5.9
13.1
26.9
7.3
43.4
29.2
1.8
8.0
3.0
4.2
6 0
79.9
6.2
5.7
19.9
9.5
35.6
19. 6
2 2
1.1
.5
.5
.5
.7
49.7
2.8
2. 1
3.4
.8
15.8
4.7
.5
17.8
.6
12.7
4.6
7.4
71.1
9.0
20.9
43.6
15.2
51.5
42.9
3.4
11.7
1.2
2.2
.8
1.0
63.9
3.9
7.9
18.1
4.2
22.4
21.0
1.1
Type of farm:
547
528
373
33
86
554
157
694
342
78
65
199
1,491
26
1
125
7
11
146
49
58
42
9
7
26
313
26
413
222
8
16
47
35
77
61
29
3
29
571
269
12
8
8
7
288
38
316
139
10
43
87
282
182
91
6
3
31
13
177
68
12
10
45
188
45
11
11
7
50
43
22
66
32
17
2
12
137
8.3
22.0
4.8
Fruit-and-nut farms
5.9
Poultry farms..
Livestock farms other than
Livestock farms other than
General farms .
14.7
45.5
40.3
Primarily livestock-.
Miscellaneous and unclassified
Miscellaneous and unclassified
106
A GRAPHIC SUMxMARY
V IV NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING MILKING MACHINES BY NUMBER OF COWS MILKED.
ji ~"^-t-B2LC0MM£RCIAL FARMS FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS. 1954
POWER FEED GRINDERS
For many years, some farmers have made a practice of grinding
home-grown grains and grains bought from local farmers, for
their livestock ; others have followed the practice of hauling their
grain to commercial grinding mills. Recent technological de-
velopments in power grinders and in power units have encouraged
more grinding on the farm. Most of the grinders used today are
powered by a farm tractor or an electric motor. Many of the
electric powered grinders are relatively small and have auto-
matic controls.
Power feed grinders on farms are concentrated in the grain-
livestock farming areas. Almost half of the farms reporting
feed grinders in 19"«4 were in the S States which comprise the
Corn Belt and Lake States. About one-ninth of them were in
Iowa alone. Another one-fourth were in the 6 Great Plains
States, and the remaining one-fourth were scattered over the
remaining 34 States.
I v ^~tt — -— —
POWER FEED GRINDERS
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING. 1954
/■', 4 \
t ... r^*~^-~ ^~*K-<
('^7~---tL^' '
1\ £
v/~5&*~^&s
*"~ i gJS
Wm
*y?
i>
Ht > • /
*i
UNITED STATES TOTAL
707. 088
\
. f IDOT-IOO FARMS
1 "1 ICOUNTY UHn BiSJSI
„, ,,.„.,. , .,„-.,
UMU -'■*««.
» r* «-**
More than one-third of the livestock farms, other than dairy
or poultry farms, reported power feed grinders in 1954. These
farms were most numerous in the Central and Great Plains areas
where livestock raising and feeding is important. Dairy, cash-
grain, and general crop and livestock farms were the other farm
types most frequently reporting power feed grinders. A large
proportion of these are located in the Central grain and livestock
area. Few poultry farmers used this kind of equipment, pri-
marily because nutritional requirements for poultry production
are so exacting that few farmers decide to grind and mix their
poultry feed. Dairy farmers also face the same problem as
poultry farmers but to a lesser degree.
LUMBER OF FARMS WITH POWER FEED GRINDERS BY TYPE OF FARM
FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
WESTERN
Th0U»0f>d» /
an . . '
EASTERN ,
\ Trioutondt k
UNITED STATES
-GREAT PLAINS
ThOUlOndl I
I Cosh groin
[ ';::vj Cotton
jjj Other field crops
■|i| Vegetoble
§S3 Fruit ond nut
HI Demy
Bgsj Poultry
□ Livestock other
than Dairy and Poultry
.^Primarily crop
^jprimanly livestock
jjjjjjjjjcrop and livestock
■ Miscellaneous and
unclassified
.j lILJi
SOUTHERN
\
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
107
Tower feed grinders were reported on dairy farms regardless
of size of herd in 1954, even on many farms with less than 10
cows. Power feed grinders on small dairy farms that grow their
own feed is a means of preparing grain for feeding without the
time and expense of making numerous trips to the grinding mill.
In all areas, except the Southern, a large proportion of the dairy
farms with power feed grinders had from 10 to 19 cows, and
another large proportion in all regions had from 20 to 29 cows.
Dairy farms with herds in these two size groups represented two-
thirds of all dairy farms reporting feed grinders in 1954. The
cost of feed often represents a substantial part of the cash cost
of operating a dairy farm. In the Northeastern region, for ex-
ample, expenditures for feed on a typical family sized dairy farm
probably represents a third of the total cash cost of operating the
farm. In the central corn and livestock areas, expenditures for
dairy feed usually represent a smaller proportion of total cash
costs. In 1954, the average expenditure for feed by dairy farmers
with 20 to 29 milk cows ranged from about $2,500 in the eastern
area to $1,400 in the central region. Much of the feed fed to
cows in the Eastern area was produced in the Central area. Many
of the large dairy farms in California buy all of their concen-
trated feed. Dairy farms in the Western region with 50 cows or
more spent an average of $16,000 for feed in 1954. It should be
pointed out that all of the feed bought by dairy farmers in 1954
was not necessarily for milk cows. Some of it may have been
fed to hogs, poultry, or other livestock.
M5
NUMBER OF DAIRY FARMS WITH POWER-FEED GRINDERS BY SIZE OF HERD
FOR THE UNITE0 STATES AND AREAS. 1954
ELECTRIC PIG BROODERS
Traditionally, heavy farrowing in April and May have re-
sulted in heavy marketings and seasonally low hog prices in
late fall and early winter months. In order to have their hogs
ready for an earlier market, many farmers have pushed the
farrowing dates ahead to the cold, damp months of late winter
and early spring. Providing heat for the new-born pigs then
became a problem.
Years ago most artificial heat for this purpose was provided
by coal, wood, or oil burning stoves, bricks heated on the kitchen
range and other methods, none of which were entirely satisfac-
tory. During bad weather it was not uncommon for the kitchen
to be converted into a pig nursery. As electric service became
available, many farmers adopted the electric pig brooder. This
equipment requires little attention and is relatively free from
lire hazard.
During the winter months the electric pig brooder is in oper-
ation for an individual litter of pigs for a week or 10 days.
Sometimes it is the only source of artificial heat provided but
often it is used in conjunction with other sources of heat, es-
pecially in central farrowing houses. It is seldom used during
the summer months.
In November 1954, approximately 117,000 farmers reported elec-
tric pig brooders. These farmers were scattered throughout
the hog-producing areas of the country, even in some areas of
the South. Two-thirds of them were in the important hog pro-
ducing Corn Belt and Lake States. Iowa and Illinois alone
had a fifth of all the farms reporting electric pig brooders in
1954. Farms with electric pig brooders were also numerous
along the eastern border of the Northern Plains where corn and
hog production are important farming enterprises.
ELECTRIC PIG BROODERS
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING. 1954
Somewhat more than 1 million farms reported sows farrowing
between December 1, 1953, and June 1, 1954. More than three-
fourths of these had fewer than 10 sows farrowing. About one-
third reported between 5 and 14 sows farrowing in the 6-month
period. Less than 7 percent of all farms reporting sows far-
rowing during this period had 20 or more sows. A close rela-
tionship exists between numbers of farms reporting different
numbers of sows farrowing and number of farms reporting
number of electric pig brooders. More than half of the farms
reporting electric pig brooders had 1 to 9 sows farrowing, and
many of these had only 1 or 2 sows farrowing. The electric
pig brooder is a fairly inexpensive device for saving pigs at far-
rowing time. It is an important device for the small hog pro-
ducer as well as for the large commercial producer, neither of
whom can afford high pig losses.
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING PIG BROODERS BY SIZE OF ENTERPRISE.
FOR THE UNITED STATES AN0 AREAS. 1954
108 A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Table 32.— NUMBER OF FARMS, AND PERCENT OF FARMS REPORTING POWER FEED GRINDERS, BY TYPE
OF FARM, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
Item and type of farm
Number of farms, total _.
Type of farm:
Cash-grain farms
Cotton farms
Other field-crop farms.-. .
Vegetable farms -~
Fruit-and-nut farms.
Dairy farms
Poultry farms
Livestock farms other than
dairy and poultry
General farms
Primarily crop
Primarily livestock
Crop and livestock
Miscellaneous and unclassified
farms
United
States
Area
East-
ern
South-
ern
Cen-
tral
Great
Plains
West-
ern
Number (000)
4,806
779
1.477
1,366
761
547
26
26
269
182
528
1
413
12
91
373
125
222
8
6
33
7
8
8
3
86
11
16
7
1
554
146
47
288
31
157
49
35
38
13
094
58
77
316
177
342
42
61
139
68
78
9
29
1(1
12
65
7
3
43
10
199
26
29
87
45
1,491
313
571
282
188
Item and type of farm
Percent of all farms reporting by
type of farm:
Cash-grain farms
Cotton farms
Other field-crop farms
Vegetable farms
Fruit-and-nut farms
Dairy farms
Poultry farms
Livestock farms other than
dairy and poultry
General farms
Primarily crop
Primarily livestock
Crop and livestock
Miscellaneous and unclassified
farms
United
States
East-
ern
South-
ern
Cen-
tral
Great West-
Plains ern
Percent
22.8
12.5
10. 1
21.6
29. 1
3.8
1.7
2.6
12.5
4.3
6.2
2.2
8.7
14.8
2.9
2.9
3.8
1.6
5.8
2.7
5.8
1.4
4.0
22.9
18.4
24.0
23.8
38.8
6.1
4.9
4. 1
10.8
8.0
34.3
23.0
16.0
40.6
38.4
28.3
24.4
9.9
35 4
36.7
10 9
5.9
4.5
10 3
23.8
36.8
34.5
20.3
39.6
35. 0
32.3
28.5
14.2
36.1
40.6
2.3
2.2
1.4
3.1
4.0
17.8
9.7
15.6
1.7
2.3
19.4
2.3
24.7
19.4
15.5
22.8
24. 1
2.0
Table 33.
NUMBER OF FARMS, EXPENDITURES FOR FEED, AND FARMS REPORTING FEED GRINDERS,
DAIRY FARMS, CLASSIFIED BY SIZE OF HERD, FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
FOR
Size of herd
Dairy
farms
Expenditures for
feed for livestock
and poultry
Farms reporting
feed grinders
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
distribu-
tion
Dollars
(000)
Per farm
reporting
(dollars)
Num-
ber
(000)
Percent
of dairy
farms
Total _
537
100.0
873, 409
1,684
129
24.0
lto4milkcows --. ...
5 to 9 milk cows _ _
10 to 19 milk cows
20 to 29 milk cows . .. __ ... ._ _. .
25
96
219
118
57
22
4.7
17.9
40.8
21.9
10.5
4.1
8,476
49,050
215, 301
218, 929
176, 474
205, 178
376
561
1,039
1,923
3,155
9,455
3
14
51
35
19
7
10.7
15.0
23.5
29.4
30 to 49 milk cows _ _ ..
33.2
29.5
Table 34.— FARMS REPORTING SOWS FARROWING BETWEEN DECEMBER 1, 1953, AND JUNE 1, 1954, AND
FARMS REPORTING ELECTRIC PIG BROODERS, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
Item
All farms number (000) .
Farms reporting sows farrowing between:
Dec. 1, 1953, and June 1, 1954 farms (000)-
percent ol all (arms.
Percent distribution of farms reporting sows farrowing between Dec. 1, 1953,
and June 1, 1954, by number of sows farrowing:
1 sow _ .percent-
2 sows .. -. percent.
3 sows _ ___ percent.
4 sows percent.
5 to 9 sows percent.
10 to 14 sows ..percent.
15 to 19 sows _ percent.
20 to 29 sows__ percent .
30 sows and over percent.
Percent of farms reporting electric pig brooders, by number of sows farrowing
between Dec. 1, 1953, and June 1, 1954:
1 sow.. percent.
2 sows __ _ _ percent.
3 sows -_ .percent .
4 sows... percent.
5 to 9 sows percent.
10 to 14 sows... __ percent-
15 to 19 sows ..percent.
20 to 29 sows ...percent.
30 sows and over percent-
United States
4,806
1,004
20.9
22.4
16.1
10.1
7.8
21.1
11.1
4.7
4.4
2.3
1.8
3.8
6.2
6.9
10.8
15.5
14.8
19.1
23.4
Eastern
779
92
11.8
37.6
23.0
11.0
7.3
14.8
3.3
1.2
.9
.8
2.4
5.2
4.1
6.2
8.3
16.3
19.6
12.5
Southern
1,477
221
15.0
47.5
23.0
11.4
5.6
9.4
1.9
.8
.3
.2
1.7
2.4
3.6
7.2
6.4
2.8
4.3
Central
1.366
515
37.7
10.1
11.6
9.1
8.7
26.1
16.3
7.4
7.1
3.8
4.4
5.5
7.3
9.0
12.2
16.6
15.1
20. 9
24.4
Great Plains
150
19.8
16.6
16.8
10.3
8.6
25.7
12.7
3.9
4.2
1.2
1.8
3.7
8.0
4.3
10.0
11.0
13.7
11.8
24.5
Western
34.7
20.6
13.1
8.0
15.6
3.7
1.0
.9
2.4
4.6
8.9
24.5
6.0
18.5
39.1
41.7
18.2
36.7
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
SERVICE EQUIPMENT
109
Farms in some rural areas have had telephone service for a
iong time. Now electricity on the farm is supplying the heat
and energy long lacking for really modernizing the farm home.
Electric toasters, irons, radios, refrigerators, space heaters, and
washing machines are commonplace pieces of electrical equip-
ment in many farm homes. Television sets, home freezers, and
running water in the home are becoming more commonplace,
although many farm homes still lack one or more of these items.
The discussion in this section deals with four of these service
items for which the Census obtains data. These items are tele-
phones, television sets, home freezers, and piped running water.
TELEPHONES
Of all our early technological developments, the telephone was
one of the most rapidly accepted and widely distributed on farms.
The telephone was invented in 1876 and by 1920 almost 40 per
cent of all farms had a telephone. Many of the early telephone
lines were inexpensively constructed with the wires strung on
fence posts, trees, and small poles. Frequently a dozen or more
farms were on one "party line." Exchange service often was un-
satisfactory. By 1930, farms with telephones had decreased from
the number in 1920 (2,498,000) by more than a third of a million,
and by 1940 another decrease of more than a half million had
taken place. The depression of the 1930's contributed to the
latter decrease. Another important factor, however, was the
prevalence of automobiles and hard-surfaced roads which gave
the farmer more mobility and greatly reduced his isolation. The
radio also helped keep him in contact with the central markets,
the weather reports, and other developments.
With the increase in commercial farming and in farm incomes
after 1940. the percentage of farms with telephone service in-
creased. By 1945, 32 percent of the farms had telephone service,
and by 1950 about 38 percent had the service. In 1949 the Rural
Electrification Administration was authorized by Congress to
make loans to expand and improve telephone service in rural
areas. By 1954 almost half of the farms had telephones.
The Northeastern area, with 77 percent of the farms reporting
telephones in November 1954, topped all other farming regions in
the proportion of farms with individual phone service. The
Pacific area was close behind with 75 percent, and the Corn Belt
was next with 71 percent of the farmers reporting telephones.
In the Delta States. 17 percent of the farmers had telephones and
in the Southeast, 20 percent. Iowa, with 168.000 farms reporting
telephones, had more farms with telephones than any other State.
The number of farmers with telephone service increased from
1950 to 1954 by almost 13 percent. All 10 areas of the country
shared in this increase. The Appalachian area with an increase
of 54.000 farms reporting telephones, and the southeastern area
with an increase of 49,000 farms reporting telephones lead other
areas in the increase. For the Southeastern area, however, the
increase amounted to 84 percent compared to an increase of 32
percent in the Appalachian area. Although more farms in all
regions had telephones in 1954 than in 1950, some counties, es-
pecially in the New England States, had fewer farms with tele-
phones at the end of the 5-year period. A large part of this de-
crease resulted from decrease in total number of farms rather
than from the discontinuation of telephone service.
PERCENT OF FARMS REPORTING TELEPHONES, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
LE6END
PERCENT
I I UNDER 10 El&Si 40 TO 59
t&iii 10 TO 19 SS88 60 TO 79
V///A 20 TO 39 Hi e
+ NO FARMS
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
P NO AS4-05 3
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
110
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
TELEPHONES-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING. 1950-1954
Frequency of reporting of telephones is closely related to size
of farm business, or to economic class of farm. In 1954, for ex-
ample, 22 percent of the farms in Economic Class VI had tele-
phones, while 80 percent or more of the farms in Economic Classes
I and II reported telephones. Among the tenure groups, almost
70 percent of share-cash tenants had telephones, as compared
with 6S percent of managers, 57 percent of part owners, and 51
percent of full owners. Many of the owner-operated farms are
small in size and have relatively low farm incomes. Farms of
share tenants and croppers as a group had fewer telephones
than farms in other economic classes.
TELEVISION SETS
The most recent development in mass communication is tele-
vision. Farmers are rapidly installing television sets as re-
ception becomes available to them. In November 1954, about 1.7
million farms, or more than 35 percent of all farms, had tele-
vision sets. This number exceeds the number of farms reporting
home freezers in 1954, by 10 percent.
The range for satisfactory reception of television broadcasts is
definitely limited. For this reason, many farmers cannot use re-
ception sets until broadcast facilities become available to their
area. The percentage of farms reporting television sets in 1954
varied in the different areas from 60 percent in the northeastern
area to less than 20 percent in the Delta area.
TELEVISION SETS
. NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING. OCTOBER NOVEMBER. 1954
PERCENT OF FARMS REPORTING HOME FREEZERS, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
*- NO FARMS
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A34-248
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
111
HOME FREEZERS
Farm homemaking has been revolutionized by modern refrig-
eration. In a great many eases the mechanical refrigerator was
one of the first major pieces of electrical equipment bought after
electric service was received at the farm. Many dairy farmers
immediately after receiving electric service replaced the old
water bath or ice type of refrigeration with an electric cooler.
In fact, the old icehouse has about disappeared from farms.
More recently the home freezer is providing a much-needed cold
storage space on many farms. It will freeze and preserve many
kinds of foods for protracted periods, usually ranging from a few
days to a year. Home freezing has reduced the amount of can-
ning done on many farms. The farm freezer often supplements
or surplants the cold storage locker in a local plant.
In 1950, about 651,000 farms reported home freezers. By 1954
the number had increased to 1,542,000, an increase of 137 per-
cent. In Ihe Northeast, Corn Belt, Lake States, Mountain, and
Pacific States more than 40 percent of the farmers reported home
freezers in 1954. In the Appalachian, Southeast, and Delta areas,
about 20 percent of the farmers had home freezers. However,
home freezers have been installed very rapidly on farms in these
regions: there were almost 3 times as many farms with them in
1954 as in 1950.
PIPED RUNNING WATER
By most definitions a "modern home," whether in the city or
on a farm must have electric service, central heat, and piped run-
ning water. A few farms had running water before they had
electric service, often from a spring or reservoir located above
the farmstead. On most farms, however, running water was only
a dream until electric power made it practicable to install auto-
matic pumps and pressure tanks. In 1954, more than 2.81 million
farms had piped running water. This is about 59 percent of all
farms and 478,000 more than the number of farms with telephone
service.
The proportion of farms in all areas of the country having this
facility ranged from 94 percent of all farms in the Pacific States,
and 85 percent in the Northeast area to 36 percent in the Delta
area. Piped running water on an individual farm may be used
for household purposes, for farm purposes, or for both. On
most farms, running water is first installed in the home and
later it is extended to the service buildings and service areas.
On many farms, however, the order of installation is reversed.
The term "piped running water" on some farms means complete
plumbing facilities with automatic water heaters, bathroom, and
sewage disposal system. On other farms it may mean little more
than water in the kitchen. Running water in service buildings is
now almost a necessity for the operation of commercial dairy and
poultry farms.
PERCENT OF FARMS REPORTING PIPED RUNNING WATER, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
I lllNRFR 30
W//ft 30 TO 49
[ I 50 TO 69
* NO FARMS
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
LEGEND
PERCENT
§S§ 70 T0 89
Hi 90 AND OVER
MAP NO A54-249
BUREAU OE THE CENSUS
112
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PIPED RUNNING WATER
NUMBER OF FARMS REPORTING. 1954
A direct relationship exists between level of farm incomes and
the use of piped running water. More than 93 percent of Eco-
nomic Class I farms but only 33 percent of the Class VI farms
reported piped running water in 1954. Among the tenure groups,
64 percent of the full-owner operated farms, 08 percent of the
part-owner operated farms, and 40 percent of the tenant-operated
farms had piped running water.
COMBINATIONS OF SERVICE EQUIPMENT
Of the 4.S million farms in November 1954, 1.9 million, or
almost 40 percent had electricity, telephone, and piped running
water. Prevalence of farms having all three of these items
ranged from a high of 65 percent in the Western area to 17 percent
in the Southern area. Electricity apparently was first installed
by most farmers, as more than 25 percent of the farms had elec-
tricity, but neither telephone nor piped running water. Less
than 1 percent of the farmers reported having a telephone only or
running water only.
Table 35.— NUMBER AND PERCENT OF FARMS REPORTING ELECTRICITY, TELEPHONES, AND PIPED RUNNING
WATER, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
[Data are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms. See text]
Item
United States
Area
Eastern
Southern
Central Great Plains
Western
All farms ...number (000).
Farms reporting:
Electricity, telephone, and piped running water.... farms (000).
percent of all farms.
Electricity, telephone, and no piped running water ..farms (000).
percent of all farms.
Electricity, no telephone, and piped running water farms (000).
percent of all farms.
Electricity, no telephone, and no piped running water farms (000).
percent of all farms.
No electricity, telephone, and piped running water.. farms (000).
percent of all farms.
No electricity, no telephone, and piped running water ..farms (000).
percent of all farms.
No electricity, telephone, and no piped running water farms (000).
percent of all farms.
No electricity, no telephone, and no piped running water farms (000).
percent of all farms.
■ Less than 0.1 of 1 percent.
4,806
1.900
39.5
386
8.0
898
18.7
1.224
25.5
4
.1
18
.4
17
.4
359
7.5
351
45.1
52
6.7
121
15.6
196
25.1
1
.1
3
.4
3
.4
52
6.7
C)
1,477
247
16.7
44
3.0
366
24.8
658
44.5
1
4
.3
1
.1
156
10.6
1.366
726
S3. 1
198
14.5
166
12.2
196
14.4
1
.1
4
.3
8
.6
67
4.9
761
302
39.7
81
10.6
158
20.7
149
19.6
1
.1
4
.5
i
.5
63
8.2
423
275
65.0
10
2.4
87
20.5
26
6.1
1
.2
1
.2
21
4.9
Table 36.— NUMBER AND PERCENT OF FARMS REPORTING ELECTRICITY, TELEPHONES, AND PIPED RUNNING
WATER, BY ECONOMIC CLASS OF FARM, FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1954
IData are estimates based upon reports for only a sample of farms
. See text)
All farms
Commercial farms
Other
Class I
Class II
Class III
Class IV
Class V
Class VI
farms
4,806
1,900
39.5
386
8.0
898
18.7
1,224
25.5
4
18
.4
17
.4
359
7.5
136
111
81.6
2
1.8
16
11.4
2
1.5
C)
.1
(■)
.3
C)
.1
4
3.2
443
324
73.3
27
6.2
63
14.1
17
3.8
C)
.1
2
.3
C)
.1
10
2.2
726
411
56.6
76
10.5
128
17.6
82
11.3
1
3
.5
2
.3
23
3.2
821
306
37.2
87
10.6
167
20.4
206
25.1
1
.1
3
.4
4
.5
48
5.8
769
204
26.5
65
8.5
146
19.0
278
36.1
(')
.1
3
.4
3
.4
70
9.0
458
69
15.1
30
6.7
81
17.6
200
43.8
(«)
(')
2
.5
3
.6
72
15.8
1,453
Farms reporting:
Electricity, telephone, and piped running water farms (000).
percent of all farms. .
Electricity, telephone, and no piped running water farms (000).-
percent of all farms.
Electricity, no telephone, and piped running water farms (000).
percent of all farms. .
Electricity, no telephone, and no piped running water... farms (000). -
percent of all farms. .
No electricity, telephone, and piped running water farms (000)..
percent of all farms. .
No electricity, no telephone, and piped running water farms (000)..
percent of all farms. .
No electricity, telephone, and no piped running water. farms (000) . .
percent of all farms. .
No electricity, no telephone, and no piped running water farms (000) ..
percent of all farms..
476
32.7
98
6.7
298
20.5
440
30.3
2
. 1
4
.3
5
.3
132
9.1
• Quantity less than half of the smallest unit: less than 500 or less than 0.05 percent.
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
113
SOME RESULTS OF FARM MECHANIZATION
Modern mechanization has made the farm a better place to
live and to work. Modern farm and home facilities have im-
proved farm sanitation and health conditions of the farm family.
They have made farm and home work easier by reducing hand
labor and human drudgery. Farm machines and facilities have
reduced sizes of crews needed to perform some of the major, labor-
consuming farm jobs, and made possible greater use of older and
younger workers. Electric lights, piped running water, television,
and radio, have provided satisfying influences in keeping good
hired hands, and they have aided the farm family in conducting
its business, and its educational and social affairs.
Tractors, motortrucks, and automobiles are the three power
machines basic to modern mechanization of field work and trans-
portation. Stationary and mounted internal-combustion engines
and electric motors are the power units that have modernized the
pumping of water for irrigation and for use in the home and
farm service areas. The several items of harvest machines, chore
equipment, and service equipment previously discussed are only
some of the many items used with modern mechanical power
units. However, their effects on production and marketing
efficiencies in farming have been significant.
Modern mechanization has played an important part in chang-
ing production practices, thereby speeding up farming operations
and reducing labor requirements. For example, the harvest of
small grain is accomplished in a single operation with combine-
harvester-thresher and the three tiresome labor-consuming opera-
tions involved in the old method of cutting, shocking, and thresh-
ing the grain have been eliminated. Timeliness of operation has
helped to increase yields and the quality of product, and to reduce
waste.
The farm machines and equipment discussed in this report
along with many others, have played a very important role in
reducing total man-hours used directly in farming from about
1!4 billion in 1920 to 14.6 billion in 1955, according to estimates
by the United States Department of Agriculture. This decrease
of almost 40 percent has been accompanied by an increase of
60 percent in farm output for human use. At the same time,
farm employment has decreased from 13.4 million workers to 8.2
million workers. So great has been the increase in output per
worker that each farmworker now produces enough food, fiber
and tobacco for himself and about 19 other persons, while, in
1920 each worker produced enough for himself and about 7.5
other persons. It should be noted here that a part of this ap-
parent increase in farm labor efficiency has resulted from the
transfer of some jobs from the farm to off-farm establishments.
Mechanical power with its complement of adapted machines
has made possible the handling of larger acreages per worker
and per family. From 1920 to 1954, a 40-percent decline in the
number of farmworkers resulted in a 67-percent increase in
acreage handled per worker, or from 30 acres to 50 acres per
worker. During this period the average size of farm in the
United States increased from about 148 acres to 242 acres. This
increase was largely the result of farm consolidations. Number
of farms decreased from 6.4 million in 1920 to 4.8 million in 1954.
Thus, fewer families now handle more land, and produce much
more product for sale than they did in 1920. They do this with
fewer workers and with 40 percent fewer farm man-hours.
It should be stressed that the increased production per man-
hour is not entirely the result of new machines, new tyjies of
power, or because of adoption of labor-saving methods. Agri-
cultural production per acre increased between 1920 and 1955
by 22 percent, and livestock production per breeding unit in-
creased by 68 percent during the same period. Each unit of
increased production did not require a corresponding increase
in man-hours.
In general, crop production has been more highly mechanized
than livestock production. Thus, even though the increase in
crop production per acre between 1920 and 1955 was only a third
of the increase in production per breeding unit, the actual in-
crease in crop production per man-hour was double the increase
in livestock production per man-hour. The largest increases in
production per man-hour during the 35-year period occurred in
the production of the highly mechanized grain and oil crops.
The actual percentage increases were, feed grains, 260 percent;
food grains, 360 percent ; and oil crops, 425 percent. Three
other groups of crops had large increases in production per man-
hour. These were, hay and forage crops, 138 percent ; sugar
crops, 156 percent ; and cotton, 188 percent. Although production
per acre of vegetables, fruit-and-nut crops, and tobacco has in-
creased markedly, the large amount of handwork in weeding,
pruning, picking, etc. has kept increases in production per man-
hour relatively lower than for other crops. Decreases since
1920 in production per man-hour have amounted to only 43
percent for tobacco, 52 percent for fruits and nuts, and 65 per-
cent for all vegetables. Increases in livestock production per
man-hour have been largest for milk cows and poultry, amount-
ing to 80 and 90 percent, respectively. The corresponding in-
crease for meat animals, primarily hogs and beef cattle, was
only 29 percent.
Modern mechanization has given many small farmers, and
large operators too, an opportunity to add to their farm income
by working off the farm for pay. But at the same time mechani-
zation has increased the farmer's costs for machinery and power,
machine hire, and for petroleum products. Census data bear-
ing on these 3 phases of "some results of farm mechanization"
are presented in the following discussion.
MORE WORK OFF THE FARM
The number of farm operators working off the farm 100 days
has increased steadily from Census to Census, from about 700,000
in 1930 to 1,334,000 in 1954. This is evidence of the influence
of technology — farm and nonfarm — on the off-farm labor market.
Mechanization and related developments have paved the way
for a significant migration out of agriculture and in a space of
25 years have helped in doubling the number of farm operators
working off the farm 100 days or more. However, improved
highways and automobiles, and other improvements in transpor-
tation and communications have brought farm people closer to
industry and other jobs and have created increased nonfarm
jobs for farmers and members of their families. Industry has
become widely dispersed in many areas that were largely rural
a few decades ago. In the Northeast and more recently in the
rural areas of the South, increased off-farm employment has
l>een brought about largely by new job opportunities in industry.
Undoubtedly the increase from 1949 to 1954 of almost 70.000 in
the ol>erators of Classes I 'o VI farms I farms with a value of farm
products sold of $1,200 or morel working off the farm was
influenced greatly bv increases in farm mechanization.
114
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Wk
^ PERCENT OF ALL FARM OPERATORS WORKING
100
OR MORE DAYS
OFF
THEIR FARMS, 1954
V^^ll
p|3fep--; • u_
(COUNTY UNIT
BASIS)
Fi° 1 i
.SI Kk~\ '/j
j^/^Tlj
Lr* y
r^W^S^'1^
h4m^3S
~Y sti$w&Mr
(■■ rK:'!
1
'km
-^jj^^jgwr " '"' ■ ''^Mr^^'°
ta
^ V^Ljaa
■s^ .:.'
r~rirri
Bri
l^&S^^W
*fii?i
'SIS H*_flr""-"'r
■'■■■ ■ i n 1; ; ^i ^
0
&|
1
C&^'^^vj
W J
1111 ^k,5°^^
I ! 1 U J
B?
gjif ' $'J
r:::2fi./::;':V:j '::x--:f:l-,5SSiHs
■t±5£wt ■■■:•:•:•:■ :-$x* ''<"V TBKSgF 1
§8(r~5©53
f§iS i. Jf \
c f: - ^*Pi
B|: «
LEGEND
"^aOQCL^J ^.v.'.Jv ;V'ii
r*y^sa>l^j[!
EMia
Sz^M
PERCENT
' r~ "> '-v-g:::Jw^^": - :M
BP' - 'ijiK^Spff^'^
1 """ 1 UNDER
10 ESS 30 TO 39 ^8fc §
v.": tX5^WBSv^-x-t-:-i>^
JStewS'B?' •'
EH! 10 TO
19 129 40 AND OVER
&*SJ!20 TO
29
* NO FARMS
UNITED STATES AVERAGE
26.3 PERCENT
tb?
U S DEPARTMENT
OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54022
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
PERCENT OF ALL FARM OPERATORS WORKING OFF THEIR FARMS IN 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
i 30 TO 44
*N0 FARMS
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54 060
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
115
JUMBER OF FARM OPERATORS WORKING OFF THEIR FARMS, BY NUMBER OF DAYS WORKED,
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1930-1954
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO AS4. tJlA
NUMBER OF DAYS
I TO 49
50 TO 99
100 AND OVER
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Although the number of farms in the aggregate has been de-
clining, the number of farm operators working off their farms
has been increasing. For example the number of operators work-
ing 100 days or more off their farms increased from 944,000 in
1940 to 1,256,000 in 1949 and to 1,334,000 in 1954. More than
one-fourth of this increase was realized in the Southeast area
where the number of operators who worked off their farms 100
days or more, more than doubled between 1940 and 1954. This is
a reflection in a large part of the rapid industrial development
in the area.
FARM OPERATORS WORKING OFF THEIR FARMS 100 DAYS OR MORE
INCREASE ANO DECREASE. IN NUMBER. 1949-1954
In some sections, such as eastern Kentucky, portions of West
Virginia and western Pennsylvania, some counties have had a
decline in the number of operators working 100 days or more
oft their farms. Most of this decline apparently is due to the
decrease in number of farms rather than to a decrease in off-
farm jobs.
MACHINERY INVESTMENT COSTS HAVE
INCREASED
Modern farm mechanization, reduced labor requirements, and
greater opportunities for off-farm employment have been realized
through increased investment and operating costs for farm ma-
chinery and equipment. In 1956, physical assets of machinery
and motor vehicles on farms was valued at 16.6 billion dollars.
compared with a value of 3.1 billion dollars in 1940, according to
estimates by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Partially offsetting this tremendous increase in investment in
farm machinery and equipment was a decrease of a billion dollars
in value of horses and mules on farms. A part of the increase in
value of machinery and equipment is due to increased prices.
Increasing inventory values have been accompanied by increasing
prices of farm products. In 1951, prices received by farmers
were 200 percent above the average for 1940, and in September
1956, they were 136 percent higher than in 1940. There are, of
course, many other economic and other factors involved in the
progress of farm mechanization and labor productivity. Farm-
ers' expenditures for machine hire and petroleum products pro-
vide two indicators of the progress of farm mechanization.
116
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PURCHASED MACHINE WORK HAS INCREASED
During early settlement of our country, most farm tools were
simple and most farmers owned their own equipment or bor-
rowed from their neighbors. Rarely did a farmer pay cash for
a machine to work on his farm. With the coming of the grain
reaper, the steam-powered thrashing machine, and other kinds
of costly machines, it became customary for farmers to hire
machines for certain kinds of work. As mechanization pro-
gressed and the cost of fully equipping a farm increased, the
practice of hiring some machine work became general in prac-
tically all farming sections. In 1954, almost two-thirds of the
commercial farms and one-third of all other farms reported some
expense for machine hire. Heavy concentration of machine
hire in 1954 was reported in the Mississippi River Delta and in
several important western irrigation farming areas.
As machines become more specialized, it is probable that the
hiring of machine work by farmers will become even more gen-
eral. Frequently a farmer will buy a machine realizing that he
does not have enough use for it on his own farm to make it pay
and expecting to use it for hire on other farms in the neighbor-
hood. Numerous firms that make a business of doing machine
work for farmers have been established. Airplanes used for
seeding, dusting, and spraying, and earth-moving equipment are
examples of machines often provided by nonfarm firms. Hay
balers, grain combines, and forage harvesters often used for
custom work are usually owned by farmers.
Hiring a machine usually involves hiring some labor, too, as
it is often customary for the owner of the machine to also pro-
vide all or a part of the crew for its operation.
Farms reporting machine hire in 1954 ranged from almost 70
percent of all farms in the Lake States to about 45 percent in
the Appalachian area. Farms of all economic classes reported
some machine hire. Between 60 and 68 percent of the farms
of Economic Classes I, II, III, and IV hired some machine work
done. These are the farms that, for the most part, are large
enough to use machines effectively. Less than 60 percent of
the farms of Class V and less than 50 percent of those of Class
VI reported any machine hire in 1954. This low rate of ma-
chine hire applies to a relatively large number of farms with
very small scale of operation. Almost half of the part-time
farms hired some machine work. (The small amount of harvest
work to be done on many of these places may not justify owning
such expensive equipment as hay balers, forage harvesters, or
corn pickers.)
EXPENDITURES FOR MACHINE HIRE
DOLLARS. 1954
NUMBER OF FA
FOR
REPORTING MACH
THE UNITED ST*
NE HIRE. BY ECONOMIC CLASS
TES AND AREAS. 1954
{ I \STBTESJ ) ^rv~^ tC>^
NORTHERN
PLAINS
f
\ 1 1
/ • /
m
-J CORK BELT \.
216. 4SC
BM.TM j*T
WPALACH1ANJ
S95.«T J5
CD <«»' i
1 r.:
SOUTHERN PLAINS
m
*"-\ COT, 961
MISS DELTA
JjiT.eMW)
" SOUTHEAST.
_\ ISO."
\ UNITED STATES
\ Z.MS.IZI
... —
....... ...-
Farmers spent about $638,000,000 for machine hire in 1954,
an average of about $135 for every farm in the United States.
Most of this expense was incurred in the farming areas where
relatively costly and complicated machines are used in field
operations. The Corn Belt, with almost $119,000,000, led other
areas in total expense for machine hire. The highest costs per
farm were in the Pacific and Mountain areas where expenditures
for all farms averaged $316 and $308, respectively.
More than 80 percent of the total cost of machine hire was for
farms of classes I, II, III, and IV. Part-time and residential
farms representing 30 percent of all farms accounted for only
5 percent of the total.
Average expenditure per fann reporting machine hire was
about $250 in 1954, up almost $30 per farm since 1950.
For Class I farms the average expenditure for machine hire was
$1,676, or almost 4 times as much as for farms of Class II. Al-
most one-half of the total expenditure by Class I farms for ma-
chine hire was in the Mountain and Pacific areas. Many of
these farms are very large and highly specialized. For some
farm operations, operators of these farms prefer to use custom-
work rather than to own the machines and hire crews to op-
erate them.
GREATER DEPENDENCE ON PETROLEUM FUEL
AND OIL
Power for farmwork provided by horses and mules and oxen
was farm produced. Now that most of the power is provided by
motors, the farmer must buy it. More cash is required to farm
now than was required when the farmer produced his own power.
It has been estimated that SO million acres of cropland that once
produced feed for horses and mules has been released for other
purposes by the adoption of tractors, motortrucks, and automo-
biles. On the other hand, farmers spent during 1954 about one
and a third billion dollars for gasoline and other petroleum fuel
and oil used in the farm business. This is for farming purposes
only. A part of these expenditures were for petroleum fuels
used for such purposes as heating orchards, brooding chicks, and
heating water, but most all of the total was used in equipment
powered by internal-combustion engines.
Thus, farmers have become almost entirely dependent on pe-
troleum products for most of their farm operations. They are
no longer able to switch from mechanical to animal power in
their field and road operations. Although electric motors are
helping more and more in the stationary power jobs in the serv-
ice areas, full-scale farm production is possible only when the
necessary supply of petroleum products is available.
FARM MACHINERY AND FACILITIES
117
The geographic distribution of expenditures for petroleum fuel
and oil followed, in a general way, the distribution of tractors.
There were some exceptions, however, as in the High Plains cot-
ton area of Texas where pumping water for irrigation and inten-
sive farming may have accounted for part of the concentration of
expenditures for petroleum products. The Corn Belt had 26 per-
cent of the tractors reported on farms in 1954 and 22 percent
of the expenditures for petroleum fuel and oil. The Northern
Plains, where many of the tractors are relatively large, had 13
percent of the tractors and 15 percent of the expenditures for
petroleum fuel and oil.
EXPENDITURES FOR GASOLINE AND OTHER PETROLEUM FUEL AND OIL
FOR THE FARM BUSINESS. DOLLARS. 1954
Farms in the higher income economic classes use more equip-
ment than do those in the lower income economic classes. Class
1 farms, for example, had 10 percent of the tractors reported in
1054 and bought 19 percent of all petroleum products used on
farms, while Class VI farms had 4 percent of the tractors and
2 percent of the expense for petroleum products. Part-time and
residential farms reported 11 percent of all tractors and 4 percent
of the total expenditure for petroleum products. The overall
United States pattern of costs of petroleum products by economic
class of farm is similar to the patterns in the Northern Plains,
Corn Belt, and Lake States. In other areas the tendency is for
larger proportions of the total cost to be borne by farmers in the
higher economic clasjs groups.
In 1954, farmers spent an average of $418 per farm reporting
for gasoline and other petroleum products used in farming
operations. This cost ranged from an average of almost $700
per farm in the Mountain States to only $220 in the Appalachian
area. Many of the farms in the Mountain area are large, are
located considerable distances from trading centers and markets,
and are well equipped with tractors, trucks, self-propelled com-
bines, and automobiles.
On a per-farm basis, Class I farms spent an average of $2,000
per farm for petroleum products in 1954. This was more than
double the average expenditure by Class II farms and 15 times
the average of Class VI farms. Average expenditures of ab-
normal farms was about $1,550 per farm but because of their
small number they accounted for less than 1 percent of the total
farm costs for petroleum products.
^TOTAL COST OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS ON FARMS BY ECONOMIC CLASS;
FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
118
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
COST OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS PER FARM BY ECONOMIC CLASS;
FOR UNITED STATES AND AREAS: 1954
LAKE STATES
Dollar*
2,000
NORTHEAST
Dollart /
ISOO
CHAPTER 3
FARM TENURE
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Page
INTRODUCTION 125
DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS 126
SECTION I, LAND 127
SECTION II, PRODUCTION 151
SECTION III, PEOPLE 171
DIRECTORY OF TENURE DATA, 1954 CENSUS 191
121
122
MAPS AND CHARTS WITH ACCOMPANYING DISCUSSION
Section I — Land
Land in farms:
Percent of total land area in farms, 1954
Land in farms as a percent of total land area, United
States and regions, 1880-1954
Land ownership:
Ownership of land and land in farms, United States, 1954.
Tenure of farmland:
Land in farms, by tenure of operator, United States,
1954
Land in farms operated by tenants, by class of tenant,
United States, 1954
Percent of farms and farmland operated by tenants, and
percent of total farmland under lease, United States
and regions, 1880-1954
Percent of all land in farms operated under lease, 1954..
Counties in which at least half of the land in farms was
under lease to the operator, 1910-1954
Tenure of farms:
Number of farms, by tenure of operator, United States
and regions, 1880-1954
Number of farms, by tenure of operator, 1954
Comparison of changes in number of farms, by tenure of
operator, United States, 1945-1950 and 1950-1954. _.
Page
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
Tenure of farms — Continued
Changes in number of farms, by color and tenure of
operator, South, 1950-1954
Percentage of all farms operated by tenants, 1954
Counties in which at least half the farms were operated by
tenants, 1 880-1 954
Most frequent method of renting farms, 1954
Percent of rented farms, by class of tenant, United States
and regions, 1950 and 1954
Farms operated by class of tenant, 1954
Value of land and buildings:
Value of land and buildings, by tenure of operator,
United States and regions, 1900-1954
Average value of land and buildings per acre, 1954
Average value of land and buildings per acre — increase
and decrease, 1950-1954
Average value of land and buildings per farm, by tenure
of operator, United States and regions, 1950 and 1954.
Multiple-unit operations:
Subunits in multiple units as a percent of all farms, 1954..
Cotton acreage harvested in multiple units as a percent of
total cotton acreage harvested, 1954
Tobacco acreage harvested in multiple units as a percent
of total tobacco acreage harvested, 1954
Section II — Production
Type of farming:
Type-of-farming areas, based on type accounting for
50 percent or more of commercial farms, 1954 153
Percent of farms in each type-of-farm group, by tenure
of operator, commercial farms, United States, 1954 154
Crop and livestock output:
Percent of value of specified crops and livestock sold,
by tenure of operator for commercial farms, United
States, 1954 155
Percent of cropland harvested represented by acres
harvested of the principal crops, by tenure of operator,
for commercial farms, United States and regions, 1954, 156
Percent distribution of acres of the principal crops
harvested, by tenure of operator, for commercial farms,
United States and regions, 1954 157
Land use:
Percent distribution of all land in farms according to
major uses, by tenure of operator, United States,
1945-1954 158
Percent distribution of cropland, land pastured, and
woodland, by tenure of operator, for commercial farms,
United States and regions, 1954 159
Size of farm:
Average size of farm, by tenure of operator, United
States and regions, 1900-1954 160
Percent distribution of size group of cropland harvested,
by tenure of operator, for commercial farms, United
States and regions, 1954 161
Irrigation:
Irrigated land as a percent of all land in farms for 20
States, 1954 162
Percent distribution of irrigated farms, by tenure of
operator, 17 Western States, Arkansas, Louisiana, and
Florida, 1954 and 1950 163
Irrigation — Continued
Percent distribution of irrigated land in farms, by
tenure of operator, 17 Western States, Arkansas,
Louisiana, and Florida, 1954 and 1950
Farm labor:
Number of family workers (including operator) and
hired workers per farm reporting, commercial farms,
by tenure of operator, United States and regions, 1954.
Expenditure for hired labor per commercial farm, by
tenure of operator, United States and regions, 1954
Equipment and fertilizer:
Percent of farms reporting tractors (other than garden)
by tenure of operator, commercial farms, United
States and regions: 1954 and 1950
Number of commercial farms by class of work power and
tenure of operator, United States and regions, 1954
Tractors on farms, number, 1954
Percent of commercial farms reporting tractors, com-
bines, milking machines, corn pickers, and pick-up
balers, by tenure of operator, LJnited States and
regions, 1 954
Percent of farms using commercial fertilizer, by tenure,
commercial farms, United States and regions, 1954
Average expenditure per acre for commercial fertilizer
and fertilizer material, by tenure of operator, com-
mercial farms, United States and regions, 1954
Specified farm expenditures:
Average expenditure per commercial farm for specified
cost items, by tenure of operator, United States and
regions, 1954
Page
139
140
141
141
142
143
144
145
145
146
147
148
149
163
164
165
166
167
167
168
169
169
170
MAPS AND CHARTS WITH ACCOMPANYING DISCUSSION
123
Section III — People
Farm population:
Population: Total, nonfarm, and farm, United States,
1910-1954
Farm population, United States, 1920-1955
Residence of labor force, farm and nonfarm, United
States, 1950 _
Migration to and from farms, United States 1920-1953-.
Percentage change in the farm population selected
periods, United States and regions, 1920-1954
Residence of farm labor force by kind of worker, United
States, 1950
Tenure of farm workers, United States, 1954
Farm income and tenure:
Agricultural net income and nonagricultural net income,
United States, 1910-1954
Net income from farming received by nonfarm popula-
tion, United States, 1910-1954
Agricultural net income as percent of total National
income, United States, 1910-1954
Net income of the farm population from farming and
nonfarm sources, United States, 1934-1954
Percent distribution of commercial farms in each eco-
nomic class, by tenure of operator, United States and
regions, 1954
Percent of commercial farms in each tenure group
reporting a telephone, electricity, and running water,
United States and regions, 1954
Off-farm employment and part-time farming:
Percent of all farm operators working off their farms,
1954
Farm operators working off their farms 100 days or
more — increase and decrease in number, 1949-1954
Page
173
173
173
173
173
173
173
174
174
174
174
175
176
177
177
Off-farm employment and part-time farming — Continued Page
Farm operators with other income of family exceeding
value of agricultural products sold, 1954 177
Percent of farm operators working off their farms 100
days or more, by tenure, United States and regions,
1954 and 1950 178
Percent of farm operators with other income of family
exceeding the value of farm products sold, by tenure,
United States and regions, 1950 and 1954 179
Occupancy, mobility, and length of tenure:
Average number of years on present farms, by tenure
of operator, United States and regions, 1954 and 1950__ 180
Percent distribution of farm operators in each tenure, by
years on present farms, United States and regions,
1954 181
Years on farm — number of operators reporting by tenure,
United States, 1910-1954 182
Percent of farm operators on present farms 1 year or
less, by tenure, United States, 1910-1954 182
Percent of farm operators on present farms 1 year or
less by month of occupancy, October to November
1954, United States and regions 183
Age and residence of farm operators:
Average age of farm operators, by tenure, United States
and regions, 1940-1954 184
Percent of farm operators 55 to 64 years of age, 1954 184
Percent of farm operators 65 years of age and over, 1954. 184
Percent distribution of farm operators in each tenure
group, by age, United States and regions, 1954 185
Percent distribution of tenant operators in each tenure
group, by age, United States and regions, 1954 186
Percent of farm operators reporting residence off their
farms, 1954 187
INTRODUCTION
This report on farm tenure consists of three sections entitled,
respectively, Land, Production, and People. The first section,
Land, deals with how individuals gain access to the services of
agricultural land. The second section, Production, relates the
tenure system to farm outputs and inputs. Section III, People,
shows the tenure system as an instrument for dividing farm in-
come among individuals. This portrayal of America's farm
tenure structure indicates some of the relationships between
tenure arrangements and production and division of farm in-
come in our economy.
Land tenure can be looked upon as a collection of arrange-
ments which, to the individual, may appear to be a scale of
degrees of access to land services. At one end of the scale
is the fee simple, debt-free ownership which permits maximum
access to the services of land subject to rights reserved by the
public. At the other end of the scale may be such tenure forms
as the temporary leaseholder or sharecropper whose legal rights
to land may be quite limited.
The means of obtaining or retaining use of, or control over,
resources may take many forms. Some of these forms of agri-
cultural land tenure are : Individual ownership, debt-free or
encumbered ownership ; coownership, such as joint tenancy, ten-
ancy in common, or tenancy by entirety ; corporate ownership ;
estate ; trust ; public ownership ; cash, standing, share, or cropper
leasing arrangements ; life estates ; easements and covenants ;
employee ; and public, noncontractual, reservations of property
rights such as eminent domain, taxation, and police power.
It would, of course, be impractical for a Census of Agriculture
to enumerate all the possible relationships in the way persons
gain access to land even for agricultural purposes. Tenure is
usually specified in terms of the relationship of the person per-
forming the farming operation without regard to the degrees
of equity. The tenure forms contained in this report represent
discrete categories such as full owner, part owner, manager, or
tenant. These broad groups of tenure arrangements are neces-
sary for purposes of enumeration and simplification. In reality,
of course, tenure is a continuum of relationships which provide
various degrees of access to resources. Ownership encumbered
with a heavy mortgage may require far more stringent restric-
tions on land use than debt-free tenancy. Part ownership may
consist of many different mixtures of ownership and tenancy.
Adjustments in the tenure structure have taken place in recent
years to accommodate changes in agricultural production. The
number of farm operators has decreased and farms have become
larger. The proportion of farms operated by tenants has de-
creased and the proportion of part-owner operators has increased.
Full owners, although fewer in number, now represent nearly the
same proportion of all operators as in 1945. Increasing numbers
of farmers are undertaking off-farm employment.
The second section of the report, Production, is especially de-
voted to the relation of tenure to type of farm, land use, crop
and livestock output, size of farm, irrigation, equipment and
fertilizer, farm expenditures, and farm labor.
Agricultural output has continued to rise while the number of
persons employed in agriculture has declined. Production per
acre and per animal unit has increased so that, although very
little new land was cultivated and relatively small increases
took place in livestock numbers, total output increased more
than 80 percent from 1910-14 to 1954. Adjustments have been
made in the composition of agricultural output and the tenure
pattern has changed accordingly. The tenancy pattern, for
example, now includes a greater proportion of livestock-share
leases partly because of shifts toward expanded livestock enter-
prises. Tenure adjustments have taken place to accommodate
expansion in farm size. Some farmers wishing to use their
limited capital for increased quantities of specialized equipment
or fertilizer may prefer to rent rather than buy additional land.
The number of part owners has increased. Tenure adjustments
are necessary when improved techniques, changes in consumer
tastes, and changes in the relative quantities of labor, capital,
or land alter the value of the various resources in production.
The farm tenure system, through its effects on the return to
factors of production, resource mobility, and uncertainty, affects
the level and composition of agricultural output. Since every
farm operation is, in one way or another, related to tenure ar-
rangements between individuals and to individual property rights
as governed by our laws, the entire pattern of agricultural pro-
duction from the individual farm firm to entire agricultural in-
dustry affects and is affected by the tenure structure.
125
407763—57-
126
DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS
The terminology used in this report is identical with that used
in the reports for the various Censuses of Agriculture. In the
several Censuses it has been necessary to make minor adjust-
ments in the definition of a farm and in the procedures for enu-
meration, but it is believed that these adjustments are not of suf-
ficient magnitude to affect tenure trends appreciably. In the
Census of 1050, a relatively slight change in the definition of a
farm caused a decrease of 150,000 to 170,000 in the number of
farms which would have been included if the 1945 definition had
been retained. The 1951 definition of a farm coincided with that
used in 1950. Most of the places excluded by the 1950 and 1954
definition that would have been counted as farms in earlier
Censuses are owner-operated.
In all Censuses except 1950, farm operators were classified
according to the tenure under which they held their land on the
basis of the land they retained. The 1950 procedure, although
slightly different, had very Little effect on the tenure distribution.
Owners are farm operators who own all or part of the land
they operate.
Full owners own all of the land they operate.
Part owners own land they operate and rent, from others,
additional land which they operate.
Managers operate farms for others, and are paid a wage or
salary for their services.
Tenants rent from others (or work on shares for others)
all of the land they operate.
Cash tenants pay cash and no share of crops or livestock as
rent, such as $10 per acre or $1,000 for the use of the entire
farm.
Share-cash tenants pay a part of the rent in cash and a part
as a share of the crops or of the livestock or livestock products,
or both.
Share tenants pay a share of either the crops or of the live-
stock or livestock products, or a share of both. Share tenants
were further classified as :
Crop-share tenants if they paid a share of the crops and no
share of the livestock or livestock products.
livestock-share tenants if they paid a share of the livestock
or livestock products. They may also have paid a share of the
crops.
Croppers are tenants to whom all work power is furnished.
Other tenants include those who pay a fixed quantity of any
product ; those who pay taxes, keep up the land and buildings,
or keep the landlord in exchange for the use of the land ; those
who have use of the land rent free ; and all others whose rental
arrangements require payment other than cash or a share of
the products.
Unspecified tenants include those tenants whose rental agree-
ment was not reported or could not be determined from the
information given.
GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS AND DIVISIONS
THE
NORTH
THE
WEST
SOUTH
Figure 1 .
The four geographic regions used in this report are: (i) The
Northeast, including the 9 States in the New England and Middle
Atlantic divisions ; (2) The North Central, including the 12 States
in the East North Central and West North Central divisions ;
(3) The South, including the 16 States in the South Atlantic,
East South Central, and West South Central divisions, and (4)
The West, including the 11 States in the Mountain and Pacific
divisions.
Some of the data used herein, particularly those for commercial
farms only, are estimates based on reports for a sample of farms.
Data that are based on reports for a sample of farms are shown
in italics or by a note if the data are presented in tabular form.
A description of the sampling technique and the reliability of
sample data are given in the Introduction to Volume II, "General
Report," of the 1954 Census of Agriculture.
Commercial farms are, in general, those with a value of sales
of farm products amounting to $1,200 or more. Farms with a
value of sales from $250 to $1,199 were also classified as com-
mercial if the farm operator worked off the farm less than 100
days and if the income which the operator and other members of
his family received from nonfarm sources was less than the total
value of farm products sold.
SECTION I
Land
128
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PERCENT OF TOTAL LAND AREA IN FARMS, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
I I UNDER 10
EIHlOTO 19
WM 20 TO 39
j%%% 40 TO 59
*fO FARMS
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Figure 2.
LAND IN FARMS
The principal agricultural uses of land are for crops and for
pasture ; however, not all of the land used for agricultural pur-
poses is classed as farmland. Although almost all land in crops
is considered farmland, millions of acres of land are used for
grazing but are not enumerated as "laud in farms." Thus, of
the 1,903,824,640 acres of land surface in the United States, 79.4
percent was used for agricultural purposes in 1954, although only
60.8 percent was classified as land in farms. Land not in farms
was not used in the tenure classification.
The proportion of the land area in farms showed an upward
trend to 1950. The farm area in 1954 was almost the same as in
1950. The relatively stable farm area, for the country as a whole,
fails to reveal the differences which have been occurring in the
States and in larger geographic regions. Decreases in land in
farms, between the 1950 and 1954 enumerations, occurred in all
States each of the Mississippi River, except Florida. Although
decreases also were reported in five States west of the Mississippi
River, the combined loss — nearly 18 million acres — was almost
offset by increases in the western half of the country and in
Florida.
In the Northeast the downward trend in the land area devoted
to agriculture has been almost continuous since 1880. By 1900,
this area had 2% million fewer acres of farmland than at the
peak in 1S80. From 1900 to 1954 the Northeastern States, col-
lectively, lost another 24 million acres of farmland, or about 3
out of every 8 acres.
The North Central Region comprises one-fourth (25.4 percent)
of the total land surface in the continental United States and
one-third (34.0 percent) of the farmland. The farm area in this
region apparently reached its peak about 1945. At that time,
82.5 percent of the laud area was within farm boundaries. Rela-
tively small declines in the acreage in farms have been reported
in the two intercensal periods since that time. In the period
1945-54, this region lost more than 5 million acres from its farms
so that by 1954 the proportion of land in farms had dropped to
81.4 percent.
The South, which has 29.5 percent of the total land area in the
United States, had, in 1954, only slightly more than two-thirds
(68.7 percent) of its area in farms. The other third of the area,
representing nonagricultural land, is largely ungrazed wooded
tracts held by timber or paper companies or in other private
holdings : swamps and tidal marshes ; rugged terrain some of
which is in parks : eroded, abandoned lands once in farms but
now overgrown with brush and trees ; and, of course, land re-
quired by roads, cities, and industrial uses. Although economic
forces could bring thousands of acres of these nonagricultural
lands into a higher agricultural use through clearing and drain-
ing, forestry is the presently preferred use for much of the area.
Following the Civil War, acreage of land in farms in the South
increased until 1900, after which date each successive Census
through 1925 registered a decline. Thereafter, the trend was
upward through 1950. Between 1950 and 1954, this region re-
corded a loss of nearly 7 million acres from the farm area. This
decrease would have been even greater if it had not been for a
1,634,000 increase recorded in Florida. Abandonment of some of
the poorer agricultural lands in the South, particularly in the
Southern Piedmont and in the more mountainous and hilly areas,
has been brought about in part by more attractive opportunities
for earning a living through nonfarm employment in industry.
The West has continued the expansion of its farmland area,
without interruption, since the first Census of land in farms was
Percent
100
eo
100
FARM TENURE 129
LAND IN FARMS AS A PERCENT OF TOTAL LAND AREA, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1860-1954
1954
1950
1940
1930
1920
Percent
1910
1900
1890 1880
NORTHEAST
100
0 " ^ ™i ■■ ■■ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 1 0
1954 1950 1940 1930 1920 1910 1900 1890 1880 1954 1950 1940 1930 1920 1910 1900 1890 1880
Percent Percent
NORTH CENTRAL
100
80
60
40
20
WEST
till.
1954 1950 1940 1930 1920 1910 1900 1890 1880
1954 1950 1940 1930 1920 1910 1900 1890 1880
Figure 3.
made in 1S50. This region, which comprises nearly two-fifths
(39.6 percent) of the United States laud area, had only 44.S per-
cent of its area in farms in 1954. The increase, in the 1950 to
1954 period, approximated 13 million acres or 4.0 percent. Most
of the increase in land in farms came about through incorporation
of grazing lands into farms.
Since about 1920, new lauds used for agriculture represented
only a small part of the enlargement of the farm area. Much
of the grazing land of the West comprises public domain land
grazed under the permit system. This permit land is excluded
from enumeration of land in farms, largely because multiple
users have access to much of the land. An increasing acreage
of the public land has gone over to single users through
a leasing arrangement. These leased lands are included in the
farmland area. About 17,300,000 acres of land were leased under
the Taylor Grazing Act in 1954; this compares with 13 million
acres in 1950 and 7,400,000 acres in 1940.
(Continued on page 18S)
Table 1. — Land in Farms as a Percent of Total Land Area,
for the United States and Regions: 1880 to 1954
Region
1954
1950
1940
1930
1920
1910
1900
1890
1880
United States
60.8
39.2
81.4
08.7
44.8
60.9
42.4
82.0
69.9
43.1
55.7
44.9
80.2
65.7
33.9
51.8
47.6
77.8
61.0
28.9
50.2
55.5
77.4
62.3
23.0
46.2
60.7
72.4
63.1
14.7
41. 1
63.1
65.6
64.4
12.4
32.7
60.5
53.0
45.6
6.3
28.2
65.6
North Central
South
West
12.8
41.8
3.5
130 A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
OWNERSHIP OF LAND AND LAND IN FARMS, FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1954
INDIAN LANDS.
55 0 MIL ACRES
(a 9%)
STATE ANO LOCAL
31 2 MIL ACRES (2 7%)
INDIAN LANDS _
40 8 MIL. ACRES
(3 5%)
CORPORATION S-
57 5 MIL. ACRES
(5.0%)
FEDERAL
13.6 MIL ACRESO 2%)
TOTAL LAND
LAND IN FARMS
-^INCLUDING CORPORATIONS
Figure 4.
LAND OWNERSHIP
Public and private ownership. — Although title to more than
one-fourth of the land area of the United States rests with Fed-
eral, State, or local governments, only 3.0 percent of the land
in farms is publicly owned. Most of the land in farms owned
by government is of low productivity and the acreage that is em-
ployed in agricultural production is devoted almost entirely to
grazing.
Of the total land area of continental United States, 407.0 mil-
lion acres, or 21.4 percent, are owned by the Federal Govern-
ment ; 80.3 million acres, or 4.2 percent are owned by State gov-
ernments ; and an estimated 17 million acres, or 0.0 percent, are
owned by local governments. The Federal Government, in addi-
tion to the land it owns, also administers 55 million acres of
Indian lands. The 11 Western States comprising the Western
Region contain 88.5 percent of the Federal land, and the propor-
tion of Federal land in some States — such as Nevada, 87.1 per-
cent ; and Utah, 70.2 percent — exceeds one-half the total land
area of the State.
Ownership of land in farms. — The land ownership policy of the
United States, after the Preemption Act of 1830, is characterized
by its emphasis on the maximization of fee simple ownership by
individuals. With the exception of the lands of the 13 original
colonies and the present borders of Texas, most of the land in the
United States has at some time been owned by the Federal Gov-
ernment. To promote the settlement and development of this
country the Federal Government disposed of much of its land
to States, schools, railroads, and individuals with the result that
much of the land now under the direct control of the Federal
Government is either in no economic use or in uses of general
rather than individual interest. The principal exceptions, of
course, are timber and grazing lands.
The two principal agencies which deal with the use of Federal
grazing lands are the Forest Service, Department of Agriculture,
and the Bureau of Land Management, Department of Interior.
The Forest Service in 1054 was responsible for permits and leases
on 77.1 million acres of grazing land, and the Bureau of Land
Management, for 175.7 million acres.
Grazing land held by individual ranchers on a permit basis
from the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management is not
included in "land in farms" as determined by the Censuses of
Agriculture.
(Continued cm page 188)
Table 2. — All Land and Land in Farms By Type of Owner,
for the United States: 1954
[Land in farms by type of owner based on a sample of approximately 200,000 farms]
All land (farm and
nonfirm)
Land in farms
Percent
Type of owner
Million
acres
Percent
distribu-
tion
Million
acres
Percent
distribu-
tion
in
farms
Total
1. 903. 8
1. 343. 6
(NA)
(NA)
560.2
407.9
97.3
55.0
100.0
70.6
(NA)
(NA)
29.4
21.4
5.1
2.9
1. 158. 2
1, 072. 6
1, 015. 1
57.5
85.6
13.6
31.2
40.8
100.0
92.6
87.6
5.0
7.4
1.2
2.7
3.5
60.8
Private, including corporate
Private ---
79.8
(NA)
(NA)
15.3
Federal ..
State and local governments.-.
3.3
32.1
74.2
NA Not available.
FARM TENURE
LAND IN FARMS, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1954
131
ALL TENANTS 16.67,
I92,57,,665 ACRES
MANAGERS 8.6% -»-
99,845,547 ACRES
FULL OWNERS 34.2%
395,544,319 ACRES
PART OWNERS 40.6%
470,229,9,80 ACRES
Figure 5.
TENURE OF FARMLAND
Access to farmland. — Farm operators generally gain access to
the services of land in two ways ; first, in perpetuity through
ownership and second, for a term through lease. About one-
half of the farmland in the United States, in 1954, was in farms
in which only one general method, either ownership or tenancy,
was used by operators. However, part-owner farms, containing
both owned land and rented land, occupy a larger portion of the
farmland than any other single tenure type. This mixed tenure
is currently increasing in importance both in terms of land in
farms and in number of farms.
Land in farms is not, however, all of the same quality. Pro-
portions of the land area alone do not show the relative produc-
tivity of the land in the various tenure groups. We find a high
rate of tenancy in fertile regions such as the Corn Belt and the
Delta. In the less fertile areas we find the more extensive live-
stock operations of managers. Some evidence of this quality
differential by tenure is seen in the variation in the per-acre value
of land.
It is estimated that 8.9.0 percent of the 1,160,048,854 acres of
farmland is contained in commercial farms and the remainder In
other farms. Commercial full-owner farms contained 2S.5 per-
cent of the total farmland; part-owner farms, 3.9. 7 percent;
manager farms, 5.2 percent ; and tenant farms, 15.6 percent.
Since commercial farms produce about 98 percent of the value of
farm products sold, they account for a larger proportion of the
products sold than of the farmland.
132
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
LAND IN FARMS OPERATED BY TENANTS, BY CLASS OF TENANT, FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1954
(DATA ARE BASED ON REPORTS FOR ONLY A SAMPLE OF FARMS)
OTHER
2.8%
5,311,200 ACRES
•UNSPECIFIED
4.6%
CROPPERS
SOUTH ONLY
4.9%
9,412,841 ACRES
LIVESTOCK-SHARE
15.6%
29,676,080 ACRES
CASH
19.4%
36,959,882 ACRES
SHARE-CASH
24.3%
46,210,227 ACRES
CROP-SHARE
28.4%
53,987,449 ACRES
Figure 6.
Land farmed by various classes of tenants. — Leasing arrange-
ments are characterized by the form of rental payment. Rentals
are almost always either a fixed commitment in cash or produce
or a share of the produce. Share agreements also frequently
contain a provision for the sharing of certain operational
expenses.
Most of the land in tenant-operated farms is leased under some
form of share arrangement. Sharing may be restricted to crop
production only, or to livestock and/or livestock products only ;
it may include a share of both crops and livestock or livestock
products ; or it may include a share of either or both crops and
livestock and an additional cash payment for pasture, feed crops,
or a dwelling. Crop-share arrangements — those in which land-
lord and tenant shared in all crops but in none of the livestock —
had the largest share of land in tenant-operated farms. Their
holdings amounted to 53,987,449 acres, or 28.4 percent of all
tenant-operated farmland, in 1954. The share-cash leases fol-
lowed with 46,210,227 acres, or 24-3 percent. Livestock-share
tenants had 29,676,080 acres in farms. Sharecropping represents
another version of a share arrangement. In this case, the land-
lord furnishes all of the workstock or tractor power as a part
of his share in the operation of the sharecropper farm. Share-
cropper lands in the South, totaling 9,412,841 acres, represented
4.9 percent of the United States total for land in tenant-operated
farms.
Cash tenants, those paying cash as rent and no share of crops
or livestock, operated 19.4 percent of all land in tenant-operated
farms in 1954. Other tenants include those who pay a fixed
quantity of product, those who maintain the land and buildings in
exchange for rent, and those who use the land rent-free. This
combined group had 5,311,200 acres or 2.8 percent of the total.
(Continued on page 188)
FARM TENURE
133
PERCENT OF FARMS AND FARM LAND OPERATED BY TENANTS, AND PERCENT OF TOTAL FARM LAND UNDER LEASE,
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1880-1954
PERCENT
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
I
UNITED STATES
Percent of forms operated by tenants
Percent of land operated by tenants
Percent of all land in farms operated under lease
10 -
0
70
60
1900
70
60
50
40
30
NORT
HEAS
T
-
-
-
-
-
"•■^^^
10
'*»-~v
-
0
i
i
i
i
1920 1925
PERCENT
70
60
50
1
NORTH
1
CENTRAL
-
-
30
-
—*-***
»*"*^
•Sb—
10
-
0
i
1
1
1
I860 1890 1900
1920 1930 1940 1950 I960
1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 I960
-
~~ 1
SOI
JTH
-
-
PB
-
-
„--
- — —
- — >*
-
i
1
1
70
60
SO
WE
:st
-
-
30
20
■"■" -
IT^*- **""*
---
— -.
< '
10
-
V ,
• —
0
i
i
1
1
1920
1950 I960
54C-I26
Figure 7-
Changes in land under lease. — In 1954, land operated under some
form of tenancy arrangement approximated 400 million acres,
or about 35 percent of the total farm acreage. Slightly more than
one-half of the 400 million acres were operated by part owners
and the remainder by tenants. This was the first time that land
leased by part owners exceeded that operated by tenants. The
190 million total for tenants in 1954 includes a relatively small
acreage (less than 9% million acres) operated by sharecroppers
in the South.
A decreasing proportion of the land in farms has been under
lease (used in its broadest sense) since 1935, when nearly 45
percent of all farmland was in this category. The proportion of
the farm area operated by tenants increased steadily from the
turn of this century through 1935, at which point tenants op-
erated 31.9 percent of the farmland. Thereafter, in each suc-
cessive Census both a smaller acreage and a smaller percentage
of the farmland have been in the control of tenants. By 1954
407763—57 10
this percentage was down to I6.4. On the other hand, leased
land operated by part owners has steadily increased since 1935
both in absolute acreage and in proportion to the total acreage
for all farm operators. The percentage leased by part owners in
1935 was 12.7 and by 1954 it exceeded 18 percent.
A considerable amount of capital is required by a farm op-
erator who gives or contemplates giving his full attention to
farm production. With a given amount of capital and available
credit, he has some choice as to the amount of land he will farm.
He may become a tenant or an operating owner. In order to use
an ever-increasing amount of labor-saving, expensive equipment
to a fuller capacity, he may elect to be a tenant with more land ;
whereas, if he elects to be an owner, he may enlarge his farming
operations by becoming a part owner. Thus, for several Censuses,
farms of both part owners and tenants have been increasing In
{Continued on page 188)
134
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PERCENT OF ALL LAND IN FARMS OPERATED UNDER LEASE, OCT.-NOV, 1954
LEGEND
PERCENT
I | UNDER 20
t%%3 20 TO 39
40 TO 59
| 60 AND OVER
* NO FARMS
JS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO. A54-289
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Figure 8.
Geographic distribution of leased land. — In general, there is a
higher proportion of tenancy in areas of higher quality land.
The Corn Belt, notably northwestern Iowa and northern Illinois,
has a relatively high proportion of its farmlands under some form
of tenancy. The same may be said of that part of the Great
Plains engaged primarily in crop, rather than livestock, produc-
tion. The lands in the Delta region of Arkansas and the Coastal
Plains of the Carolinas also are rather heavily tenanted. An
important exception are the range lands In the West which have
a relatively low productivity per acre but yet are leased in large
blocks for grazing purposes.
The value of land tends to be high in areas in which relatively
large quantities of capital and labor per acre are required. If
the financial resources of the farm operator are limited, he may
choose to rent land in order to obtain a suitably large unit. Thus,
the percentage of land under lease tends to be high where land
values are high. The highest proportion of land leased. 43.7 per-
cent, is found in the West North Central division ; whereas, the
lowest proportion of land under lease, 102 percent, is in New
England.
Although the percent of land under lease has declined from
44.7 in 1!I35 to 35.1 in I'.i54 for the country as a whole, not all
areas have changed to the same degree. Since 1'JoO, the South
is the only regiou that has experienced a decline in the proportion
of farmland rented; the three other regions have had slight in-
creases.
A tenure pattern which originated in one section of the country
may be quite different from that which developed in another
section. At the two extremes may be cited (1) the Pilgrims in
Massachusetts who divided the land of the colony and established
each family on its own farmstead, and (2) in several of the
Southern States, large grants of land were made to companies
and individuals who brought over indentured individuals for
colonization. This was followed by the introduction of slave
labor on plantations. After the Civil War, many planters without
funds for hiring labor and laborers without management expe-
rience or lands joined forces in a landowner-sharecropper
arrangement. This resulted in many small holdings in a tenant
status.
Land ownership was made easier in some States where free or
low-cost lands could be acquired for settlement. After settle-
ment, alternating periods of high land values and economic de-
pressions made it difficult for many beginners or tenants to be-
come owners. In some areas droughts and other natural hazards
caused a later out-movement of settlers who either maintained
ownership or relinquished their rights to the land. This is to
say that, through the years, the tenure pattern has been changing
and at a different direction or rate of change as between States.
Table 3. — Percent of All Land in Farms Operated Under
Lease, for the United States and Geographic Divisions:
1930 to 1954
Area
1951
1950
1945
1940
1935
1930
United States .-
35.1
14.5
42.2
32.5
31.9
10.2
16.1
35.4
13.8
42.1
34.5
31.1
9.1
15.6
38.1
43.8
26.9
30.2
39.8
30.2
34.0
37.7
14.4
46.1
35.4
33.6
7.1
17.5
39.4
48.9
30.2
31.6
39.2
33.5
33.7
44.1
17.2
51.6
41.8
40.9
10.4
20.0
40.9
56.0
37.8
38.1
45.1
41.2
40.0
44.7
18.0
50.5
43.9
43.1
10.7
21.2
41.3
53.7
41.3
40.1
46.6
44.5
39.3
43.7
17.2
48.9
South
42.7
West
42.4
Geographic Divisions
New England ...
Middle Atlantic
D. ;i
20.4
40.4
West North Central
43.7
23.4
26.5
39.0
30.7
36. 0
52.4
39.0
39.2
West South Centra!
45.9
Mountain
Pacific
43.8
38. S
FARM TENURE
135
COUNTIES IN WHICH AT LEAST HALF OF THE LAND IN FARMS WAS
UNDER LEASE TO THE OPERATOR, 1910. 1935, 1940. AND 1945
1935
BASE FIGURES ARE FROM THE BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
U S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEG 46371 BU REAU OF AG RICULTU RAL ECONOMI CS
COUNTES W WHICH AT LEAST HALF OF THE LANO IN FARMS WAS
<, .^COUNTIES IN WHICH AT LEAST HALF OF THE LANO IN FARMS WAS UNDER LEASE TO THE OPERATOR.
p*M~ ~~^_ OCT-NOV. 1954
Figure 9-
Concentration of leased land. — The reduction in tenancy since
1935 can be seen in a general way by noting the increase in coun-
ties in which less than half of the land in farms is under lease.
By 1910 the United States contained all its present States with
the exception of Arizona and New Mexico, and yet commercial
agriculture in many parts of the country was still maturing. In
that year, 403 counties had over half their farmland under lease.
As a benchmark, the year 1910 helps to indicate the increase of
land under lease to a peak of 471 million acres in 1935 at which
time 1,107 counties had at least half of their farmland under lease.
Since 1935, the number of counties with over half the land under
lease declined to 1,017 in 1940, 592 in 1945, and 510 in 1950. In
T.i."V4 there was 482 counties with one-half or more of their land
under lease. Certain areas — notably the Mid-Plains, Corn Belt,
and Arkansas-Mississippi Delta — continue to have a relatively
heavy concentration of land under lease.
Since 1950, some slight shifts may be noted in the concentration
of leased land. Most of the decrease in the number of counties
with 50 percent or more of farmland under lease was in the South.
Otherwise, the pattern of leased land concentration remained
about the same in 1954 as in 1950, with slight changes accounted
for by minor changes in the proportion of land which would move
a county from the "less than half" to the "half or greater" cate-
gory or vice versa.
136
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
NUMBER OF FARMS, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR THE UNITED STATES
AND REGIONS, 1880 - 1954
FARMS
(thous.)
4,000
2,000
FARMS
(Ihous)
NORTH CENTRAL
-
-
-
-
-».
-
— ■«,
'
'
—^
1
-
1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 I960 IB80 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 I960
FARMS "
(thous.)
FARMS
i
(thous.)
SOI
JTH
-
-
-
-
\ -
■s?Z-
-
rr<^
^
*<
-»
—
__.^-'
^
i
^
-
-
-
WE
ST
-
-
€. //
^^•~
•^^
0, — "*^
v>. -
/
1
1
1950 I960
54C -132
Figure 10.
TENURE OF FARMS
Changes in the number of farms. — In 1954, the number of farms
in the Nation was nearly 600,000 below the number recorded in
1950. The 1954 total of approximately 4.8 million farms was also
the lowest recorded at any Census since 1890, at which time there
were about 4.6 million units. The 1954 number of farms also
represented a drop of more than 2 million from the peak reached
in 1935. The more restrictive definition of a farm used in 1950,
and again in 1954, accounted for a small part of the decline in the
number of farms for the last two Censuses as compared with
earlier years. The change in definition in 1950 accounted for a
drop of an estimated 150,000 to 170,000 farms between 1945 and
1950, most of which were owner-operated.
Changes in the tenure of farm operators. — In 1954, the Census
reported 2,736,951 full owners, 856,933 part owners, 20,647 man-
agers, and 1,167,885 tenants in the United States. The number of
farms in every tenure category, except part owners, has decreased
since 1950.
Regional comparisons show that, in varying degrees, the
changes in tenure generally have been in the same direction
throughout the country since the depression of the 1930's. The
number of full owners, managers, and tenants is decreasing and
the number of part owners is increasing slightly.
Operators who farm only land which they own represent 57.2
percent of all farm operators. The number of full owners in
1954 — 2,736,951 — is the lowest since 1925, when this tenure was
first classified separately.
From 1SS0 to 1930, both the number of tenants and the per-
centage of tenance increased continuously. Since 1930, the per-
centage of farms operated by tenants has shown successive de-
creases, although the highest number of tenants was not reached
until 1935. Tenant-operated farms in 1954 were fewer than for
(Continued on pape 188)
FARM TENURE
137
NUMBER OF FARMS. 1954
FARMS OPERATED BY FULL OWNERS
NUMBER, 1954
J iA&^JARMS OPERATED BY NONWHITE TENANTS (SOUTH ONLY)
NUMBER. 1954
FARMS OPERATED BY ALL TENANTS
NUMBER. 1954
Figure 11.
Geographic distribution of tenure groups. — Tenants have not
been so numerous in the Northeast and the West as in the South
and in the North Central Region. More than one-half of all
tenants are located in the South.
Tenant farms are most prevalent in cotton-and-tobacco grow-
ing areas. These predominantly southern-grown crops require a
large amount of hand labor as measured in hours per acre. Such
farms are usually small in total area. Tenant farms are also
numerous in areas where the productivity of land is relatively
high. Northern Illinois, northwestern Iowa, and the eastern
part of the Great Plains are examples of such areas.
Part-owner farms, while showing a fairly uniform distribution,
are more prevalent in the wheat- and corn-producing areas. Farm
(Continued on page 188)
Color of farm operators. — The Census classifies farm operators
as "white" or "nonwhite." Nonwhite includes Negroes, Indians,
Chinese, Japanese, and all other nonwhite races. In 1954, there
were 483,650 nonwhite farm operators in the United States. Of
these, 465,216, or 96.2 percent, were in the South where the non-
white farm operators are predominantly Negro. In the West,
most of the nonwhite farm operators are Indians. In the South,
nonwhite operators are concentrated in the Coastal Plains and
in the Mississippi Delta. There was a loss of 97,269 in the num-
ber of nonwhite operators between 1950 and 1954 for the country
as a whole and 93,874 for the South. The percentage of farm
tenancy among nonwhite operators dropped from 64.0 in 1950 to
59.6 in 1954 for the United States and from 65.4 to 61.0 percent
for the South during the same period.
COMPARISON OF CHANGES IN NUMBER OF FARMS, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR THE UNITED STATES
1945-1950 AND 1950-1954
NUMBER OF FARMS-INCREASE AND DECREASE
1950-1954
NUMBER OF FARMS - INCREASE AND DECREASE
JANUARY 1. 1945-APRIL 1.1950
'yV-FARMS OPERATED BY FULL OWNERS-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. JANUARY 1. 1945-APRIL 1.1950
s w>mTi»m o>
!U.W- FARMS OPERATED BY PART OWNERS-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
UNITED STATES NET INCREASE V
32.010, OR 3 9 PERCENT
\^4 ICOUNTT UNIT BASK) \Jf
^V-FARMS OPERATED BY PART OWNERS-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. JANUARY 1. 1945-APRIL I. 1950
auttu o- the a*»a
k}5-^FARMS OPERATED BY ALL TENANTS - INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
„ FARMS OPERATED BY ALL TENANTS-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER, JANUARY I. 1945-APRIL I, 1950
UNITED STATES NET DECREASE
414.292 OR 22 3 PERCENT '
, Af'Ul'MI >.* ■.- .<W-< I
Figure 12.
CHANGES IN NUMBER OF FARMS, BY COLOR AND TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR THE SOUTH: 1950-1954
WHITE OPERATORS (SOUTH ONLYHNCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
k>i-JARMS OPERATED BY NONWHITE OPERATORS-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
WHTE OWNERS(SOUTH ONLY) - INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
NONWHITE OWNERS (SOUTH ONLYI-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
WHITE TENANTS (SOUTH ONLYI-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
V
FARMS OPERATED BY NONWHITE TENANTS (SOUTH ONLY)
INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
■ '"I *P1VJ1
SJV FARMS OPERATED BY WHITE CROPPERS (SOUTH ONLYI-INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
FARMS OPERATED BY NONWHITE CROPPERS (SOUTH ONLY)
INCREASE AND DECREASE
IN NUMBER. 1950-1954
Figure 13.
140
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Ufr
PERCENTAGE OF ALL FARMS OPERATED BY TENANTS,
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
1954
ItA
c*
X
fta
J
LEGEND
PERCENT
I I UNDER 20 B59 SO TO 79
i 20 TO 39 H DO ANO OVER
£IH!40 TO 59
US DEPARTMENT Of COMMERCE
UNITED STATES AVERAGE
24 4 PERCENT
MAP NO A54 -02 I
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Figure 14.
Farm tenancy. — No agricultural Census since 1880 has reported
as few tenants as the 1,167,885 reported in 1954 : this number is
1.7 million less than the peak number in 1935. Operators who
own none of the land they cultivate represented, in 1954, a
smaller proportion of all farm operators than at any time in the
history of the Nation. However, one-fourth of the farms and
one-fourth of the cropland are still farmed by tenants.
One of the important features of tenancy in agricultural
production is that owners of resources (land, capital, and labor)
may combine these resources without the necessity of a per-
manent transfer. Tenancy is a means for a skilled manager to
operate a farm even with limited capital and land. Conversely,
it is a convenient arrangement for the owner of resources who
cannot, or prefers not to, participate in the actual farming opera-
tion. Tenancy has frequently been viewed as part of the course
toward ownership through successive steps of farm laborer,
tenant, part owner, owner operator, and landlord. It is recog-
nized, however, that several of these rungs of the so-called agri-
cultural ladder might be bypassed. Census data indicate that
many tenants become owners. In 1954, 70.5 percent of the farm
operators under 25 years of age were tenants, whereas only 9.3
percent of the operators 65 years or older were tenants. The
percentage of tenants was consistently lower as the age of the
operator increased.
The concentration of tenant farms, while traditionally great
in the South, has made certain notable shifts since Census data
became available. One of the principal reasons for the relatively
large number of tenant farms in the South was the sharecropping
system and its association with cotton and tobacco. Since many
of these tenant farms in the South are very small, they account
for a higher proportion of the farms than the land in farms.
In the Plains there is a heavier concentration of land under
lease than of the number of tenant farms because of the large
acreages operated by tenants and the large leased acreages of
part owners. In the high risk Plains area the number of coun-
ties in which at least half of the farms are operated by tenants
has varied from Census to Census. The Corn Belt has had a
relatively heavy concentration of both number of tenant farms
and rented land in farms ever since shortly after the beginning
of this century.
Considerable variation exists in the method of leasing as be-
tween different areas and types of farming. Croppers, of course,
are reported only in the South. Crop-share rent is found in vary-
ing degrees throughout the country, and is common on commer-
cial farms. Crop-share arrangements may also be combined with
a fixed cash rental — for example, for buildings, pasture, or hay-
land — to form the share-cash combination frequently reported by
operators in the Eastern Great Plains and Corn Belt. Cash
leasing is used less frequently than the other methods of rental
except for livestock-share. It is important in many of the graz-
ing areas of the West, in the South, and in New England.
Table 4. — Percent of all Farms Operated by Tenants, for
the United States and Regions: 1880 to 1954
Year
United
States
North-
east
North
Central
South
West
1954
24.0
26.8
31.7
38.7
42.1
42.4
38.6
38.1
37.0
35.3
28.4
25.6
6.0
6.8
8.6
12.6
13.8
12.5
13.0
17.2
18.2
20.8
18.4
16.0
23.3
24.2
29.1
35.4
36.3
34.1
32 0
31.1
28 9
27.9
23.4
20.5
29.4
34.1
40.4
48.2
53.5
55.5
51.1
49.6
49.6
47.0
38.5
36.2
12. 1
1950
1945
12.9
14.5
1940
1935
1930...
1925
1920
21.3
23.8
20.9
18.7
17.7
1910
1900
14.0
16.6
1890
12.1
1880 - ...
14.0
COUNTIES IN WHICH AT LEAST HALF OF THE FARMS WERE OPERATED BY TENANTS 1880, 1900, 1920, 1930, 1940,
1950, AND 1954
1950
MOST FREQUENT METHOD OF RENTING FARMS, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
LEGEND
1 I CASH E-ffvi-l SHARE
i i share-cash ^h croppers'1
♦ includes counties with no tenants or
with only other and unspecified tenants
u croppers shown separately only for the
south and 7 counties in southeastern missouri
us department of commerce
Figure 15.
142
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PERCENT OF RENTED FARMS, BY CLASS OF TENANT, FOR THE UNITED STATES
AND REGIONS: 1950 8k 1954
CASH
TENANTS
SHARE-
CASH
CROP-
SHARE
LIVESTOCK- OTHER
SHARE AND
UNSPECIFIED
CASH SHARE-
TENANTS CASH
CROP- LIVESTOCK- OTHER
SHARE SHARE AND
UNSPECIFIED
CASH SHARE- CROP- LIVESTOCK- CROPPERS OTHER
TENANTS CASH SHARE SHARE AND
UNSPECIFIEO
CASH SHARE-
TENANTS CASH
CROP- LIVESTOCK- OTHER
SHARE SHARE AND
UNSPECIFIED
Figure 16.
Changes in class of tenant by regions. — Most tenancy arrange-
ments require rental payment in the form of a share of the crops
or livestock. For the country as a whole, a slight increase in the
proportion of livestock-share leases and a slight decrease in the
proportion of cash leases were reported between 1950 and 1954.
In 1954, 162,144, or 3.4 percent of all farm operators, were
cash tenants and 165,566, or 3.5 percent, were share-cash tenants.
In share-cash arrangements the principal market crop is fre-
quently under a crop-share rental. Crop-share leases were used
on 333,254, or 6.9 percent of all farms, and livestock-share ar-
rangements were reported on 109,494, or 2.3 percent of all farms.
Sharecroppers numbered 272,572 and accounted for 5.6 percent
of all farms. Sharecroppers represented 23.3 percent of all
tenants in 1954, a position not greatly different from the one
they occupied in 1920 when this group was first separately
classified and at which time they comprised 22.9 percent of all
tenants.
FARMS OPERATED BY CLASS OF TENANT, 1954
FARMS OPERATED BY ALL TENANTS
NUMBER. 1954
FARMS OPERATED BY CASH TENANTS
NUMBER. 1954
FARMS OPERATED BY SHARE-CASH TENANTS
NUMBER. r954
FARMS OPERATED BY CROP-SHARE TENANTS
NUMBER. 1954
(EXCUUMG CROPPERS IM Tne SOUTH) 333.734
(LESS CROPPERS IN 7 SOUTKE4STERN
COUNTIES IN MISSOURI 3.437
CROP-SHARE TENANTS AS MAPPED 329.797
FARMS OPERATED BY LIVESTOCK-SHARE TENANTS
NUMBER. 1954
FARMS OPERATED BY CROPPERS
NUMBER. 1954
SOUTHERN STATES J71.37J
7 COUNTIES IN SOUTHEASTERN
MISSOURI 3.437
TOTAL 276.029
Figure 17-
The number of tenant farms. — With some exceptions, the prin-
cipal areas of concentration of tenants, as might be expected,
follow the areas of concentration of all farms ; for example, the
Great Lakes Region, the Piedmont, and New England. In terms
of change, however, it may be noted that, whereas the proportion
of all farms operated by tenants in the United States as a whole
dropped from 26.8 percent in 1950 to 24.4 percent in 1954, the
South showed a greater decline, from 34.1 percent to 30.1 percent.
Particular types of rental arrangements are associated with
certain areas. These variations can be accounted for, partially
at least, by differences in type of farming, climate, technology,
population type and concentration, and economic conditions.
Crop-share rentals are found in their various forms in many
parts of the country. A very high proportion of the leasing of
farma growing tobacco is on a share basis. Crop-share rentals
are also found with relatively high frequency in the Mississippi
Delta area and in the rice-producing portions of Louisiana and
Texas. Both ends of the Great Plains — North Dakota and
Texas — employ the crop-share lease to a relatively large extent.
Livestock-share leases are almost exclusively in the Corn Belt
and adjacent States such as Kentucky and Nebraska.
Cash leases are used most frequently for part-time or residen-
tial farms, for grazing land, and for crops with relatively stable
yield patterns or in areas where production contains less risk
and uncertainty. Consequently, they are used principally in the
South, the Corn Belt, eastern Plains, New England States, and
the States along the Pacific Coast.
Croppers, of course, are reported only in the South. This par-
ticular class of tenant is associated with the cotton and tobacco
culture both of which traditionally required intensive cultivation.
In the 1950-54 period, the number of croppers declined about 21
percent.
144
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
VALUE OF LAND AND BUILDINGS, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR,
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1900-1954
BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS
6
BILLIONS OF
PERCENT DOLLARS
BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS
40
1
SOUTH
30
-
20
-
h^r-
s
>•
-
10
"****-
«...•
1940
VALUE OF LAND AND BUILDINGS
50
40
NORTH CENTRAL
PERCENT
100
BILLIONS OF
PERCENT DOLLARS
100 30
Figure 18.
Total value of farm real estate. — The total value of land and
buildings in 1954 was 97.6 billion dollars, almost a six-fold
increase over the value reported in 1900. The long-run trend is
an increase in land values, with a cyclical peak in 1920 followed
by a decline which continued through 1935. Land values of all
farms, regardless of tenure of operator, increased since 1940, but
full owners showed a more rapid increase than tenants. The
data reveal that full owners continue to control the greatest
amount of land and buildings, as measured by value. The pro-
portion of the total value of land and buildings represented by
farms operated by tenants has decreased since 1920 with a more
pronounced decrease since 1940. The general decline in the
proportion of the value of land and buildings controlled by ten-
ants reflects, to an extent, the decrease in the proportion of farms
operated by tenants. The proportion of land in farms operated
by tenants is also on the decrease, having dropped from 29.4 in
1940 to 16.6 in 1954.
In 1954, for the Nation as a whole, and for all regions except
the North Central, the total value of farm real estate operated
by part owners was greater than that operated by tenants. How-
ever, recent trends indicate an increasing importance of farm
real estate operated by part owners in the North Central Region.
FARM TENURE
145
AVERAGE VALUE OF LAND AND BUILDINGS PER ACRE, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
LEGEND
DOLLARS
1 1 UNDER 25 ES^ 100 TO 149
f: j 25 TO 49 E&£§3 150 TO 199
E%^ 50 TO 74 H 200 AND OVER
i 75 TO 99
' NO FARMS
U S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
AVERAGE VALUE OF LANO AND BUILDINGS PER ACRE -INCREASE AND DECREASE, 1950-1954
(ECONOMIC AREA UNIT BASIS)
LEGEND
PERCENT INCREASE
[^~~ 1 LESS THAN 10 RBJSB 10 TO 49
F-^l 10 TO 19 BQQ *> TO 59
%%%| 20 TO 29 m 60 AND OVER
f»] PERCENT jlCREASE
0' IN[ CC»MJi
Figure 19-
Per acre values of farm real estate. — The highest per-acre values
of farmland and buildings, except for isolated cases, were reported
in the more urbanized areas of the Northeast, the more productive
locations of the Corn Belt area, and the Irrigated and crop-
specialty areas of the Far West. In most of these areas of higher
land values, particularly the Corn Belt, there is a greater con-
centration in the proportion of farmlands operated by full
tenants.
Changes in the value of farm real estate: 1950-1954. — From
1950 to 1954 the average per-acre value of land and buildings In
the United States increased 29.1 percent. The greatest per-
centage increases were in the areas with low land values; and,
conversely, the smallest increases were in the areas with high
values. The must drastics changes (50 percent and over) since
1950 took place in the Columbia River Basin, Central Valley of
California, southeast Texas, southern Arizona, and Florida.
146
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
AVERAGE VALUE OF LAND AND BUILDINGS PER FARM, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR. FOR THE
UNITED STATES AND REGIONS! 1954 AND 1950
THOUSANDS
OF DOLLARS
UNITED STATES
THOUSANDS
OF DOLLARS
PART
OWNERS
ALL
TENANTS
SHARE
CASH
CROP
SHARE
LIVESTOCK CROPPERS OTHER AND
SHARE SOUTH ONLY UNSPECIFCO
100
THE NORTHEAST
FULL PART ALL
OWNERS OWNERS TENANTS
CROP LIVESTOCK OTHER AND
SHARE SHARE UNSPECIFIED
THOUSANDS
Of DOLLARS
100
80
60
40
20
THE SOUTH
FULL PART ALL CASH SHARE CROP LIVESTOCK CROPPERS OTHER 8
OWNERS OWNERS TENANTS CASH SHARE SHARE UNSPECIFIED
THOUSANDS
OF DOLLARS
100
80
60
40
20
THE NORTH CENTRAL
FULL PART ALL CASH
OWNERS OWNERS TENANTS
SHARE
CASH
CROP LIVESTOCK OTHER AND
SHARE SHARE UNSPECIFIED
THOUSANDS
OF DOLLARS
100
FULL PART ALL CASH
OWNERS OWNERS TENANTS
CROP LIVESTOCK OTHER AND
SHARE SHARE UNSPECIFIED
1950
54C-I44-
Figure 20.
Average value of land and buildings per farm. — Ordinarily the
more productive lands are more attractive to tenancy, and farms
under tenant operators (sharecroppers excepted) are larger
than those under owner operators. Consequently, the value
of land and buildings per farm reported for tenants was higher
than that for owners. Part-owner farms showed higher per farm
values than either full owners or tenants.
Farms under share-cash and livestock-share leases continued
to show (compared with 1950) the highest per-farm values for
fully rented farms for the United States as a whole and for all
the regions except the Northeast. The pattern of average values
by tenure of operator is quite similar to that for 1950, except
that the values under share leases have increased slightly more
than those under cash leases.
The high value of land and buildings per commercial farm for
part owners is due to large size rather than high value per acre.
The relatively high value of commercial farms operated by share-
cash and livestock-share tenants, however, appears to be due to
both large size and a high value per acre compared with lands of
other tenure groups. The increases in per-farm values reported
in 1954 over those reported in 1950 were most pronounced on
part-owner, share-cash, crop-share, livestock-share, and unspec-
ified tenant farms.
FARM TENURE
147
SUBUNITS IN MULTIPLE UNITS AS A PERCENT OF ALL FARMS. 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
PERCENT
MULTIPLE- UNIT AREA 22.9
ALABAMA ,5 .
ARKANSAS ,. ,
FLORIDA jj
GEORGIA „.„
KENTUCKY , s Z
LOUISIANA .53
MISSISSIPPI 3.5
MISSOURI „= '?
NORTH CAROLINA ... |q n
SOUTH CAROLINA ... „".
TENNESSEE ,aQ
TEXAS e,2
VIRGINIA. ., |8r 6
0 MULTIPLE UNITS
CZD NOT IN MULTIPLE-UNIT AREA
MAP NO. M54-009
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Figure 21.
MULTIPLE-UNIT OPERATIONS
The nature of multiple units. — A classification as broad as that
set up by the Census Bureau definition of a farm necessarily in-
cludes many different types of agricultural units. Some of these
types, because of their distinctive characteristics, are given sep-
arate treatment in the Census reports. Multiple-unit operations
comprise one such special class.
Many landholdings, particularly in the Southern States, con-
tain several farms, as farms are defined by the Census Bureau,
but in reality these farms belong to one landlord, and in many
instances they are managed as a single farm business unit.
The listing of these farms only as individual farms gives an in-
complete picture of the actual nature of farming in these areas
and, for this reason, it has been considered desirable to present
statistics for the overall management units as well as for the
separate farms. Information has been collected pertaining to
such characteristics as the number, size, relative importance,
and major crops of certain types of multiple-unit operations.
To qualify as a multiple-unit operation, a landholding must
consist of two or more farms, one of which may be the "home"
farm, and all others must be operated by sharecroppers. Thus,
the distinguishing feature of multiple-unit operations, as here
defined, is that the landlord provides all of the work power for
the farms in the unit. Statistics have been compiled for those
counties in which multiple-unit operations form a significant part
of the agriculture. In 1954, these counties numbered nearly
900, most of which were in the Southeast.
Distribution. — The concentration of multiple units was heaviest
in the Mississippi Delta region, with pockets in eastern North
Carolina and southwestern Georgia. In Mississippi, more than
35 percent of all farms were in multiple units and these units
contained almost half of the cropland harvested in the State in
1954. In the multiple-unit area of Arkansas, the percentages for
farms and cropland harvested were 31.2 and 38.6, respectively. At
the other extreme, in the newer agricultural regions of the
South — Texas and Florida — this type of farm organization is
relatively insignificant. For the multiple-unit area as a whole,
more than one-fifth of all farms were part of multiple-unit
operations.
Cotton and tobacco. — The nature of multiple-unit operations
becomes clearer when we consider the type of farming that is
associated with them. Cotton and tobacco seem to be particularly
well adapted to this type of operation. Nearly 35 percent of the
total cotton acreage harvested was on multiple-unit farms. The
percentage of cotton acreage in multiple-unit farms was 55.8 for
Mississippi. The percentages of tobacco grown on multiple-unit
farms were smaller. Both of these crops require large amounts
of hand labor in planting, growing, and harvesting, and the
cropper system provides this labor without large outlays of
capital and at the time it is needed. In the production of cotton
in particular, the multiple-unit organization permits concentra-
tion of managerial functions in the hands of the landlord, en-
ables him to supervise closely liis labor force, and makes unneces-
sary the risking of the rash outlay that the use of hired labor
would involve.
Past and future. — The kinship of modern multiple-unit opera-
tions with pre-Civil War plantation organization is very clear.
During the decades following the War, a number of circum-
stances combined to produce the cropper system as we know it
today. Cotton and tobacco were even more the staples of the
South than they are at present: landowners found themselves
148
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
COTTON ACREAGE HARVESTED IN MULTIPLE UNITS AS A PERCENT
OF TOTAL COTTON ACREAGE HARVESTED, 1954
(ECONOMIC AREA UNIT BASIS)
U 5 DEPARTMENT Of COMMERCE
vtV'
LEGEND
PERCENT
ES3 UNDER
10
K£2lO TO
24
822325 TO
39
BSS40 TO
54
HB 55 AND
OVER
□ no cotton
□ not in
MULTIPLE
PERCENT
MULTIPLE- UNIT AREA.. 34 4
ALABAMA 26 .2
ARKANSAS 46 8
FLORIDA 7.9
GEORGIA 40 7
KENTUCKY 58 7
LOUISIANA--- 36.7
MISSISSIPPI 55 8
MISSOURI 31 .4
NORTH CAROLINA 34 9
SOUTH CAROLINA 39 0
TENNESSEE- 37 9
TEXAS 14 2
VIRGINIA 27 3
UNIT AREA
MAP NO. M54-025
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Figure 22.
in need of labor to produce these labor-intensive crops, but few
had the cash for paying wage hands; and ex-slaves had virtually
no alternative but to return to working the land of their former
owners. The "furnish" system and the sharing of the crop
developed to meet the needs of these groups.
Sharecropping and the multiple-unit operations associated with
sharecropping, however, have been undergoing rather funda-
mental changes for the past several decades. The reasons for
these declines are many and varied. Probably the most important
force at work is the migration of croppers into nonfann jobs in
response to the relative attractiveness of industrial employment.
Reinforcing this factor have been the shift westward of our
cotton areas, the mechanization of cotton production, and the
relatively low income condition of many of the cotton farmers.
Perhaps the most basic development has been the rapid and con-
tinuous decline in the total number of sharecroppers, noted earlier
in this report. The total has dropped from 783,459 in 1930 to
276,029 in 1954, a decrease of nearly two-thirds. As a conse-
quence of the decrease in the number of sharecroppers, during
this same period there was a substantial decline in the number
of farms in multiple-unit operations. Between 1950 and 1954,
the two years for which we have comparable statistics, the num-
ber of farms in multiple units (in the 1954 multiple-unit area)
decreased from 466,273 to 403,186.
The decline in the number of multiple-unit farms between 1950
and 1954 has been largely in those farms producing cotton rather
than tobacco.
FARM TENURE
149
TOBACCO ACREAGE HARVESTED IN MULTIPLE UNITS AS A PERCENT
OF TOTAL TOBACCO ACREAGE HARVESTED, 1954
(ECONOMIC AREA UNIT BASIS)
U S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
LEGEND
PERCENT
10
24
39
54
OVER
□ NO TOBACCO
□ NOT IN MULTIPLE-UNIT AREA
PERCENT
MULTIPLE - UNIT AREA „.3I
ALABAMA 19 3
ARKANSAS 1/
FLORIDA 139
GEORGIA 312
KENTUCKY 18.7
LOUISIANA (NA)
MISSISSIPPI U.
MISSOURI y
NORTH CAROLINA 37 6
SOUTH CAROLINA 34.3
TENNESSEE 27 1
TEXAS 1/
VIRGINIA 32 7
U NO TOBACCO
(NA) NOT AVAILABLE
MAP NO M54-OI2
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Figure 23.
SECTION II
Production
FARM TENURE
153
TYPE- OF- FARMING AREAS, BASED ON TYPE ACCOUNTING FOR 50 PERCENT
OR MORE OF COMMERCIAL FARMS, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
LEGEND
TYPE-OF-FARMING AREA
IIM CASH-GRAIN
IsESJ COTTON
hm2 other field-crop
hi] vegetable
3fruit-ano-nut
*N0 FARMS
■I LIVESTOCK (OTHER THAN
DAIRY AND POULTRY)
I I GENERAL (NO ONE TYPE
50 PERCENT OR MORE)
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO AS4 -210
BUREAU OF Tit CENSUS
Figure 24.
TYPE OF FARMING
The vast differences in types of farming in the United States
have resulted from a number of important natural economic and
cultural conditions. These diverse conditions, through a varied
agriculture, have been reflected in the tenure pattern.
A complex agriculture. — Such factors as variations in tem-
perature, soil, rainfall, and the availability of land for agriculture
determine the type of farming in the several areas. The wide
variation in temperature has caused such areas as the Dakotas
to specialize in spring wheat, barley, and flax to suit their short
growing season and, in contrast, permitted the Deep South to
become the world's largest cotton-producing area. The high,
rugged mountain terrain of the West and the low rainfall have
mostly excluded agriculture or confined it to grazing and special
crops in a few restricted areas. The western mountain ranges
have also been largely responsible for the lack of rainfall in much
of the Great Plains area. Rainfall in the eastern one-half of the
Nation, however, has been adequate to accommodate whatever
the other physical and economic conditions required. Soils vary
from the relatively infertile podzols of the Lakes region to the
rich alluvium of the Mississippi. These and other physical and
biological factors have combined with many important cultural
conditions to form a complex agriculture.
No less important are the economic forces that have called for
increases or decreases in production of particular types and at
certain locations. Costs and returns, both in money and in grati-
fication, have been basic in the development of agricultural pro-
duction and in the ways that people work together to attain this
production.
Types of farms. — In 1054, farms were classified by type on
the basis of the sales of a particular product or group of products
that accounted for 50 percent or more of the total value of prod-
ucts sold. If the sales from a product or a group of products did
not represent 50 percent of the value of all products sold, the farm
was called "general." Tenants operated a greater proportion of
the field-crop farms than of the livestock farms. Owners and
part owners operated most of the livestock farms and almost all
of the poultry and fruit-and-nut farms. The "general" farms
were divided tenurewise in roughly the same proportions as all
commercial farms.
Cash-grain farms are found in northern and south-central
Plains States and in the region of northeastern Washington. Of
course, large quantities of small grains and corn are grown in the
Corn Belt region, but much of the grain in this area is marketed
through livestock. Of the 537,838 commercial cash-grain farms
in 1954, 35.6 percent were operated by owners, 31.5 percent by
part owners, and 32.7 percent by tenants. Since 1950, the num-
ber of commercial cash-grain farms had increased by 107,449.
Fifty-two percent of this increased number were operated by full
owners, 36* percent by part owners, and only 13 percent by tenants.
Cotton farms, which are traditionally labor-intensive (but are
rapidly becoming more mechanized in the commercial areas), are
operated mainly under rental arrangements. In 1954, the 525gOS
commercial cotton farms were 24.3 percent full owner operated,
16.2 percent part owner operated and 59.3 percent tenant operated.
Twenty-eight percent of the commercial cotton farm operators
were croppers. There were 84,099 fewer commercial cotton farms
in 1954 than in 1950. During this period there was an increase
in the mechanization of cotton farming and a heavy migration
of labor out of agriculture.
154
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PERCENT OF FARMS IN EACH TYPE- OF- FARM GROUfJ
BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, COMMERCIAL FARMS
FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1954
CASH- GRAIN
COTTON
OTHER FIELD-CROP
VEGETABLE
FRUIT-AND-NUT
DAIRY
POULTRY
LIVESTOCK OTHER
THAN DAIRY
AND POULTRY
GENERAL
MISCELLANEOUS
FARMS
| FULL OWNERS
Y///\ MANAGERS
PART OWNERS
ALL TENANTS
64C -16 I
Figure 25.
Other field-crop farms are those growing peanuts, potatoes,
tobacco, sugarcane, and sugar beets. Of these crops, tobacco is
most significant in Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky.
Sugarcane predominates in southern Louisiana. Farms classified
by type on the basis of potatoes, peanuts, and sugar beets do not
predominate in most of the areas where these crops are grown. A
much higher proportion of these crops are grown on other types
of farms. Tobacco and peanut enterprises are associated with
the relatively high rate of tenancy on "other field-crop" farms.
Full owners comprised 38.5 percent, part owners, 18.1 percent :
and tenants, J/3.3 percent of other field-crop farms in 1954.
Vegetable farms, which involve relatively small acreages of
highly developed land and require very close supervision and man-
agement, are most frequently operated by owners or part owners.
In 1904, 52.0 percent of commercial vegetable farms were full-
owner-operated, 29.8 percent were part-owner-operated, and only
11.1 percent tenant-operated.
{Continued on paye 188)
Table 1. — Percent Distribution of Commercial Farms in
Each Type-of-Farm Group, by Tenure of Operator, for
the United States: 1954
[Data are based on reports for only a sample of farms]
Type of farm
All commercial farms
Cash-grain
Cotton
Other field-crop
Vegetable
Fruit-and-nut
Dairy
Poultry
Livestock other than dairy and
poultry
General _
Miscellaneous
Tenure of operator
Full
owners
Part
owners
Managers
Tenants
Percent
Percent
Percent
Percent
47.9
22.7
0.5
28.8
35.6
31.5
.2
32.7
24.3
16.2
.2
59.3
38.5
18.1
.2
43.3
52.0
29.8
1.1
17.1
81.7
11.5
2.5
4.3
61.6
24.3
.5
13.6
83.0
10.2
.5
6.4
55.3
24.2
1.0
19.6
48.9
27.3
.3
23.5
80.6
12.2
1.9
5.4
All com-
mercial
farms
Percent
100.0
16.2
15.8
11.1
1.0
2.5
16.5
4.6
20.9
10.4
1.1
FARM TENURE
155
PERCENT OF VALUE OF SPECIFIED CROPS ANO LIVESTOCK SOLD, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR
FOR COMMERCIAL FARMS, FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1954
TENURE OF OPERATOR
CLASS OF TENANT
cash i-:-::-;:] share -cash V/A. share
■ CROPPER Kggg OTHER
Figure 26.
CROP AND LIVESTOCK OUTPUT
The volume of production. — Estimates made by the United
States Department of Agriculture indicate that gross cash
marketings in 1954 totaled more than $30 billion, or just $3 bil-
lion under the all-time high for cash marketings of $33 billion
reached in 1951. As a measure of total physical volume of pro-
duction, without effects of price variation, the United States
Department of Agriculture's index of farm marketings gives
some idea of the growth of farm production. According to this
index of farm marketings (based on 1947-49=100), aggregate
production rose from 51 in 1910 and 100 in 1950 to 111 in 1954.
The index of livestock products (based on 1947—49=100) rose
from 50 in 1910 and 103 in 1950 to 117 in 1954. The index of
crops grown (based on 1947-49=100) rose from 53 in 1910 and
96 in 1950 to 102 in 1954. The volume of production in terms of
the index of farm marketings was, at that time, an all-time high.
Crops had fallen off somewhat from previous years, but this
was representative of the shifts in type of production toward
livestock, not a reduction of overall output.
Although total value of all farm products sold by tenure of
operator was not available from the 1954 Census of Agriculture,
some specified crop and livestock values were reported. The
commodities that are classified by tenure of the operator may be
used to illustrate the relationship between the production
processes and tenure.
The different tenure forms, as they are commonly used, have
particular characteristics that adapt them to certain types of
production. Around each type of agriculture there have evolved
tenure arrangements associated with that particular type of
agriculture. Some of the factors that might have influenced this
are the relative importance of a farm as a home; the relative
degree of skill that may be required ; the amount of labor re-
quired : the relative importance of investment in buildings, land,
livestock, and machinery ; the kind and degree of government
controls and incentives ; the risks involved ; and the length of the
production cycle.
Crops. — Full owners on commercial farms operated 31.1 per-
cent of the 78,133,60S acres of cornland; part owners, 29.8 per-
cent; managers, O.S percent; and tenants, 33.6 percent. On full-
owner farms, 23.7 percent of the cropland harvested was in corn ;
on part-owner farms, 19.0 percent ; on manager farms, 11.5 per-
cent; and on tenant farms, 2S.7 percent. The tendency for ten-
ants to have a large portion of their cropland in corn is slightly
more pronounced in the case of corn grown for grain. Acres of
corn grown for grain as a percent of all cropland harvested was
19Jt for full owners, 15.6 for part owners, S.8 for managers, and
26.2 for tenants. Virtually all of the corn produced by tenants
in the commercial corn area is grown on farms that have crop-
share or share-cash leases, and the corn itself is usually grown
on a share arrangement.
A relatively large percent of the cotton acreage is operated by
tenants. In 1954, 43.6 percent of the acreage in cotton was
operated by tenants on commercial farms, whereas 20.0, 30.1, and
2.3 percent, respectively, were operated by full owners, part own-
ers, aud managers. Sharecropping and crop-share tend to be the
most common leasing arrangements. In such arrangements, it is
a rather common practice for the landlord to contribute a high
degree of supervision.
(Continued on pope 1SS)
Table 2. — Percent Distribution of the Value of Specified
Crops and Livestock Sold, by Tenure of Operator of
Commercial Farms, for the United States: 1954
(Data are based on reports for only a sample of farms]
All
Tenants
Item
Full
Part
Man-
ten-
Crop-
Other
owners
owners
agers
ants
Share-
and
Crop-
and
Cash
cash
live-
stock-
share
pers
un-
speci-
fied
Per-
Per-
Per-
Per-
Per-
Per-
Per-
Per-
Per-
cent
cent
cent
cent
cent
cent
cent
cent
cent
Corn
26.1
29.0
0.7
44.2
5.2
46.6
41.9
3.2
3.1
Cotton
21.0
31.1
31.9
18.9
4.3
.6
42.7
49.4
7.2
2.0
6.5
2.3
48.6
40.9
33.4
50.3
4.3
Tobacco
4.4
Cattle and
calves
37.5
34.9
6.6
21.0
14.3
29.0
50.9
.9
4.9
Hops and pigs. - -
38.3
26.3
.9
34.4
9.1
32.6
53.2
1.2
3.9
Chickens
72.5
14.7
3.7
9. 1
19.6
12.6
34.4
11.5
21.9
66.8
48.7
18.8
30.7
1.5
1.7
12.9
18.9
15.5
28.3
33.0
17.4
40.5
45.4
1.4
1.2
9.6
Milk
7.6
156
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PERCENT OF CROPLAND HARVESTED REPRESENTED BY ACRES HARVESTED OF THE PRINCIPAL CROPS.
BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR COMMERCIAL FARMS
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
FULL OWNERS
PERCENT
UNITED STATES
PART OWNERS MANAGERS
PERCENT PERCENT
ALL TENANTS
PERCENT
0 10 20 30 40 50 O 10 20 30 40 0 10 20 30 40 O 10 20 30 40 50
CORN
TOBACCO
COTTON
NORTHEAST
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS ALL TENANTS
PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT
O 10 20 30 40 50 O 10 20 30 40 0 10 20 30 40 0 10 20 30 40 50
FULL OWNERS
PERCENT
10 20 30 40 50
NORTH CENTRAL
PART OWNERS MANAGERS
PERCENT PERCENT
10 20 30 40 0 10 20 30 40
ALL TENANTS
PERCENT
10 20 30 40 50
CORN
HAY
TOBACCO
COTTON
NA
NO
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
SOUTH
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS ALL TENANTS
PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT
0 10 20 30 40 50 O 10 20 30 40 0 10 20 30 40 O 10 20 30 40 50
CORN
TOBACCO
COTTON
FULL OWNERS
PERCENT
WEST
PART OWNERS
PERCENT
MANAGERS
PERCENT
ALL TENANTS
PERCENT
O 10 20 30 40 50 0 10 20 30 40 0 10 20 30 40 0 10 20 30 40 50
CORN
TOBACCO NA
NA - NOT AVAILABLE
Figure 27.
FARM TENURE
157
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF ACRES OF THE PRINCIPAL CROPS HARVESTED,
BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR COMMERCIAL FARMS,
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
UNITED STATES
FULL OWNERS
PERCENT
20 30 40 50 60 0
PART OWNERS
PERCENT
10 20 30 40
30 0
MANAGERS
PERCENT
10 20 O
TENANTS
PERCENT
20 30 40
50
CORN
HAY
TOBBACO-"
COTTON II
NORTH EAST
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS TENANTS
PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 O 10 20 0 10 20 30 40 50
NORTH CENTRAL
3
FULL OWNERS
PERCENT
0 20 30 40 50 6C
PART OWNERS
PERCENT
3 10 20 30 40 50
MANAGERS
PERCENT
0 10 2C
TENANTS
PERCENT
D 10 20 30 40 50
CORN
^^™
[
HAY
TOBBACO-^
COTTON ■"
1
CORN
HAY
TOBBACO
COTTON
SOUTH
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS TENANTS
PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 O 10 20 O 10 20 30 40 50
WEST
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS TENANTS
PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 0 10 20 0 10 20 30 40 50
CORN
HAY
TOBBACO-"
COTTON -"
^ SOUTH
SOUTH ONLY
l
Figure 28.
407763— r.7 11
158
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION
OF ALL LAND IN FARMS ACCORDING TO MAJOR USES, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR,
FOR THE UNITED STATES- 1945-1954
ALU FARM OPERATORS
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
SHARE-CASH
SHARE (CROP-SHARE AND
LIVESTOCK-SHARE)
CROP-SHARE
LIVESTOCK-SHARE
CROPPERS (SOUTH ONLY)
OTHER AND UNSPECIFIED
100
I9S4
1950
1945
1954
1950
1945
1954
1950
1945
1954
1950
1945
1954
1950
1945
1954
1950
1945
1954
1950
1945
1954
1950
1945
1954
I960
1945
••••••v. vc*>
....... ................ ^^yj. 1
N A NOT AVAILABLE
IQOfl^M TOTAL CROPLANO
KNNKSaa^ TOTAL PASTURE
ft^f.V-.V/J TOTAL WOODLAND
B33 CROPLAND HARVESTED AND CROPLANO NOT HARVESTED AND NOT PASTURED
|>C^i CROPLAND USED ONLY FOR PASTURE
1 OTHER PASTURE (NOT CROPLAND AND NOT WOODLAND)
WOODLAND PASTURED
Y:::-:yj woodland not pastured
1 I OTHER LAND(HOUSE LOTS, WASTELAND, ETC.)
Figure 29.
LAND USE
Major land uses. — The total acreage of cropland In the United
States declined from 479,371,116 acres in 1949 to 461,937,776 acres
in 1954. The acreage of pastureland, however, increased from
619,691,813 in 1949 to 647,366,156 in 1954. Although total crop-
land declined, the cropland per farm increased from 94.8 acres
in 1949 to IO4.3 in 1954. Cropland in commercial farms averaged
122.5 acres in 1949 and 133.9 acres in 1954. The average acreage
of cropland increased in all tenures, except for managers, but
the average acreage of pasture showed even greater increases.
Since tenants tend toward crop production and managers to-
ward livestock production, it is not surprising that in 1954 the
cropland in commercial tenant-operated farms represented a
higher percentage of all land in their farms than for any other
tenure, 61.8, and the cropland in commercial manager-operated
farms represented the lowest percentage, 13.2.
Commercial farms operated by tenants under crop-share lease
arrangements tend to have the highest proportion of cropland.
In 1954, 74.8 percent of land in commercial crop-share farms was
cropland, and 20.0 percent was pastureland. In contrast, crop-
land in commercial cash-rented farms was only 27.3 percent of
the land in farms and pastureland was 70.9 percent. Cropper
farms, of course, contain a very high proportion of cropland since
they are associated almost exclusively with cash-crop enterprises,
notably cotton and tobacco. In 1954, for commercial cropper
FARM TENURE
159
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF CROPLAND, LAND PASTURED, AND WOODLAND
BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR COMMERCIAL FARMS
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
UNITED STATES
PERCENT
60
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS ALL TENANTS
B~"fe^ M-~ffl M-res
JBLsOS IT — fvvi .
SHARE-CASH CROP- SHARE
LIVESTOCK-
SHARE
CROPPERS OTHER AND
(SOUTH ONLY) UNSPECIFIED
50
40
30
20
NORTHEAST
NORTH CENTRAL
■affl
— -»— - 1
1111
FULL PART MANAGERS ALL CASH SHARE- CROP- LIVE- CROPPERS OTHER
OWNERS OWNERS TENANTS CASH SHARE STOCK ANO
SHARE UNSPECIFIED
FULL PART MANAGERS ALL CASH SHARE CR0P_1 LIVE- CROPPERS OTHER
OWNERS OWNERS TENANTS CASH SHARE STOCK- AND
SHARE UNSPECIFIED
SOUTH
I l-ll Jfo m^_
PULL PART MANAGERS ALL CASH
OWNERS OWNERS TENANTS
E
Bag
I . PASTURE
CROP- LIVE- CROPPERS OTHER
SHARE STOCK- ANO
SHARE UNSPECIFIED
WEST
■ ft
FULL PART MANAOERS ALL CASH SHARE
OWNERS OWNERS TENANTS CASH
11 "
CROP LIVEj^ CROPPERS OJ£ER
iHARE STOCK ANO
SHARE UNSPECIFIED
Figure 30.
farms 73.1 percent of the land was cropland and 17.2 percent,
pastureland. Much of the woodland and pastureland of multiple-
unit operations is retained in the home farm.
Regional variations. — In the Northeast, the largest proportion
of both cropland and pastureland is operated by full owners.
This is in contrast with the West where a major share of each
is operated by part owners. In the South and North Central
regions, tenants account for a greater share of cropland than in
the other two regions. Tenant farms with crop-share leases gen-
erally contain a high proportion of cropland in all regions, par-
ticularly in the West and South. Livestock-share arrangements
are most common in the North Central region.
160
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
ACRES
600
AVERAGE SIZE OF FARM, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR
THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1900-1954
UNITED STATES
FULL OWNERS
TENANTS
PART OWNERS
CROPPERS
-
- — - — _____
r=
""^."—
-
i
i
'
1910
NORTHEAST
ACRES
500
1940 I960
NORTH CENTRAL
300
1950 '54
ACRES
400
SOUTH
200
-
-\
= __.
_*—^.
— — — .
,-
■
-•**
^^^^^" "
1
1
ACRES
2500
2000
1500
WEST
500
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 "54 1900
-^^^— r--
1920 1930 1940
Figure 31.
SIZE OF FARM
Increases in farm size. — One of the outstanding characteristics
of twentieth century agriculture in the United States has been
the growth in farm size. Since the total acreage of land in farms
has changed little in this period, it follows that most of the in-
crease in average farm size has come from the reduction in farm
numbers. In 1954, 599,746 fewer farms were recorded than in
1950, while the average size of farm increased from 215.3 acres
to 242.2 acres. For the United States as a whole, this trend
toward larger and fewer farms is accelerating.
The largest increases in average farm size have taken place
in part-owner farms. Since 1910, the only reduction in the size
of farms operated by part owners occurred in the post World War
II period. Part of this reduction may have been due to the re-
turn of servicemen whose lands had been operated under lease
by other farmers. Between 1950 and 1954, the average size of
part-owner farms increased 36.7 acres or 7.2 percent. Part-owner
farms have increased in number and in acreage per farm since
1950. Both owner and tenant farms have increased in size since
1935.
Acreage is only one measure of farm size. Other factors of
production such as labor, capital, and management also must be
FARM TENURE
161
taken into account if anything is to be said about the relative
productivity of various sizes of farms. Farm size is most im-
portant in relation to tenure as tenure affects (1) the total quan-
tity and (2) the proportions of various factors used on the farm.
Quality of the land, as well as rainfall, soil, temperature, slope,
and location, is important in comparisons of farm size in differ-
ent regions. To a certain extent, quality of land is associated
with tenure. For example, manager-operated farms contain a
much higher proportion of uncultivated and low valued land than
do tenant farms. For the United States as a whole, in 1954,
tenant farms were the only farms on which the average acreage
pastured did not exceed the average acreage of cropland.
Farm size by regions. — In all regions, with but one exception,
average farm size ranged upward from full owners, tenants, part
owners to managers. The exception occurred in the South where
the average size of farms of full owners was greater than that of
tenants. The low average size of tenant farms in the South
can be attributed largely to the small acreages operated by
(Continued on page 189)
Table 3. — Average Size of Farm, by Tenure of Operator,
for the United States and Regions, 1954 and 1950
Tenure of operator
United
States
North-
east
North-
west
South
West
All farms:
1954
Acres
242.2
215.3
144.5
135.6
548.7
512.0
4, 835. 8
4, 473. 2
164.9
146.8
Acres
120.9
111.0
102.4
97.6
195.2
179.2
460.7
390.1
124.5
119.1
Acres
230.9
212.2
145.7
137.3
418.1
397.4
1, 187. 5
1. 234. 5
243.1
222.8
Acres
166.7
148.2
132.4
123.2
360.9
332.3
2,941.4
2, 989. 6
95.5
89.7
Acres
798.2
1950
702.9
Full owners:
1954
234.2
1950 _-_
225.2
Part owners:
1954 .
2, 112. 4
1950
1, 889. 3
Managers:
1954
14, 830. 9
1950 .
13, 168. 2
Tenants:
1954
511.0
1950
449.7
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF SIZE GROUP OF CROPLAND HARVESTED, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR,
FOR COMMERCIAL FARMS, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
10-19 20-29 30-49 50-99 100-199 200-499 500ondOver Acres 1-9 10-19 20-29 30-49 50-99 100-199 200-499 500ondOwr
FULL OWNERS KSSSSS PART OWNERS
407763—57 12
Figure 32.
H2
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
\}V^^ IRRIGATED LAND AS A PERCENT OF ALL LAND IN FARMS FOR 20 STATES, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
LEGEND
PERCENT
I UNDER 10 |::::"::j 30 TO 39
I I 10 TO 19 5SSSS 4° TO 49
W'-;\ 20T0 29 H 50 AND OVER
* NO FARMS
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
20 STATES AVERAGE
2.6 _
MAP NO ASA- 267
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Figure 33.
IRRIGATION
Irrigated farms and acreage. — The United States, in 1954, con-
tained 324,437 farms reporting some irrigation. These farms re-
ported 29,799,482 acres irrigated or 2.6 percent of all farmland.
The farms reporting irrigation represented 6.8 percent of all
farms and 8.0 percent of commercial farms. The average size
of commercial irrigated farms was 109.7 acres in 1954, an increase
of 8.5 acres since 1949. There were 17,820 more irrigated farms
in 1954 than in 1949. In 1954, 58.6 percent of all the irrigated
farms were full-owner operated and 23.0 percent were part-
owner operated. Of all the irrigated land in farms, 34.2 percent
was operated by full owners and 3S.5 percent by part owners.
Tenants operated 16.8 percent of the irrigated farms and 20.2 per-
cent of the irrigated land. Managers operated 1.6 percent of all
the irrigated farms and 7.1 percent of all irrigated land.
Regional variations. — Irrigation is of considerably greater im-
portance in the relatively arid West than in the eastern portions
of the country. In the 17 Western States and Arkansas, Florida,
and Louisiana, 301,870 farms reported 29,183,428 acres irrigated
in 1954. The most extensive areas of irrigation are found in the
far western States such as Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, and Cali-
fornia. In Nevada, for example, 87.8 percent of the farms re-
ported some irrigation, whereas, in North Dakota, only 0.6 per-
cent of the farms were irrigated. In the 20 States, the irrigated
cropland harvested was reported for 271,160 farms and amounted
to 24,419,703 acres or 90.1 acres per farm.
The tenure of operators of irrigated farms varied among the
States. In Colorado, about one-fourth of the irrigated farms, and
22.4 percent of all farms, were tenant operated. However, in
Utah where S5.0 percent of all farms were irrigated, only 5.1 per-
cent of the irrigated farms and 5.6 percent of all farms were
operated by tenants. In Louisiana and Arkansas a relatively
small percent of all farms were irrigated, but all the rice was
produced by irrigation ; in these two States, respectively, 30.3 and
43.1 percent of the irrigated farms were tenant operated.
The pattern of tenure on irrigated land in farms is similar to
that suggested by the number of farms. In Nebraska, in 1954,
42.5 percent of the irrigated land was tenant-operated. Arkan-
sas, with 37.7 percent tenant-operated and Louisiana, with 34-8
percent, had relatively larger proportions of their irrigated land
in farms operated by tenants. Managers operated 24-1 percent of
the irrigated farmland in Florida where a large part of the
truck-crop production is irrigated.
FARM TENURE
163
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF IRRIGATED FARMS, BY
TENURE OF OPERATOR FOR 17 WESTERN STATES,
ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA AND FLORIDA, 1954 AND 1950
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF IRRIGATED LAND IN FARMS
BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, 17 WESTERN STATES,
ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA, AND FLORIDA, 1954 AND 1950
PERCENT
•90 60
CALIFORNIA
TEXAS
IDAHO
COLORADO
MONTANA
OREGON
WYOMING
NEBRASKA
ARIZONA
UTAH
ARKANSAS
WASHINGTON
LOUISIANA
NEW MEXICO
NEVADA
FLORIDA
KANSAS
OKLAHOMA
SOUTH DAKOTA
NORTH DAKOTA
: Hi FULL
AND MANAGERS f^\j PART OWNERS \'.:y/:'.\ TENANTS
54C- 122
FULL OWNERS AND MANAGERS
PART OWNERS vXv] TENANTS
Figure 34-
Table 4.— PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF IRRIGATED FARMS AND LAND IN FARMS, BY TENURE OF
OPERATOR, FOR 17 WESTERN STATES, ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA, AND FLORIDA: 1954
[Data are based on reports for only a sample of farms]
Irrigated farms
Irrigated acres
State
Irrigated farms
Irrigated acres
State
Full
owners
and
mana-
gers
Part
owners
Ten-
ants
Full
owners
and
mana-
gers
Part
owners
Ten-
ants
Full
owners
and
mana-
gers
Part
owners
Ten-
ants
Full
owners
and
mana-
gers
Part
owners
Ten-
ants
Total, 20 States...
California
Texas
Percent
60.6
71.5
38.7
0?.7
56. 4
52.3
69.9
50.5
29.1
64.3
67.5
Percent
22.8
17.2
32.3
18.8
19.6
34.0
21.0
31.3
30.3
2.3.3
27 '.4
Percent
16.6
11.3
29.0
18.6
24.0
13.7
9.2
18.2
40.7
12.3
5.1
Percent
41.1
43.8
26.8
50.0
44.5
41.2
54.4
42.7
23.6
43.8
54.2
Percent
38.6
40.9
41.4
29.2
29.7
47.(1
35.7
44.0
33.9
41.9
40.5
Percent
20.4
15.3
31.7
20.8
25.8
11.8
9.9
13.3
42.5
14.2
5.2
Arkansas
Washington.
Louisiana ._.
Percent
27.7
73.8
39, 9
us 1
76. 9
74.8
26.7
37.7
40.2
55. 7
Percent
29.1
17.4
29.9
20.8
15 9
16.5
50.2
40.0
43.0
38 5
Percent
43.1
B '.I
31). 3
11. 1
7.3
8.7
23.0
22.4
16.8
7.8
Percent
25.2
52.0
17.3
45.0
72.3
69.4
15.5
28.0
33.9
44.2
Percent
37.1
34.2
47.9
34.5
23.3
24.0
56.4
47.0
46.8
50.1
Percent
37.7
13.9
34.8
20.5
Florida
Kansas
Oklahoma .
4.4
Colorado
Montana
Oregon
6.6
28.1
25.1
19.2
5.7
Utah
164
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
NUMBER OF FAMILY WORKERS (INCLUDING OPERATOR) AND HIRED WORKERS PER FARM REPORTING,
COMMERCIAL FARMS, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
UNITED STATES
t-x-xx^ rw.
OOO"
!»' sesae
w-mu
—sm —J$m
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
NORTHEAST
Jl
JJ.
-H
NUMBER
25
NORTH CENTRAL
ALL FULL PART MANAGERS TENANTS
FARMS OWNERS OWNERS
ALL FULL PART MANAGERS TENANTS
FARMS OWNERS OWNERS
SOUTH
NUMBER
29
WEST
J J
■ ggfl
i J|:
ALL
FARMS
FULL PART MANAGERS TENANTS
OWNERS OWNERS
ALL FULL PART MANAGERS TENANTS
FARMS OWNERS OWNERS
FAMILY WORKERS
HIREO WORKERS
Figure 35.
FARM LABOR
Changes in the use of farm labor. — Labor, measured in terms
of total value of production, remains the most important factor
in agricultural production. However, the general trend in the
pattern of production has been a substitution of capital for labor.
Mechanization and other features of the production process bring-
ing about a capital-labor substitution have been important in
reducing the total man-hours of work on farms by one-fourth
since World War II and about 15 percent since 1947-49. Most
of this reduction of labor has come about in crop production.
The total amount of labor used for farm work, as estimated by
the United States Department of Agriculture, has declined from
22,547 million man-hours in 1910 to 14,642 million man-hours in
1954. While these reductions in labor were taking place, sub-
stantial increases were being made in total agricultural produc-
tion. The result is that the index of output per man-hour (base
1947^19=100) has increased from 46 in 1910 and 112 in 1950, to
126 in 1954.
Estimates by the United States Department of Agriculture in-
dicate that in 1954 there was an annual average of 8,451,000 per-
sons employed on farms, of which 6,521,000 were hired workers.
These estimates show that the number of persons employed in
agriculture has declined since the end of World War I.
The index of farm employment (base 1910-14=100) had de-
clined from 69 in 1950 to 62 in 1954. More of the drop in the farm
Table 5. — Number of Family (Including Operator) and
Hired Workers Per Farm Reporting,1 Commercial Farms,
by Tenure of Operator, United States and Regions: 1954
[Data are based on reports for only a sample of farms]
Area and type of worker
All
farms
Full
owners
Part
owners
Mana-
gers
Tenants
United States:
Number
1.7
3.8
1.7
3.6
1.7
2.0
1.8
4.8
1.6
6.5
Number
1.6
3.2
1.7
3.4
1.7
2.0
1.6
3.6
1.6
4.5
Number
1.8
4.0
1.8
3.6
1.8
2. 1
1.8
5.3
1.7
5 9
Number
1.3
12.2
1.4
14.7
1.3
6.0
1.3
12.0
1.2
17.5
Number
1.8
3.9
Northeast:
1.0
2.7
North Central:
1.6
1.8
South:
2.0
5.4
West:
1.6
5.6
i For specified dates: September 26-October 3 for 33 States and October 24-30 for 15
States.
FARM TENURE
165
EXPENDITURE FOR HIRED LABOR PER COMMERCIAL FARM, BY TENURE
OF OPERATOR, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
UNITED STATES
At
TENANT CASH SHARE- COOP- LIVE- CROP- OTHER AND
CASH SHARE STOCK- PER3 UNSPECIFIED
SHARE
FULL PART Mia*- TENANT CASH SHARE- CROP- LIVE- CROP- OTHER AND
OWNERS OWNERS SEWS CASH SHARE STOCK- PCM UNSPECIFIED
SHANE
SOUTH
DOLLARS
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
WEST
J 24,564
1
1
ll ■■
ml IhJ lis
1
TENANT CASH
Figure 36.
employment index in this period appears to be due to the 700,000
decrease in number of family workers than to the 160,000 de-
crease in number of hired workers. The index of family workers
decreased from 71 in 1950, to 64 in 1954, while the index of hired
workers decreased from 61 to 57.
Labor as a factor of production. — Labor has certain character-
istics distinguishing it from land and capital that are important
to farm tenure. Most, and frequently all, of the labor is contrib-
uted by the farm operator in all major types of tenure with the
exception of manager-operated farms. Even on manager-oper-
ated farms the operator generally makes substantial contributions
of labor himself in addition to exercising control of the hired
labor. This means that, although ownership and control of land
and capital may vary by tenure type, the labor input is regulated
primarily by the operator in all tenures. Another important
characteristic of labor, in its relation to tenure, is that labor
services must be used as they become available — they cannot be
stored up. The availability of labor during critical periods may
be an important element, for example, in setting the terms of a
leasing agreement. Another important characteristic of the labor
factor is that, since it is attached directly to a person, its mobility
and use are partly affected by nonmonetary work preferences,
habits, and other values of the individual. Therefore, a farm
tenure arrangement usually reflects more than the monetary in-
terests of the parties involved.
The quantity of labor which the operator combines with other
factors of production depends upon the amount of the expected
reward and the probability of receipt of the reward. Tenure
may affect either. A leasing arrangement, for example, may di-
vide the return to several enterprises, each on a different basis.
Under such conditions the tenant will tend to devote his labor
to those enterprises that yield him the greatest return, neglecting
the enterprises favoring the landlord. Uncertainty of the length
of tenure may cause tenants to favor the use of their labor for
enterprises that yield immediate return. The tenure of owner-
operators includes responsibility for mortgages, taxes, and gov-
ernment payments, and these conditions may affect the way in
which labor is used. Large debt or tax commitments will tend
to cause operators, who wish to protect their equity in the farm,
to shift their labor into more certain crops even though their
long-run average return may be lower.
The tenure of the operator also appears to be related to the
kind of labor (family or hired) used on the farm. Part of this
may be due to the different sizes of units, variations in type of
farm, and the financial condition associated with different
tenures.
Farm workers by tenure of farm operators. — The same major
tenure categories of farms that have relatively large acreages
also have large numbers of farm workers. In 1954, the average
(Continued on page 189)
166
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PERCENT OF FARMS REPORTING TRACTORS (OTHER THAN
GARDEN) BY TENURE OF OPERATOR. COMMERCIAL FARMS
UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954 AND 1950
Region and tenure
UNITED STATES
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cosh
Share-cosh
Crop- share
Livestock-share
Croppers U
Other and
unspecified
THE NORTH
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cash
Share-cash
Crop- share
Livestock- shore
Other and
unspecified
THE SOUTH
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cash
Shore-cash
Crop- shore
Livestock- share
Croppers
Other and
unspecified
THE WEST
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cosh
Share-cosh
Crop-shore
Livestock- share
Other and
unspecified
Percent
30 40 50
Figure 37-
EQUIPMENT AND FERTILIZER
A dominant characteristic of the recent changes in American
agriculture is the rapid mechanization of commercial farms.
There have been substantial increases in the number of tractors
and also in the number of s|>ecialized machines such as pick-up
balers, milking machines, and corn pickers. As farm numbers
decrease and labor moves out of agriculture, greater farm
production is being made possible partly from increased
mechanization.
Increase in power. — One index of increased mechanical power
applied to agricultural production is the number of tractors. The
number of tractors on farms rose from 3,609,281 in 1950 to
4,692,341 in 1954. This 30.0 percent increase in numbers does not
represent the only change in work capacity, however, for tractors
have increased in horsepower and versatility. Tractor numbers
now approximate the number of farms in the United States.
Excluding the many small noncommercial units, the ratio of
tractors to farms would be approximately 1% to 1. The geo-
graphic distribution of tractors, however, is not proportional to
the number of farm units. (See figure 38.) The average
number of tractors on commercial farms in the North Central
Region, for example, is 1.6, whereas in the South the average is
O.S per farm.
Work power and tenure. — Work power, as represented by the
percent of farms reporting tractors (figure 37), is related
differently by the form of tenure in different regions. In the
North 92.6 percent of the commercial tenant farms and 81.6 per-
cent of the commercial full-owner farms reported tractors (other
than garden ) in 1954. The percent of tenant farms in the West re-
porting tractors was 85.3, whereas 72.3 percent of the full-owner
farms reported tractors. In the South, however, 34.3 percent of
the tenants reported tractors compared with 53.9 percent reported
by full owners. The low percent of tractors on southern tenant
farms is perhaps partly a function of the relative difference in
financial condition of northern and southern tenants. Many
tenants in the North are tenants because they consider it is
more profitable to invest in machinery and equipment rather than
land, whereas a large proportion of tenants in the South do not
have sufficient capital to invest in either equipment or land. This
condition of relatively limited capital in the South may also
account partially for the fact that between 1950 and 1954 the pro-
portion of tenant commercial farms reporting tractors (other than
garden) showed an increase of only 38.9 percent in this area,
whereas full-owner farms reporting tractors increased 46.5 per-
cent and part-owner farms reporting increased 28.8 percent. To a
lesser extent, a similar pattern of increase was reported for
the North and the West (figure 37).
Part-owner and manager farms, as may be expected by their
tendency to be larger than tenant or owner-operated farms, re-
ported the highest percentage of tractors in 1950 and 1954.
An important contribution to the increase of agricultural pro-
duction was the substitution of petroleum for feed crops as a
source of power. In general, the degree to which this transition
has been effected is indicated in a comparison of farms with
tractors and no horses or mules and farms with horses or mules
and no tractor (figure 38).
Specialized machines. — The percent of farms reporting tractors
is an indicator of the extensiveness of mechanization ; whereas,
the degree of intensity or thoroughness of mechanization may be
inferred from the use of specialized machines. Figure 39 shows
the percent of commercial farms using some specialized machines
in comparison with the percent of farms reporting tractors.
FARM TENURE
167
NUMBER OF COMMERCIAL FARMS BY CLASS OF WORK POWER ANO TENURE OF OPERATOR
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
THOUSANDS
• 00 |
UNITED STATES
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
NORTHFAST
H&,vl . 1
« 2 2 9 4 04 2
2 .9 1
THOUSANDS
400
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
FULL OWNERS
THOUSANDS
400
THOUSANDS
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS TENANTS CROPPERS
I CLASS I -TRACTOR AND NO HORSE ^ CLASSJH- HORSE AND NO TRACTOR
388 CLASS H- TRACTOR ANO HORSE Kj CLAS5H- NO TRACTOR ANO NO HORSE
wm^m.
CROPPERS (SOUTH ONLV)
PART OWNERS
300
200
WFST
0
IsLra
M&- 3 2 i 3 -4
m
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS MANAGERS
TENANTS
TRACTORS ON FARMS
NUMBER, 1954
UNITED STATES TOTAL
4,692.341
US OEPARTMENT OF OOMMER&E
MAP NO A54-024
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Figure 38.
168
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PERCENT OF COMMERCIAL FARMS REPORTING TRACTORS, COMBINES, MILKING MACHINES, CORN PICKERS
AND PICKUP BALERS, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR; FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS 1954
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS TENANTS
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS TENANTS
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS TENANTS CROPPERS
E559 TRACTORS RSaSS COMBINES
[':.'■';'.] CORN PICKERS
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS
W//A MILKING MACHINES
| PICK-UP BALERS
Figure 39-
In 1954, there were 923,709 farms that reported ownership of
at least one combine ; this represents an increase of 25S,331 farms
over the number that reported combines in 1950. The number
of combines also has increased, rising from 713,633 in 1950 to
979,050 in 1954. The proportion of commercial part-owner farms
reporting combines was double that of commercial full-owner
farms and greater than that of tenants. Part of this differential
may be due to the difference in farm size or kind of farm. Part
of the differential also may be due to the superior capital posi-
tion of part owners. As in the case of tractors, the change in
number does not show all of the increased capacity or that, as
more combines become self-propelled, they decrease the labor-
operator requirements and free tractors for other purposes.
Milking machines were reported on 712,022 farms in 1954. This
number of farms represents an increase of 11.9 percent over 1950.
The number of farms reporting corn pickers in 1954 was 676,088
and the number of corn pickers reported was 687466. This repre-
sents an increase of 228,701 farms and 231,947 corn pickers since
1950. The percentage of both part-owner and tenant-operated
farms reporting the use of corn pickers is higher than either
full-owner or manager farms. This may be accounted for by the
large size and high proportion of cropland in part-owner and
tenant farms in the principal corn-producing regions and so does
not necessarily imply that tenancy is associated with higher
mechanization.
In 1954, U^,872 farms reported balers and 427,279 of these
farms were commercial farms. A higher proportion of manager-
operated farms reported pick-up balers than any of the other ten-
ures. The widest differentials were found in the South and North
Central and were probably associated with greater emphasis on
livestock enterprises on manager-operated farms. The number
of farms reporting pick-up balers in 1950 was 191,658 and the
(Continued on page 1S9)
Table 6. — Percent of Commercial Farms Reporting Specified
Equipment, by Tenure of Operator, United States, 1954
[Data are based on reports for only a sample of farms]
Equipment
Grain combine...
Milking machine
Corn picker
Pick-up baler
Commer-
cial farms
Full own-
Part
Mana-
report-
ers
owners
gers
ing
Percent
Percent
Percent
Percent
26.9
20.5
40.9
30.8
20.6
21.6
25.1
19.8
19.9
15.0
25.9
18.4
12.8
11.3
19.5
31.9
Tenants
Percent
26.6
15.6
23.5
9.7
FARM TENURE
169
PERCENT OF FARMS USING COMMERCIAL FERTILIZER,
BY TENURE, COMMERCIAL FARMS, UNITED STATES
AND REGIONS: 1954
AVERAGE EXPENDITURE PER ACRE FOR COMMERCIAL FERTIL-
IZER AND FERTILIZER MATERIAL, BY TENURE OF OPERATOR,
COMMERCIAL FARMS, UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
Region and Tenure
UNITED STATES
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cosh
Shore- cosh
Crop-shore
Livestock-share
Croppers U
Others and
unspecified
THE NORTH
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cosh
Share-cosh
Crop- shore
Livestock-share
Other ond
unspecified
THE SOUTH
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cosh
Shore-cosh
Crop-shore
Livestock-shore
Croppers
Other ond
unspecified
THE WEST
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cosh
Shore-cosh
Crop- share
L ivestock
Other ond
unspecified
Percent
Region and Tenure
UNITED STATES
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cash
Share-cosh
Crop-share
Livestock-shore
Croppers LI
Other and
unspecified
THE NORTH
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cash
Shore- cash
Crop- share
Livestock-share
Other and
unspecified
THE SOUTH
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cosh
Share-cosh
Crop- shore
Livestock-shore
Croppers
Other ond
unspecified
THE WEST
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cosh
Shore-cosh
Crop-shore
Livestock- shore
Other ond
unspecified
Dollars per Acre
Figure 40.
Fertilizer use and tenure. — The increased use of commercial
fertilizer also helps to account for the growth of agricultural
production. The use of commercial fertilizer has more than
trebled in the period 1940-54. In the United States 17,811,999
tons of fertilizer w,ere purchased in 1954 for use on com-
mercial farms. For those farms reporting fertilizer, the rate
of application was 307 pounds per acre. In all three major
areas of the United States (figure 40), a higher proportion of
tenant farms reported the use of fertilizer than full owners, while
croppers showed the highest percentage of all farms. Differences
between tenure groups, however, are slight and perhaps could be
explained by the differences in type of farm. There are wider
407763—57 13
differences between areas than between tenure categories.
Leasing arrangements, to the extent that they dissociate costs
and returns, may affect resource combinations. A tenant or
landlord who bears the full cost of fertilizer and receives only a
share of the increased productivity, will tend to apply less ferti-
lizer, than if the costs were also shared per acre. In 1954, com-
mercial cash tenants spent an average of $9.97 per acre for
commercial fertilizer and crop-share tenants spent $8.39 per acre.
To a certain extent the larger expenditure by cash tenants may
be because, in the short run, the cash tenant receives all of the
return resulting from increased production.
(Continued on page 190)
170
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
AVERAGE EXPENDITURE PER COMMERCIAL FARM FOR SPECIFIED COST ITEMS,
BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
DOLLARS
7,000
UNITED STATES
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
DOLLARS
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
DOLLARS
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
FULL OWNERS
NORTHEAST
PART OWNERS
$&Z2-
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
vm
)OLLARS
6,000
NORTH CENTRAL
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
..*%
ES
V77!m 777?
Mm W/
Wm
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
DOLLARS
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
SOUTH
"^ fcrry-Ai ££Z ,
w
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS
fyZA MACHINE HIRE \ j FEED
SPECIFIED FARM EXPENDITURES
DOLLARS
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
WEST
12,273
_J
['.::
m
.-_■■.'..;
Wft
m™ W<
FULL OWNERS
[y.y'.j GASOLINE
PART OWNERS
fy/Jt COMMERCIAL FERTILIZER
Figure 41.
Changes in costs. — As farms continue to increase in size and
total agricultural production continues to increase, expenditures
become more important to the individual farm and to the agri-
cultural industry. In addition to the general increases in costs
attendant to increased production, there have been shifts in
combination of production factors which have changed the com-
position of farm costs. Many of these changes in farm expendi-
tures have been accompanied by adjustments in tenure arrange-
ments or even in the form of tenure.
One important shift in the production pattern influencing the
structure of costs has been the substitution of working capital
for labor. In general, there has been an increase of capital and
a decrease of labor, in physical terms, per acre of farmland. For
example, machine hire on commercial farms increased from
$579 million in 1949 to $603 million in 1954 and expenditures for
gasoline and petroleum increased from $1,091 million in 1949 to
$1,312 million in 1954, while hired labor costs decreased from
$2,336 million in 1949 to $2,216 million in 1954.
Both the form of tenure and the conditions of a particular
tenure arrangement may be affected by the type and level of
farm expenditures. Owner-operatorship might be the most ef-
ficient tenure form if, for example, relatively large expenditures
are required from the operator for repair of fences, buildings, or
(Continued on page 190)
Table 7- — Average Expenditure per Commercial Farm
Reporting Specified Cost Items, by Tenure of Operator,
for the United States and Regions: 1954
[Data are based on reports for only a sample of farms]
Specified expenditure arid area
All
com-
mercial
farms
Full
owners
Part
owners
Managers
Tenants
Machine hire:
Dollars
291
218
246
259
764
1,444
3,059
1,291
981
2,959
492
432
511
395
778
446
525
430
389
971
Dollars
244
198
213
226
502
1,482
3,018
1,127
1,158
2,785
380
359
384
331
£13
363
414
331
358
616
Dollars
391
254
289
383
1,059
1,560
3,138
1,387
1,156
2,652
686
607
664
580
1,149
633
733
536
582
1,618
Dollars
2,055
501
744
1,570
5,301
9,256
10,044
7,277
5,895
21, 598
1,899
1,373
1,254
1,862
2,895
3,360
2,078
1,703
3,475
6,205
Dollars
258
253
258
South -
210
West -
868
Feed:
1,092
2,576
1,438
South
410
West -
2,864
Gasoline and other petroleum
products:
472
448
671
303
West
862
Commercial fertilizer:
United States
379
589
488
South --
283
West . -- --
1,116
SECTION III
People
population: total, non-farm, and farm,
united states. 1910 to 1954
i960
S4C-43
U.S. FARM POPULATION
/ 32 0 \
.f!y 324 \
^J 30 5 \
V mil y^1
^v""- y
1920
■ \
1933
V *"L ylL
1940 ^*
1950
f 22 2
1955
W
.: i..,.
i . . . ,
1.. . . -'. I .
, ,1, ,"i,-i
....!..
■ 1 .
..1 .-
M» fflOW TWf BUREAU OF THE CENSUS AND THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE
MIGRATION TO AND FROM FARMS. U.S. 1920-53
\'
/\_
/\-^__
/ /
"'•<J
\\
1 \ & FROM FARMS
•"'
I \,
■■'
\.-
--..-'"••
.-"■"
\
.-...-- 1 '
0 FARMS
1920 1925
1930 1935
d l.omtormt. 1950 54
1950 1955
RESIDENCE OF LABOR FORCE
Farm and Non farm, U.S. 1950
RURAL FARM URBAN, RURAL NONFARM
LABOR FORCE
Farm
Nonfa
20 10 0 10 20 30 40
MILLIONS OF PERSONS
SOURCE CENSUS OF POPULATION, 1950
JS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NEG 56(10-2246 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN THE: FARM POPULATION, SELECTEO
PERIODS, UNITED STATES AND REGIONS, 1920-54
DECREASE
INCREASE
1950-54
m-
V.V.V.V.V.V/
1940-50
^jiiiiiiiil
mmm-Ji ..-.-
1930-40
1920-30
1 ■'*■'*
■
WM
25 20 15 10
u s H9 NORTHEAST f
5 0 5 10 15 20 25
! NORTH CENTRAL igg&l SOUTH | . ) WEST
RESIDENCE OF THE FARM LABOR FORCE
By Kind of Worker,U.S.,1950
RURAL FARM URBAN, RURAL NONFARM
LABOR FORCE
Farmers and
farm managers
Family
workers
Other (arm
laborers
1
1 — 1
1
1
1
lllllllfl 1
1
1
1
2 0 2
MILLIONS OF PERSONS
SOURCE: CENSUS OP POPULATION. 1950
US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NEG 561111-224? AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
TENURE OF FARM WORKERS
COMMERCIAL FARMS
Owner and
manager families
HSfe *■*"? rT&ffi~ii gnj sj K 1 37m«i
Tenant families
-, '^feVHV^'!."'" ■'"^B ,6 mit-
OTHER FARMS
Operator families
, ,",,-'* jfej 1 1-5 mil.
HIRED WORKERS
Regular workers \//s/sS/S/V\ ^ m''
Seasonal workers
^^^y^^^^^^^^^k °
DATA FOR 33 STAT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRlCU
•iS, SEPTEMBER 26- OCTOBER 2, FOR IS STATES. OCTOBER 24-30. 1954
.TUBE NEG. 56IMI-2243 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
<- Figure 42. \
FARM TENURE
173
PEOPLE
The implications of farm tenure extend through the entire
framework of human relationships associated with the use of
farm land. Tenure deals with the rights, privileges, and re-
sponsibilities of all persons participating in agricultural pro-
duction, and in the allocation of the returns to the participants.
It is also concerned with the alternative economic and social
considerations which influence the participants in their tenure
relations. Farm tenure, in its broad sense, is the social struc-
ture under which our agricultural resources are utilized. This
section of this report deals with farm tenure in its relation to
farm people.
FARM POPULATION
The tenure of the farm population is only partially reflected by
the tenure under which farms are operated. In addition to farm
operators and their families, the farm population includes some
farm laborers and other families who live on farms but do not
operate them. A few farm operators, on the other hand, do not
live on farms. Also, the livelihood of many farm families is
only partially or secondarily dependent on agriculture.
The farm population increased along with total population
until about World War I, reaching a peak of 32,530,000 persons
in 1916, according to estimates of the Bureau of the Census. At
that time, there was about one person on farms for each two
persons in the nonfarm population. Since 1916, the trend in the
number of persons on farms has been generally downward with
only 21,S90,000 on farms in 1954, or approximately 1 person
on farms for each 6 not on farms.
Migration, both from and to farms, has been large with an
average from 1920 to 1954 of about one person in each 16 of the
farm population each year moving from farm to nonfarm, and
one in 25 moving from nonfarm to farm, according to estimates
of the Agricultural Marketing Service of the United States De-
partment of Agriculture. The net migration from farms has
exceeded the natural increase (excess of births over deaths) by
approximately 300,000 persons per year.
This physical movement of persons from and to farms accom-
panied an even larger movement between farm and nonfarm
employment. Many farm persons who take nonfarm jobs do not
move away from the farm, and many who move to the farm do not
give up their nonfarm employment.
Tenure of the farm population. — In considering tenure of the
farm population, we must take into account the large proportion
of the farm population primarily and secondarily dependent on
nonfarm employment or income. For many farm residents, the
farm serves principally as a place of residence rather than a
means of livelihood.
The tenure of the farm population is reflected in the tenure of
the work force represented in the farm population. According
to the 1950 Census of Population, 6,933,405 of those persons classi-
fied by residence as rural farm were in the labor force on April
1, 1950. Of these 5,174,657, or 74.6 percent, were in the farm
labor force and 1,758,748 were in the nonfarm labor force. An
additional 1,056,064 persons in the farm labor force were urban
or rural nonfarm residents.
Of the 5,174,657 persons in the farm-labor force residing on
rural farms, 3,853,395 were classed as farmers and farm man-
agers; 554,549, as unpaid family workers; and 766,713, other
farm workers and foremen. These other farm workers and fore-
men were made up almost entirely of hired farm workers. These
rural farm residents in the farm-labor force represented 82.8
percent of the total farm-labor force on April 1, 1956.
Rural farm residents, however, do not account for the entire
farm-labor force. Urban residents accounted for 117,238 of the
farmers and farm managers classified in the 1950 Census of Popu-
lation and rural nonfarm residents accounted for an additional
232,550 farmers and farm managers. These farmers and farm
managers, who were nonfarm residents, accounted for 8.3 percent
of the total. A slightly smaller proportion (7.5 percent) of the
family workers on farms were nonfarm residents. Nearly half
(47.1 percent) of the hired farm workers were nonfarm residents.
The tenure situation of farm people is also reflected by the
tenure of farm workers as reported in the 1954 Census of Agri-
culture. In 1954, there were 9,597,343 persons reported as work-
ing on farms during specified week ( September 26-October 2 for
33 States and October 24-30 for 15 States). Of these workers,
4,142,352 were farm operators, 2,725,341 were unpaid family
workers, and 2,729,650 were hired workers. If the family is con-
sidered as a unit, a farm operator and unpaid members of his
family may be grouped. Thus, we can consider both farm oper-
ators and unpaid members of their families on the basis of the
tenure of the farm operator. A further classification is provided
by the segregation of farms other than commercial. These other,
or noncommercial fanns, account to a large extent for those
farms which serve primarily as a place of residence.
Of the 9,597,343 farm workers reported in the 1954 Census,
3,685,341 were farm owners or managers of commercial farms and
unpaid members of their families; 1,637,44$ were tenant farm
operators of commercial farms and unpaid members of their fam-
ilies; 1.544-906 were operators of noncommercial farms and mem-
bers of their families ; and 2,729,650 were hired farm workers.
Of the hired workers, however, about one-fourth (25.3 percent)
were regular workers employed 150 or more days during the year
and three-fourths (7^.7 percent) were seasonal workers. The
specified week was a period of near peak employment in many
areas. Of the 1,544,906 unpaid family workers (including oper-
ators) on noncommercial farms, most were owner-operators and
members of owner-operator families. Probably little more than
one in eight were tenant operators and members of tenant-oper-
ator families.
The number of farm owners has remained relatively unchanged
since 1910 (see Number of Farms by Tenure in section I) except
about 1930 when substantial numbers of owners were unable to
maintain an equity in their farms, and in 1954 when, due pri-
marily to consolidation of farms into larger operating units, there
was a sharp drop in the total number of farms. The number of
tenants increased from 1910 until 1935, then declined. In 1954,
there were only 40.8 percent as many tenants as in 1935. The
proportion of tenancy declined from 42.4 percent in 1935 to 24.4
percent in 1954. According to estimates of the Agricultural Mar-
keting Service, United States Department of Agriculture, the an-
nual average number of hired farm workers remained relatively
constant from 1910 to 1929, at about 3.4 million persons and at
25 percent of the average number of all farm workers. (See
Farm Labor in section II.) Since 1929, the average number of
hired farm workers has declined, with an average of 1.9 million
hired farm workers in 1954 representing 22.8 percent of the aver-
age number of all farm workers in 1954.
174
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
AGRICULTURAL NET INCOME AND NON-AGRICULTURAL NET INCOME
Billion UNITED STATES, 1910-1954
Dollars
350
AGRICULTURAL NET INCOME AS PERCENT OF TOTAL NATIONAL
Percent INCOME, UNITED STATES, 1910 - 1954
1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955
54C-46
nl I ' I I I ' I I i I I I I I i i i i i i i i i , , i i , , i
1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955
54C-47
NET INCOME FROM FARMING
Received by Nonfarm Population, U.S.
%
20
10
0.
■
l\
A
/^A>
f v
X
W
sS
> 1 1 > 1 1 1 1 1
* 1 1 ii i i.i i
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 19
SOURCE. ESTIMATES, US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
U S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NEG. 56 110*2245 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SEf
60
VICE
NET INCOME OF FARM POPULATION
From Farming and Nonfarm Sources, U.S.
NONFARM SOURCES
1935
1955
1960
SOURCE ESTIMATES, US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NEG 56 (I I ]- 2244 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
Figure 43.
FARM INCOME AND TENURE
The 1954 net income originating from agriculture was more
than three times that of 1910 according to estimates of the Agri-
cultural Marketing Service of the United States Department of
Agriculture. The number of persons employed in agriculture in
1954, on the other hand, was less than two-thirds the 1910 farm
employment.
This agricultural net income includes more than the net income
of farm operators from farming. It also includes wages for farm
labor, net farm rents, and interest on farm-mortgage debt. Most,
but not all, of the total agricultural net income of farm operators
from farming goes to farm residents. But nearly one-half of
farm wages, about two-thirds of the net farm rents, and practi-
cally all of the interest on farm-mortgage debts goes to nonfarm
residents. In 1954, 15.1 percent of the total agricultural net
income went to nonfarm residents.
The income of farm residents, on the other hand, is not limited
to income from agriculture. Many persons living on farms re-
ceive income from nonfarm sources. In 1954, according to esti-
mates of the Agricultural Marketing Service of the United States
Department of Agriculture, 28.5 percent of the net income of the
farm population was from nonfarm sources.
Tenure arrangements, in respect to rights in the use of farm
lands and in the division of income from land, are influenced by
the whole economy, nonfarm as well as farm. For example,
farm tenants who receive much of their income from nonfarm
sources may rent the farm primarily as a place to live rather
than as a source of livelihood. In bargaining for the use of the
farm, its value as a residence may be preeminent in the con-
sideration of the would-be tenant. The landlord may consider
its rent potential from agricultural use as well as residential
use. The agricultural possibilities of many of these places, how-
ever, are very limited resulting in paramount consideration being
given to their residential potential by both tenants and landlords.
Distribution of farm income by tenure. — In the 1954 Census of
Agriculture, 69.6 percent of the farms were classed as commercial.
The remaining 30. ^ percent, consisting principally of part-time
and residential farms, account for a high proportion of the farm
population dependent primarily on income from nonfarm sources.
The tenure of these noncommercial farms is determined in large
part by considerations other than the farm as a business enter-
prise. For the most part, they are owner-operated with only
13.0 percent tenancy as compared with 2S.S percent tenancy for
commercial farms. A high proportion of the tenants on these
noncommercial farms pay cash rent or payments other than share
of crops or livestock.
For commercial farms, the tenure distributions vary by in-
come. In general, the higher the gross farm income the lower
the percentage of farms in that income group operated by full
owners. The opposite holds for part owners. The proportion
of part-owner farms represented in the lower economic classes
is low but this ratio increases with each higher economic class
of farm. The proportion of farms operated by managers, also,
increases with increases in the gross farm income. For tenants,
the proportion of tenancy is lower for both the lowest and highest
economic classes than for the intermediate classes. Of Class VI
farms, the lowest economic class of commercial farms in respect
to gross income, 63.6 percent were operated by full owners; 11.5
percent, by part owners; 0.1 percent, by managers; and 24-8 per-
(Continued on page 190)
FARM TENURE 175
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF COMMERCIAL FARMS IN EACH ECONOMIC CLASS,
BY TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
UNITED STATES
10 20
FULL OWNERS
PERCENT
30 40 50 60 70
PART OWNERS MANAGERS
PERCENT PERCENT
10 20 30 40 50 O 10 O
f\
TENANTS
PERCENT
10 20 30 40
THE NORTH
FULL OWNERS
PERCENT
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 0
PART OWNERS MANAGERS
PERCENT PERCENT
10 20 30 40-50 (3 10 O
TENANTS
PERCENT
10 20 30 40 50
THE SOUTH
FULL OWNERS
PERCENT
0 10
20
30
40 50
60
70
80 9
J
CLASS I
CLASS n
CLASS m
class nr
CLASS Z
CLASS 51
PART OWNERS
PERCENT
10 20 30 40
MANAGERS
PERCENT
50 0 10 O
Fl
TENANTS
PERCENT
10 20 30 40 50
THE WEST
FULL OWNERS
PERCENT
30 40 50 60
70 80 90 0
PART OWNERS
PERCENT
10 20 30 40
MANAGERS
PERCENT
50 0 10 O
TENANTS
PERCENT
10 20 30 40 50
Figure 44.
176
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PERCENT OF COMMERCIAL FARMS IN EACH TENURE GROUP REPORTING
A TELEPHONE, ELECTRICITY, AND RUNNING WATER, FOR THE
UNITED STATES AND REGIONS; 1954
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS TENANTS
PERCENT
100
iSOUTHl
$
\i
il
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS TENANTS
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS TENANTS CROPPERS
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGER TENANTS
ELECTRICITY
RUNNING WATER
54C-I24
Figure 45.
Specified facilities on farms by tenure of operator. — Income in
terms of the well-being of the population is reflected by the fa-
cilities in the dwelling. In the 1954 Census of Agriculture, elec-
tricity was reported on 9,1.0 percent of the farms, telephone on
4S.S percent, and running water on 58.8 percent. For commer-
cial farms, the ratios were 93.8 percent reporting electricity, 52.5
percent telephone, and 60.8 percent running water, as compared
with !)1.2, J/0.3, and 5 j.O percent, respectively, for noncommercial
farms.
The proportion of farms reporting each of these specified fa-
cilities was generally less for tenants than for owners. This
difference was less pronounced for electricity than for telephone
or running water, and less in the North and West than in the
South. In the North and West, nearly as high a proportion of
tenants as owners reported electricity. In the North Central
region as high a proportion of tenants reported electricity as full
owners. For this region, the proportion of tenants reporting
telephones was higher than for either full owners or part owners.
In the South, the proportion of farms reporting each of these
specified facilities was much less than for other regions and the
difference between tenants and owners was more pronounced.
The proportion of farms reporting telephone and running water,
respectively, was much lower for tenants than for owners, and
much lower for croppers than for other tenants. In the South,
J,.3 percent of the croppers and 11.3 percent of all tenants on com-
mercial farms reported telephone as compared with 33. /f percent
of the full owners and 35.1 percent of the part owners. Running
water was reported by 13.!) percent of the croppers and Z.'i.l per-
cent of all tenants on commercial farms, as compared with 58.1
percent for full owners and 60.2 percent for part owners. The
proportion of croppers reporting electricity was as high as that
for tenants other than croppers, and the difference in the pro-
portion of tenants reporting electricity and owners reporting
electricity was much less than for either telephone or running
water. The proportion of all tenants reporting electricity was
86.6 percent as compared with 93.1 percent for full owners and
94.5 percent for part owners. (Continued on page 190)
FARM TENURE
177
PERCENT OF ALL FARM OPERATORS WORKING OFF THEIR FARMS IN 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
I liffjnFB 15
] \S TO 29. Bi
! 30 TO 44
*N0 FARMS
U S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO A54 060
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
FARM OPERATORS WORKING OFF THEIR FARMS 100 DAYS OR MORE
INCREASE AND DECREASE. IN NUMBER. 1949-1954
FARM OPERATORS WITH OTHER INCOME OF FAMILY EXCEEDING VALUE OF
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS SOLD. 1954
Figure'46.
OFF-FARM EMPLOYMENT AND PART-TIME
FARMING
In the 1954 Census of Agriculture, 60.7 percent of the farm op-
erators reported that they or some member of their family living
with them received income from sources other than from the
farm operated. Of all farm operators, 27.9 percent reported
working off their farms 100 or more days during the year, and
29.S percent reported other income of the family greater than
value of farm products sold from the farm operated.
Considerations in the tenure arrangements of these farm op-
erators, partially or primarily dependent on other employment
or other income, are quite different from those of operators wholly
or primarily dependent on agriculture.
Farm operators with other employment and other income in-
clude: (1) Farmers who work at nonfami jobs during slack sea-
sons; (2) farmers who supplement their farming with part-time
work off the farm; (3) persons, employed full time at nonfarm
jobs, who live in rural areas convenient to their place of employ-
ment and have sufficient agricultural production to qualify as
farms; and (4) persons, both farm and nonfarm, who retire on
the land and augment their retirement income with some agri-
cultural activity.
178
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PERCENT OF FARM
FARMS 100 DAYS
UNITED STATES
UNITED STATES
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cosh
Share- Cosh
Crop -share
Livestock- share
Croppers! South Only)
Other and unspecified
THE NORTHEAST
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cash
Share sash
Crop-share
Live stock -share
Other and unspecified
THE NORTH CENTRAL
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cash
Share -cash
Cfop- shore
Livestock-share
Other and unspecified
THE SOUTH
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cash
Share-cash
Crop- share
Livestock- share
Croppers
Other and unspecified
THE WEST
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
MANAGERS
ALL TENANTS
Cash
Share -cash
Crop-share
Livestock -shore
Other and unspecified
OPERATORS WORKING OFF THEIR
OR MORE. BY TENURE, FOR THE
AND REGIONS-. 1954 AND 1950
Percent
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 60 90 100
O 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 60 90 100
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
0 K) 20 30 40 SO 60 TO 80 90 100
mm
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 TO 80 90 100
E2 1950
Figure 47-
S4CI3I
Tenure and off- farm work. — Only one-third (32.5 percent) of
the farms operated by persons working off their farms 100 or more
days were classed as commercial farms in the 1954 Census. The
farms of most operators working off their farms 100 or more
days were primarily places of residence. The gross sales of farm
products were generally small. The operators of only 13.0 per-
cent of all commercial farms reported 100 or more days of off-farm
work as compared with 61.8 percent for farms other than com-
mercial.
A large majority of operators working off their farms 100 or
more days were owner operators, mostly full owners. Full
owners accounted for 72.3 percent of the total ; part owners, 12.6
percent ; tenants, Ut.9 percent ; and managers, 0.2 percent. The
full owners working 100 or more days off their farms accounted
for more than one-third (35.1 percent) of all owner operators.
Part owners reporting 100 or more days of off-farm work com-
prised one-fifth (19.3 percent) of all part owners, and tenants
who worked off their farms 100 or more days represented one-
sixth (17.3 percent) of all tenants.
Among the tenant groups, cash tenants and other and unspec-
ified tenants reported nonfarm work in about the same propor-
tion as full owners. Possibly this higher proportion of cash and
other tenants reporting off-farm work was due to the large num-
ber of persons with nonfarm jobs who were renting dwellings pri-
marily. A smaller proportion of share-cash and share tenants
reported off-farm work than cash or other and unspecified tenants.
The percentage of livestock-share tenants reporting off-farm work
was smaller than that for any other tenure group, with 7.1 per-
cent reporting 100 or more days of work off the farm. This small
percentage of livestock-share tenants working off their farms may
have been due to the work requirements of their livestock enter-
prises.
Other income. — The number of farm operators with other in-
come greater than their gross income from the operation of their
farms overlaps, to a considerable extent, the number of operators
who work a considerable portion of the year at jobs off their
farms. As might be expected, therefore, the distributions of the
two groups are quite similar.
The proportion of farm operators reporting other income varied
considerably among the tenure groups. Most of the operators
reporting other income were full owners. Nearly two-fifths of
all the full owners (39.0 percent) reported other income greater
than the value of sales of products from the farm operated. These
full owners accounted for nearly three-fourths of all full-owner
operators (73.2 percent) of farms other than commercial farms
and one-seventh of the full-owner operators (lkk percent) of
commercial farms.
The percentages of part owners and of tenants with other in-
come exceeding sale of agricultural products were less than one-
half that of full owners. There was considerable variation, how-
ever, among the tenant subclasses. The proportions of cash ten-
ants and other and unspecified tenants with other income ex-
ceeding sales of products from the farm operated were similar to
that of full owners. Very few livestock-share (4.9 percent) and
share-cash tenants (6.1 percent) reported other income greater
than sales of agricultural products. A somewhat higher propor-
tion of crop-share tenants and croppers reported other income
with 12.9 and 11.2 percent, respectively, reporting other income
greater than sales of farm products.
FARM TENURE
179
PERCENT OF FARM OPERATORS WITH OTHER INCOME OF FAMILY EXCEEDING THE VALUE OF FARM PRODUCTS
SOLD, BY TENURE, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1950 AND 1954
FULL OWNERS PART OWNERS MANAGERS ALL TENANTS CASH
SHARE- CASH CROP-SHARE
LIVESTOCK- CROPPERS OTHER AND
SHARE (SOUTH ONLY) UNSPECIFIED
FULL MHI MANAGERS ALL CASH SHARE- CROP- LIVESTOCK- OTHER ft
OWNERS OWNERS TENANTS CASH SHARE SHARE UNSPEC
FULL PART HANAOERS ALL CASH SHARE- CROP- LIVESTOCK- OTHER ft
OWNERS OWNERS TENANTS CASH SHARE SHARE UNSPEC
SOUTH m
J
•i;5
am
M_
1
w
V
1
i 1
£
94C- 136
Figure 48.
180
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
AVERAGE NUMBER OF YEARS ON PRESENT FARMS. BY
TENURE OF OPERATOR, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS:
1954 AND 1950
UNITED STATES
10
ALL OPERATORS
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
ALL TENANTS
Cash
Share - cash
Crop -share
Livestock- share
Croppers
(South only)
Other ond
unspecified
ALL OPERATORS
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
ALL TENANTS
Cash
Shore - cash
Crop- shore
Livestock-shore
Other ond
unspecified
2C
//////////SS////////////////S/////////////////////////////////////'/////////,
'////////////y///s/////////////////////////////////////////////s//////////////////////////.'//
/////////////////////////////////////■////////////////////////////////////////////
'////S////////S//////////////S////S,
/S///////////////SS///////////////S///SS*
'///////////S//////////S//////S//////SS//
■//////////////S//S/////////////S//J
S//S///S////S////////SSSS//SS///SS/
■////////////////////////////,
V//SS/SSS/SS/S/S/S-//S///S/SSS/////S/S////S///S
NORTHEAST
5 10
NORTH CENTRAL
10
'///////////s///////////////////////j
v//////y///////s//////////////////////.
'SS/SSS/S/SSSSSS/SS/S/S/SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSj
r-//////////////////i
'/////s/sss/ssssrsss.
'///////////////////
//////////////////A
'////////////////S/SS/j
V//////////////////////S////S.
//////////////SS////////S/////////////?.
'/////SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
SOUTH
10
O'her ond
unsptcified
Othor and
unspecified
'////////////////j
////////////////////////S//SS,
'///////////////////////////////.
///////////////S///////S////S/////
Other ond
unspecified
VSA 1950
Figure 49.
OCCUPANCY, MOBILITY, AND LENGTH OF
TENURE
Average number of years on present farm. — Farm operators in
the United States at the time of the 1054 Census had been on their
farms an average of 14 years. At the 1950 and 1045 Censuses,
farm operators had occupied their farms an average of 13 years,
and at the 1040 Census 12 years. The average period of occu-
pancy was slightly higher in the Northeast and North Central
regions than in the South and West. Owner operators, on an
average, had occupied their farms more than twice as long as
tenants. In 1054, owner operators had occupied their present
farms an average of 16 years as compared with 7 years for
tenants.
Much of this difference may be explained by the differential in
age of owners and tenants. In 1954, owners averaged 9.8 years
older than tenants. Among the younger farm operators, tenants
outnumber owners ; among the older operators, owners predomi-
nate. (See "Age and Residence of Farm Operators," this sec-
tion.) Tracing each age group of farm operators through suc-
cessive Censuses, for which tenure data are available by age of
operator, shows that the proportion of tenancy has consistently
decreased with increases in age. The percentage of tenancy in
the higher age groups is small (9.3 percent for farm operators
65 years old and over in 1954). Most tenants move to the ranks
of farm owners or cease to operate farms by the time they reach
the higher age groups. For owners who were formerly tenants
on the farm now occupied, years of occupancy of the present
farm include their years of occupancy as tenant.
Generally, full owners had occupied their farms longer than
part owners, although in the West part owners averaged slightly
longer periods of occupancy than full owners. This longer period
FARM TENURE
181
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF FARM OPERATORS IN EACH TENURE, BY YEARS
ON PRESENT FARMS, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS-. 1954
LESS THAN 5 YEARS 5 TO 9 YEARS 10 YEARS OR MORE
LESS THAN 5 YEARS 5 TO 9 YEARS 10 YEARS OR MORE
|FULL OWNERS jggggsJRART OWNERS p^^JALL TENANTS j jCROPPERS (SOUTH ONLY)
Figure 50-
182
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
YEARS ON FARM- NUMBER OF OPERATORS REPORTING,
BY TENURE, FOR THE UNITED STATES: 1910 TO 1954
Hundreds of Thousands
10 15
UNDER 5 YEARS
1954
1950
1945
1940
1935
1930
1920
1910
5 TO 9 YEARS
1954
1950
1945
1940
1935
1930
1920
1910
10 YEARS ANO 0VE
1954
1950
1945
1940
1935
1930
1920
1910
| FULL OWNERS
1 MANAGERS
J PART OWNERS
MM TENANTS
PERCENT OF FARM OPERATORS ON PRESENT FARMS I YEAR
OR LESS, BY TENURE: 1910 TO 1954
Percent
0 5 O 15 20 25 30 35
1954
BMBB
1950
'tuffliutugi/'h
1945
m'mmwtttcmr™™"
^^
1940
1*
1935
*juwww*jumi
1930
1920
_
1910
N a Not AvollabJe BB Full Owner ^g Part Owners
I I Manager ■
Figure 51.
of occupancy for full owners may also be attributable, in part,
to age differentials. Part owners include many operators who
have taken over additional land during their prime. Full owners
include some operators who have semi-retired on the farm. Full
owners averaged 5.G years older than part owners.
Among the classes of tenants, share-cash tenants and other
and unspecified tenants had been on their farms somewhat longer
than cash tenants, share tenants, and croppers but this difference
was not great and did not hold for all regions. In the North
Central region, the period of occupancy of crop-share tenants was
less than for livestock-share tenants, but in all other regions there
was no appreciable difference. In the South, croppers reported
a period of occupancy slightly less than crop-share and livestock-
share tenants, who in turn reported shorter periods of occupancy
than cash tenants and share-cash tenants. In the West, there
was little difference among the tenant classes except for a slightly
longer period of occupancy reported by share-cash tenants.
Distribution of farms by years on present farm. — More than
one-half of all farm operators (5S.8 percent) in 1954 had been
operating their present farms 10 or more years, one-fourth {25.1
percent) had occupied their farms 5 to 9 years, and one-fifth (21.6
percent) had been on their farms less than 5 years with 1 in 15
(6.6 percent) reporting 1 year or less. Through the years the
proportion of farm operators occupying their farms 10 years or
longer and 5 to 9 years has been increasing, and the proportion on
their farms less than 5 years decreasing. In 1910, more than
one-half (51.S percent) of the farm operators had been on their
farms less than 5 years.
Most owner-operators have occupied their farms 10 or more
years. In 1954, more than three-fifths of the owner-operators re-
ported occupancy of their farms for a period of 10 or more years.
Only 144 percent had begun operation of their farms within 5
years preceding the Census. The proportions were similar for
both part owners and full owners.
A high proportion of tenant-operators have accupied their
farms only a short period of time. In 1954, of all tenant-operators
44.5 percent had been on their farms less than 5 years and more
than one-third of these (16.1 percent of all tenants reporting)
had been on their farms 1 year or less. In the Northeast and
North Central regions, a substantially smaller proportion of ten-
ants than in the South or West had occupied their farms less
than 5 years, a higher proportion 10 or more years. In the South,
the proportion of croppers who had occupied their farms 10 or
more years was lower than for tenants other than croppers.
More than one-half of all croppers (54-8 percent) had occupied
their farms less than 5 years.
The smaller proportion of tenants than owners on present
farms 5 or more years may be explained in part by age differen-
tials, in part by greater mobility of tenants from farm to farm,
and in part by farmers who leave the ranks of tenants to become
owners.
Operators on present farm 1 year or less. — The greater mobility
of tenant ojierators is also shown in the proportion of farmers
who reported occupancy of their farms 1 year or less. In 1954,
only 1 in 30 owner-operators (3.5 percent of full owners, and 3.1
percent of part owners reporting) had occupied their present
farms 1 year or less. Of all tenant-operators reporting year of
occupancy 1 in 6 (16.1 percent) had occupied their farms no
longer than 1 year. For croppers the ratio was 1 to 4 (24.2 per-
cent). Some of these farm operators who had been on their
farms only 1 year or less were obviously new operators, but many
were operators who had moved from other farms.
FARM TENURE
183
PERCENT OF FARM OPERATORS ON PRESENT FARMS I YEAR OR LESS BY MONTH OF OCCUPANCY
OCTOBER TO NOVEMBER. 1954, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS
NORTHEAST ^^ NORTH CENTRAL
j Jj in ill. 1 1
JAN-FEB MAR-APR MAY-JUNE JULY-AUG SEPT-OCT NOV-DEC
JAN-FEB MAR-APR MAY-JUNE JULY-AUG SEPT-OCT NOV-DEC
JAN-FEB MAR-APR MAY-JUNE JULY-AUG SEPT-OCT NOV-OEC
JAN-FEB MAR-APR MAY-JUNE JULY-AUG SEPT-OCT NOV-DEC
Figure 52.
Moving dates. — The time of year farmers move is indicated by
the months farm operators reported they began operating their
farms. A tabulation for the 1954 Census for those farm operators
who began operating their farm within a year preceding the
enumeration, by bimonthly periods show that in the North Central
region and in the South a high proportion of farmers move at a
rather definite time of year while in the Northeast and in the
West farmers move throughout the year with less pronounced
peak periods. In the North Central region most farmers moved
in March-April, with lfi.2 percent of those who moved during the
year moving in these months, followed by January-February with
17.4 percent. In the South most farmers moved in January-
February, this period accounting for about one-half (.',9.7 per-
cent) of those moving during the year, followed by November-
December (22.6 percent).
In the Northeast most farmers move during the spring and
early summer. More than one-fourth (2S.3 percent) of those
who moved during the year moved in March-April. Almost one-
fifth (1S.9 percent) moved in May-June. In the West most
farmers moved in late winter and early spring, with a heavy
movement in January-February (1H.2 percent) and reaching a
I>eak in March-April (£.5.7 percent). For the United States as a
whole, January-February is the period when most farmers move
(36.7 percent), followed by March-April (22.6 percent), and No-
vember-December (18.5 i>ercent).
184 A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
AVERAGE AGE OF FARM OPERATORS, BY TENURE, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1940-1954
FULL OWNERS
PART OWNERS
TENANTS
Figure 53.
FARM TENURE
185
AGE AND RESIDENCE OF FARM OPERATORS
Average age of farm operators. — The average age of farm oper-
ators in 1954 was 49.6 years. The high percentages of older
farmers were in areas where the rate of tenancy was low and
where there were relatively large numbers of residential farms
(gross value of sales of farm products under $250). The average
age of farm operators increased by 1.6 years from 1940 to 1954.
In the South, the average age increased by 3.4 years during this
period.
Tenants averaged considerably younger than owners. Many
tenant-operators become owners, thus reducing the number of
older operators among tenants and increasing the number of
older operators among owners.
Part owners average older than tenants but younger than full
owners. Operators who rent land from others to supplement
land owned are generally persons who have accumulated sufficient
capital and equipment to operate additional land but are young
enough to have the stamina and ambition to handle the additional
acreage. After passing their prime they may curtail their opera-
tions by giving up their rented land. In this instance they pass
into the ranks of full owners, thus reducing the number of older
operators among part owners.
A high proportion of the older farm operators are full owners.
Most farm operators who are successful in achieving farm owner-
ship, either through inheritance or purchase, do so before middle
age. Also, many older owner operators remain on the farm in
semiretirement. Added to these semiretired farmers are older
persons retired from nonfarm employment who acquire farms and
semiretire on the land.
Tenants averaged 42.2 years of age as compared with an average
of 53.4 for full owners, 47.8 for part owners, and 45.3 for man-
agers. Among the several classes of tenants, livestock-share
tenants were the youngest (with an average of 38.5 years) and
cash and other and unspecified tenants were the oldest (average
age of 44.5 years for cash tenants and 45.1 years for other and
unspecified tenants).
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF FARM OPERATORS IN EACH TENURE GROUP, BY AGE, FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
Under 25 25-34 3544
Yeors Yean Years
45 54 5564
Years Years
6 5 Yean w
Years
Under 25
Years
25 34
Years
35-44
Yeors
45 54
Years
5564
Yeors
6 5 Years
Yeors
■ ALL OPERATORS B3S FULL OWNERS
ESSSSS3 PART OWNERS
I'.]'- •-. :i TENANTS
54C-I65
Figure 54-
186
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF TENANT OPERATORS IN EACH TENURE GROUP, BY AGE,
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND REGIONS: 1954
UNITED STATES
SOUTH
WEST
46" 64
SB -6«
66 TEARS UNOER ZS
23-34
33 " 44 43 ■ 34
SB- 64 65 YEARS
YEARS
TEARS
AMD OVER YEARS
YEARS
YEARS YEARS
YEARS AND OVER
Y.y.'.-'A SHARE
CASH
X/XX CROP-SHARE
B3J
LIVESTOCK-SHARE
R£££j CROPPERS
Figure 55.
Distribution of farm operators by age groups. — In 1954 nearly
one-half of all farm operators (1(8.0 percent) were 35 to 54 years
of age, more than one-third (36.9 percent) were 55 years old or
older, and only 1 in 7 (15.1 percent) was under 35. One in 6* (16.6
percent) of all farm operators was 65 years old or over. Since
1910 the proportion of operators of intermediate age has remained
rather constant, but the proportion of older operators has been
increasing and the proportion of younger operators decreasing.
In 1910 only 23.6 percent of farm operators were 55 years old
and over and 28.9 percent were under 35. By 1954 there were
only one-half (50.0 percent) as many farm operators under 35 as
in 1930 and only two- fifths (SS.8 percent) as many as in 1910.
The total number of all farms in 1954 was about 25 percent lower
than in 1930 and 1910.
To operate a farm today requires a much greater capital in-
vestment for machinery and equipment than a few decades ago.
Also, the cost of operation is much higher, requiring large cash
outlays for such items as tractor fuel, hybrid seeds, commercial
fertilizers, pesticides, etc. Young men have difficulty in com-
manding the necessary capital to operate farms on their own
account.
FARM TENURE
187
.PERCENT OF FARM OPERATORS REPORTING RESIDENCE OFF THEIR FARMS, 1954
(COUNTY UNIT BASIS)
I i UNDER 5
MM 5 TO 9
1H1 10 TO 19
•■NO FARMS
US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
MAP NO ASA -049
BUREAU Of THE CENSUS
Figure 56.
Operators residing off their farms. — In 1954, 6.2 percent of the
farm operators reporting as to their residence did not live on the
farm operated. Some of these nonresident operators lived in
rural areas near the farm operated ; others, as in Utah, lived in
nearby villages. In instances where the farming operations can
be restricted to very limited periods of time, the operator may
live at a great distance. Examples are "suit case" farming in
the wheat areas of the Great Plains and fruit and vegetable
farming in Florida and Texas. In areas where a large part of
the work is done by the family, as in most parts of the South
and the Midwest, a very small percentage of farm operators do
not live on the farm.
All States east of the Mississippi River, except Florida, and
those bordering the Mississippi River on the west had a rather
low percentage of operators reporting residence off the farm
operated. For most of this area the percentage of operators not
living on the farm operated was usually less than 5. Only an
occasional county had more than 10 percent of their farm oper-
ators not living on the farm operated. In Florida and from
North Dakota to Texas and westward the proportion of operators
not living on their farms was generally higher, with many coun-
ties having more than 10 percent of their operators living else-
where than on the farm operated. In Florida 18.S percent of the
operators who reported as to their residence did not live on the
farm they operated. For Utah the percentage was 17.2 percent
and for Arizona, 16.6 percent. Texas, North Dakota, California,
Montana, Kansas, New Mexico, and Nevada were next in order
with 10 percent or more of the farm operators not living on their
farms.
Of 67 counties with 150 or more nonresident farm operators in
1954 and with these nonresident operators comprising 20 percent
or more of all farm operators in the county, 17 were in Texas, 15
in Florida, 11 in Kansas, 6 each in Oklahoma and Utah, 4 in
California, 3 each in Colorado and Montana, and 1 each in Ari-
zona and Washington. Cash grain, fruit (citrus) , or cotton farms
were the predominant types of farms, or comprised a high pro-
portion of the farms in most of these counties. Livestock types
predominated in the Utah counties.
Among the tenure classes, managers were outstanding in re-
spect to the percentage of operators residing off the farm op-
erated, with 11.1 percent not living on their farms. A somewhat
higher proportion of tenants than owners resided off their farms,
with 7.6 percent for tenants and 54 percent for owners. A
slightly higher proportion of part owners than full owners resided
off their farms. Among the tenants, the proportion not residing
on their farms was highest for crop-share tenants, (11.8 percent)
and lowest for livestock-share tenants (3.2 percent).
188
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
(Continued from page 129)
In summary, any future additions to the farmland area prob-
ably will occur in the South and the West. Much of the area
now remaining in nonagricultural use can be brought into agri-
cultural use only through the application of relatively large
amounts of capital and labor. Some expansion may be made by
irrigating more land in the arid parts of the West ; by draining
wet lands, particularly in the coastal area ; and by clearing
wooded areas or timber lands. The greater part of any increases
in agricultural production, however, will probably come from im-
proved management, technological advancement, and greater
quantities of fertilizer, water, and improved equipment. As the
quantity and variety of factors of production increase per unit
of land, the tenure arrangements associated with the land prob-
ably will become more complex and more crucial in determining
the level of production and the distribution of income.
(Continued from paste ISO)
Indian tribal and trust-allotted lands used for fanning and
grazing total 48 million acres. Of these Indian lands, 3.9 million
acres are in farms and 44.1 million acres are in grazing land.
With the exception of the Western States, land in farms is
held almost exclusively by individual owners. A tabulation based
on a sample of approximately 200,000 farms indicated that, for
the United States as a whole, 87.6 percent of the land in farms is
held by individuals, 5.0 percent is held by corporations, 3.9 percent
by Government, and 3.5 percent are Indian lands. The 17 West-
ern States account for 56.6 percent of individually owned land in
farms and 80.3 percent of corporately owned land. In these
States most of the corporation land is used for grazing and
orchard or crop-specialty farming.
Full ownership provides the maximum in security-of-use ex-
pectations and of use control over the farm operation. It pro-
vides also old-age security and a stable estate for the farm op-
erator. High land values, in many cases, however, have neces-
sitated large debts and/or large cash outlays which reduce capital
available for equipment and for meeting current operating
expenses.
As the number of farms decreases and their size increases, new
ways of combining resources in production may be necessary.
The division of ownership and control of the resources in farm
operating units will bring forth increasingly complex tenure
arrangements.
(Continued from page 132)
For a limited number of tenants, the form of rental payment was
unspecified. It cannot be said with certainty into which group
these would fall, hence their lands are portrayed in the diagram
as "unspecified."
The most discernible difference shown by the distribution in
1954, as contrasted with the status in 1950, was an increase in
the proportion of land in tenant-operated farms which was
farmed by livestock-share tenants and a decrease in sharecropper
lands.
(Continued from page. 183)
size. Some of the additional land accumulated by part owners
and by tenants represents entire farms grouped with former
holdings. This tends to reduce the number of farms reported
in a Census. In other cases, the added acreage represents field-
rented land owned by someone who may not be able, or may not
care, to purchase equipment which he cannot use to capacity.
If the owner who rents out his fields retains enough land for his
own use for the operation to be classified as a farm, the net effect
is to maintain the number of farms but to change the proportion
of farmland in the various tenure categories. Tenure changes
within a State or geographic region may follow an entirely dif-
ferent pattern from that indicated for the United States as a
whole.
(Continued from page 136)
any previous Census since 1890. The rate of tenancy in 1954, at
24-0 percent, was the lowest reported since 1880, the first Census
for which tenancy data are available. There has been, however,
a faster decline in the percentage of tenancy than in the per-
centage of land under lease. Part of this difference is due to
the increased number of part owners and the amount of land they
rent. Part-owner farms have increased consistently in numbers
and in the proportion to all farms since 1940. An all-time high
in number of part owners was attained in the 1954 enumeration.
(Continued from page 137)
units containing both owned and rented land are generally larger
than full-owner or tenant farms and are frequently the result of
the operator's effort to expand farm size without large immediate
outlay or indebtedness. A fairly large proportion of the part-
owner farms in the West originated through the leasing of range-
lands for more effective operating units.
Full-owner farms are also somewhat uniformly distributed, par-
ticularly in the eastern part of the United States. There is some
concentration in the southern Appalachians where productivity
and prices of land are relatively low and in the eastern part of the
North Central Region. Except in the South, full-owner farms
are, on the average, smaller in area than those of the other
tenures.
(Continued from page 154)
Fruit-and-nut farms require a relatively long waiting period
from the time capital is invested in planting until the orchards
begin to yield. This may help to explain why such a large pro-
portion of fruit-and-nut farms are owner-operated. The 82,064
fruit-and-nut farms in 1954 were 81.7 percent full-owner-operated,
11.5 percent part-owner-operated, and 4.3 percent tenant-operated.
More than one-fifth of the commercial farms of the United
States are livestock farms (other than dairy and poultry). Most
livestock farms are owner-operated. Even in the areas where
livestock farms predominate, a high proportion of the tenants
occupy crop-share farms. In 1954, 55.3 percent of the livestock
farms were run by full owners, 24.2 percent by part owners, and
19.6 percent by tenants. Of the 135,828 tenant-operated livestock
farms, 33.5 percent were operated under livestock-share arrange-
ments.
Similarly, dairy and poultry farms are predominantly owner-
operated, particularly poultry farms. Only 6.4 percent of the
154,257 commercial poultry farms and 13.6 percent of the 548,763
commercial dairy farms were tenant-operated.
(Continued from page 155)
Tobacco was grown on 1,557,039 acres in 1954. Nine Southern
States accounted for 94.1 percent of the total tobacco acreage in
the United States in 1954. While the acreage has increased only
slightly since 1949, the production has increased by more than 150
million pounds. The acreage of tobacco per farm is small and is
subject to government controls; consequently, the value of land
with a tobacco quota is relatively high. Labor requirements are
large. Nearly one-half of the tobacco is grown by tenants and
almost all of the tenants are either sharecroppers or crop-share
tenants.
Poultry and dairy. — Poultry and dairy production tends to be
more of an owner operation than does crop production. The cap-
ital investment in livestock, equipment, housing, etc., tends to be
high in relation to the investment in land. Tenant commercial
farms produce less than 17 percent of the chickens, less than 15
percent of the eggs, and slightly more than 20 percent of the milk.
FARM TENURE
189
In 1954, 3431,1,91 farms reported 3S3,970,8U chickens 4 months
old and over. Compared to other enterprises, the proportion of
noncommercial farms reporting chickens is high — about 30 per-
cent. Probably a large share of these farms are retirement or
part-time farms. The number of commercial poultry farms repre-
sents only Jf.5 percent of all farms reporting chickens ; however,
these poultry farms accounted for 64-3 percent of the value of
all chickens and eggs sold. Chickens and eggs are commonly a
supplemental enterprise on other types of farms. Cash leasing
is more important in chicken and egg production than it is in
either livestock (other than dairy) or crop production, but even
so, all types of tenancy combined accounted for but a small per-
cent of the total value.
The number of farms reporting milk cows has declined from
3,681,627 in 1950 to 2,956,900 in 1954. The number of milk cows
reported in 1954 was 20,365,450, about 1 million less than in 1950.
Yet total milk production has increased about 4.5 percent in the
period 1950-54. Of the farms reporting milk cows, 73.3 percent
were commercial farms divided as follows : 36.1 percent, full
owners ; 18.7 percent, part owners ; 0.3 percent, managers ; and
18.2 percent, tenants ; the remaining 26.7 percent were noncom-
mercial farms.
Cattle and hogs.— In 1954, 95,634,676 cattle and 57,912,006 hogs
were reported on farms. Cattle numbers had increased by more
than 18 million and hog numbers by 1.6 million since 1950.
The length of the production process may influence the type of
tenure. Although the differences are not large, perhaps the effect
of the length of the production cycle may be illustrated by com-
paring cattle to hog production. Figure 26 shows, for example,
that tenant farms produce a greater share of the value of hogs and
pigs than of cattle. In 1954, 32.5 percent of the hogs, but only 17.0
percent of the cattle, were reported on tenant commercial farms.
Of the commercial tenant farms 67.9 percent reported cattle and
58.7 percent reported hogs.
(Continued from page 161)
croppers. Commercial cropper farms in the South averaged 36.9
acres and noncommercial cropper farms averaged 21.0 acres in
1954.
With the exception of tenants in the South, the average farm
size of any given tenure group is smallest in the Northeast and
largest in the West.
From the standpoint of production it is useful to separate the
commercial farms from other farms. These "other" farms in
1954 numbered 1,455,404 and contained 127,577,554 acres, with an
average size of only 87.7 acres, whereas the average commercial
farm contained 310.3 acres. By tenure, the average size of com-
mercial farms for full owners was 207.3 acres ; part owners, 609.5
acres; managers, 3,436.1 acres; and tenants (excluding croppers)
238.2 acres. Commercial manager-operated farms were smaller
than "other" manager farms which averaged 11,958.6 acres in
1954. The "other" manager farms were large because they were
predominantly institutional farms such as experiment stations,
county farms, grazing associations, etc. The average size of
commercial farms increased 34-7 acres or 12.6 percent between
1950 and 1954, whereas the average size of "other" farms In-
creased only 4-9 acres or 5.9 percent.
Of the tenant-operated commercial farms in 1954, cash tenants
had an average farm size of 349.3 acres and tended to be the
largest ; and croppers, with an average farm acreage of 36.9, the
smallest. Share-cash farms averaged 2S5.6 acres; crop-share,
i76.6 acres ; livestock-share, 270.0 acres. All types of tenant
farms, with the exception of sharecropper farms, have increased
in size since 1950.
(Continued from page 165)
number of workers on commercial full-owner farms reporting in
the United States was 2.3; on tenant farms, 2.5; on part-owner
farms, 3.0; and on manager farms, 9.8. For average number of
workers on commercial farms see table 5. The labor figures
for 1954 relate to September 26-October 2 for 33 States and
October 24-30 for 15 States. The specified week represented peak
or near-peak period of employment for many areas.
Although commercial manager-operated farms employed the
largest number of persons per farm, they employed only 2.1
percent of the total workers on commercial farms. In 1954, 42.4
percent of the persons employed on commercial farms were on
full-owner farms, 27.3 percent were on part-owner farms, and
2S.2 percent were on tenant farms.
On commercial farms the number of family workers, including
the farm operator, per farm reporting in 1954 was 1.8 for part
owners and tenants and 1.6 for full owners. Manager farms em-
ployed an average of only 1.3 family workers per farm reporting.
The larger differences between tenures in terms of employment
are in number of hired workers. Manager-operated commercial
farms hired 12.2 workers per farm. Of these hired workers about
one-half were regular workers (employed 150 or more days a year)
and one-half were seasonal workers. About 72 percent of the
hired workers on full- and part-owner commercial farms and about
86 percent of the hired workers on tenant commercial farms were
seasonal employees.
Only about one-sixth of the commercial tenant farms — 16.3
percent — reported hired workers in 1954. The average number
of hired workers per farm — based on all commercial tenant
farms — was 0.6, as compared with an average of 3.9 persons for
those tenant farms reporting hired workers.
Expenditures for farm labor. — The total outlay for hired farm
labor reported by commercial and noncommercial farms for 1954
in the Census of Agriculture was $2,279 million. This is $139
million less than was reported for hired labor in 1949. As may
be expected, most of the outlay for hired labor (97.2 percent)
was made by commercial farms. Of the total expenditure for
farm labor made by commercial farms in 1954, 37.8 percent was
spent by full owners, 36.0 percent by part owners, 16.6 percent by
tenants, and 9.6 percent by managers. Since manager-operated
farms represented less than one-half of one percent of all the
farms and accounted for 9.6 percent of the total outlay for hired
farm labor, the per farm expenditure was high. As seen in
figure 36, manager-operated farms dominate an array of
average farm expenditures. The importance of labor expendi-
ture by the other tenure groups lies in the aggregated expenditure
of many farms with one, two, or three hired workers.
(Continued from page 168)
number of balers reported was 195,858. The increases between
1950 and 1954, therefore, were 131.1 and 128.7 percent, respec-
tively, for farms reporting and numbers of balers.
Noticeable differences are reported in proportions of farms
reporting the various specialized machines. Much of this dif-
ference, of course, is due to the type of farming. The ratio of
farms reporting corn pickers, for example, is higher in all tenures
in the North Central than in any other region. The dairy-dom-
inant Northeast had a much higher proportion of its farms re-
porting milking machines. Whether measured extensively in
terms of work power or intensively in terms of specialized ma-
chines, the South has a smaller degree of mechanization than the
other regions.
In general, the part-owner and tenant-operated farms have the
greatest degree of mechanization. To the extent that tenancy
is a means whereby part owners and tenants can expand their
operations without investing their limited capital in land, tenure
arrangements are conducive to larger, more mechanized farms.
Tenants in the South, however, are an exception for they have a
smaller proportion of their farms mechanized than any of the
other tenures. Only 14.O percent of croppers in the South re-
ported a tractor. By definition of croppers, work power is fur-
nished by the landlord.
190
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
Part-owner farms tend toward greater mechanization and show
the highest proportion of farms reporting most types of ma-
chines. The part-owner tenure is characterized by operators who
are in a financial position which permits them, within limits, to
choose between greater land ownership and expanding their op-
erations with more equipment on rented land.
(Continued from page 169)
Although a smaller proportion of farms in the West reported
the use of fertilizer than in the other regions, they reported a
larger expenditure per acre. In the West, slightly more than
1,0 percent of the farms reported fertilizer use, compared with
almost 70 percent of the farms in the United States reporting
fertilizer use. Commercial cash tenants in the West reported the
highest average expenditure per acre for fertilizer, $21.39; this
compares with $9.97 per acre reported for all cash tenants in the
United States.
(Continued from page 170)
irrigation equipment, or if the supervisory and/or compensation
problems are complicated. As an alternative example, if pro-
duction expenses are large and sharing arrangements can be de-
veloped easily, a share tenancy might be appropriate.
Specified cost items. — The four specified expense items shown
by tenure in figure 41 illustrate the differences in expenditures
associated with various forms of tenure. The differences in type
of farm and size of farm related to tenure should be kept in mind,
however, so that not all of the variation in expenditure is at-
tributed to the form of tenure alone.
Two expense items that are relatively important in the budgets
of manager farms are, as expected, hired labor and feed for live-
stock and poultry. The average expenditure in 1954 for hired
labor was $14,071, per farm reporting for commercial manager
farms ; part-owner farms were the next highest with an average of
$1,565. Full owners and tenants on commercial farms spent only
#973 and $657 per farm, respectively, for hired labor. In 1954,
managers spent $9,256 per commercial farm reporting for feed ;
whereas, full owners spent an average of only $1,1)82; part own-
erg, $1,550; and tenants, $1,092.
The relative size of farms of the various tenure groups, i. e.,
from the large manager farms to the small full-owner farms,
may account for the array of per farm expenditures for petroleum
products. Other factors affecting expenditure that are related
to tenure are type of farm and the geographic area. Commercial
manager farms reporting in 1954 spent for gasoline an average of
$1,899; part owners, $686; tenants, $1,72; and full owners, .
(Continued from page 171,)
cent, by tenants. Of Class I farms (the class representing the
highest gross incomes) , 35.2 percent were operated by full owners ;
38.2 percent, by part owners ; 1,.!, percent, by managers ; and 22.2
percent, by tenants. In each of the intermediate classes, ap-
proximately 30 percent of the farms were operated by tenants.
These relationships held, in general, for each region. In the
South however, there were relatively fewer full owners and more
tenants in the lower economic classes than in the North and
West. In the South, the proportion of farms operated by full
owners was not appreciably higher for economic classes represent-
ing intermediate incomes than for economic classes representing
higher incomes. In the South, the highest proportion of tenancy
was in Economic Class IV farms, with the proportion decreasing
with each higher and with each lower class. In the North and
West, the situation was almost the opposite with the highest
proportion of tenancy in Economic Class II in the North, and Class
I in the West, and the proportion decreasing with each lower
class.
(Continued from page 176)
The difference in the proportion of full owners and part owners
reporting the specified facilities was not great for any region.
For the Northeast, the North Central region, and the South, the
percentages were somewhat higher for part owners on commercial
farms than for full owners. For the West, the percentages for
part owners were slightly less than for full owners.
For all regions, the percentage of managers reporting telephone
and running water, respectively, was higher than for any other
tenure group. In the North Central region and the South, the
percentage of managers reporting electricity was higher than for
other tenures. In the Northeast, the percentage of managers
reporting electricity was less than for part owners and in the
West, less than for all owners.
FARM TENURE
DIRECTORY OF TENURE DATA, 1954 CENSUS
191
Where found
Geographic area for
which available
Period
Classification
Subjects covered
Basis of tabulation
of 1954 data
Volume I, State Table 3.
StateTable4.
State Table 5.
State Table 9.
County Table 2.
County Table 2a
Economic Area
Tables 7, 8, 9.
Volume II, Chapter II:
Table 6_ .
Table 7. -
Table S._
Table 9..
Table 10.
Table 11-
Table 12.
Table 13.
Table 14.
Table 16.
Table 17.
Table 18-
Table 20.
Table 22.
Table 24.
Table 27.
Chapter IV:
Table 5..
Table 16.
T3ble 17.
Table 33.
Table 34.
Table 35.
Chapter X:
Table 1.
Table 2.
Tables 3,4..
Tables 5, 6.
Tables 7, 8.
Tables 9, 10,
11, 12.
Tables 13,
14.
Table 15....
Tables 16,
17.
Tables 18.
19, 20.
Tables 21,
22.
State..
State.,
State
State
County and State
County and State (the South
only and 7 counties in
Southeast Missouri).
Economic areas and State
United States
The South
United States, the North, the
South, and the West.
United States
The South
United States, the North, the
South, and the West.
United States, the North, the
South, and the West.
United States
The South
United States
The South
United States, the North, the
South, and the West.
Divisions and States
Divisions and States
Divisions and States
Divisions and States
United States, the North, the
South, and the West.
United States
The South.
United States, the North, the
South, and the West.
Divisions and States
Divisions and States.
Thc South only, divisions,
and States.
United States.
United States.
United States and the South.
United States and the South.
United States and the South.
United States and the South.
United States and the South.
Summary for 20 States
United States and the South.
United States and the South.
Divisions and States
1920 to 1954.
1954
1920 to 1954...
1954.
1954 and 1950.
1954
1954 and 1950.
1910 to 1954...
1910 to 1954...
1954 and 1950.
1940 to 1054...
1940 to 1954 —
1954 and 1950.
1954 and 1950.
1910 to 1954...
1910 to 1954...
1934 to 1954...
1934 to 1954..
1954 and 1949
1954
1954
1954
1954.
1954 and 1950.
1930 to 1954...
1954 and 1940-
1954
1930 to 1954-
1954
1950 and 1954-
1954
1954 and 1940
1954
1880 to 1954- -
1900 to 1954 .
1880 to 1954- .
1900 to 1954. -
1900 to 1954 -
1950 and 1954.
1900 to 1945 -
1924 to 1954..
1900 to 1954 -
1929 to 1954- -
1925 to 1954 -
1950 and 1954
1945 to 1954.
Color-tenure
Commercial farms by tenure
(color-tenure for the South).
Race
Commercial farms by tenure
(color-tenure for the South).
(Color.-
\Tenure
Color-tenure
Commercial farms, by tenure.
Tenure.-
Color-tenure
Commercial farms by tenure
(color-tenure for the South) .
Tenure
Color-tenure
Commercial farms by tenure
(color-tenure for the South).
Commercial farms by tenure
(color-tenure for the South).
Tenure
Color- tenure
Tenure
Color-tenure
Commercial farms by tenure
(color-tenure for the South).
Tenure (color-tenure for the
South).
Tenure (color-tenure for the
South).
Tenure (color-tenure for the
South).
Tenure
Tenure (color-tenure for the
South).
Cash tenants
Nonwhite cash tenants.
Cash tenants by type of farm.
Cash tenants
Cash tenantS-
Cash tenants by commercial
and other.
Cash tenants by commercial
and other.
Cash tenants by color
Cash tenants by color, by
commercial and other.
Tenure
Nonwhite by race (Negro and
other).
Tenure--.
Color-tenure..
Color-tenure
Tenure (color-tenure for the
South).
Color-tenure
Color-tenure ._
Color-tenure
Tenure
Tenure (also nonwhite by
tenure for the South).
Commercial and other farms
by tenure (also nonwhite
by tenure).
Tenure, with nonwhite by
tenure for the United States
and the South and non-
white totals for the North
and West.
Farms, land in farms, cropland harvested and,
for the South, one or more specified crops.
Farms, land in farms, land use, value of land
and buildings, specified operator charac-
teristics, specified facilities and equipment,
farm labor, specified farm expenditures,
principal livestock, and specified crops.
Farm operators
Hired labor and wage rates
Farms
Farms, land in farms, and cropland harvested
Farms, land in farms, and cropland harvested
Farms, land in farms, land use, value of land
and buildings, specified operator charac-
teristics, specified facilities and equipment,
farm labor, specified farm expenditures,
principal livestock, and specified crops.
Age of operator
Age of operator
Age of operator
Residence of operator
Residence of operator
Residence of operator
Years on present farm
Years on present farm
Years on present farm
Off-farm work
Off-farm work
Off-farm work and other income
Age of operator
Residence of operator
Years on present farm...
Off-farm work and other income
Farm wage rates _.
Cash rent paid: also farms, owned and rented
land, land in farms, cropland harvested, and
value of land and buildings.
Cash rent paid; also farms, owned and rented
land, land in farms, cropland harvested, and
value of land and buildings.
Cash rent paid; also farms, owned and rented
land, land in farms, cropland harvested, and
value of land and buildings.
Cash rent paid
Farms, rented land, land in farms, value of
land and buildings.
Cash rent paid
Farms, rented land, land in farms, value of
land and buildings.
Cash rent paid-- -. .
Cash rent paid, farms, rented land, land in
farms, value of land and buildings.
Farms
Farms
Farms
Farms..
Land in farms
Value of land and buildings
Value of land and buildings
Cropland harvested and other specified land-
use items.
Summary uses of land
Irrigated land
Owned and rented land...
Farms and farm characteristics in considerable
detail.
Farms, land in farms, land use, value of land
and buildings.
Sample.
Sample.
Complete count.
Sample.
Complete count.
Complete count.
Complete count.
Sample.
Sample.'
Sample.1
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.1
Sample.1
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.1
Sample.
Sample.1
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Complete count.
Complete count.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
Sample.
See footnote at end of table.
192
A GRAPHIC SUMMARY
DIRECTORY OF TENURE DATA, 1954 CENSUS— Continued
Where found
Geographic area for
which available
Period
Classifi cation
Subjects covered
Basis of tabulation
of 1954 data
Volume II, Chapter X— Con.
1880 to 1954...
1900 to 1954...
1950 and 1954- .
1900 to 1954-,.
1950 and 1954..
1950 and 1954..
1954
Complete count.
25, 26. 27.
Nonwhite by race (Negro and
other) .
Commercial farms by tenure. .
Farms other than commercial
by tenure.
Part-time and residential
farms by tenure.
Tenure of multiple units
Class of tenants of multiple-
unit operators.
Farms, land in farms, cropland harvested,
value of land and buildings, and other
specified farm characteristics, such as facul-
ties, equipment, farm labor, expenditures,
livestock, and crops.
Farms (See Volume II, page 948, for method for
obtaining data for additional items).
30, 31, 32,
33, 34, 35.
Table 36.
Sample.
38.
Vnliimp TTT, Part. 1
Summary for multiple-unit
areas and States.
United States ,*"di visions, and
States.
1954 and 1950..
1930 to 1954__.
Multiple units, subunits (Census farms), land
in multiple units, specified crops, horses
and mules.
Farms
Farm-mortage debt. _
Complete count.
Part 5
Complete count.
1 Average age and average years from complete count.
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11