In 1910 the percentage of farms under tenant cultivation was 41.44. There were 41 counties with percentages exceeding 45.0. Twelve of the counties had percentages exceeding 55.0. By 1910 percentages of tenancy exceeding 45.0 had appeared in many of the counties between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. Low percentages characterized the counties bordering the Mississippi river as far south as the old American bottoms, and followed the Illinois river over half the distance to its source. In Southern Illinois, however, the percentages in the counties bordering the Mississippi, Ohio and Wabash rivers was somewhat larger than the percentages prevailing in the interior counties. The lowest percentage was that of Edwards county, 20.1, while the highest was that of Ford, 66.7. Ford, Logan, and Grundy counties were the only counties in the United States north of the latitude of Cairo, Illinois, whose percentage of tenant farms was above 60.0. To ascertain the relative growth of tenant farming in Illinois from 1880 to 1910 we may employ as a basis the number of tenants among each one thousand operators. In five counties, led by DeKalb with a percentage of 122.7, the increase in the relative number of tenant farms was over 100 per cent. There were five counties27 in which there was a decline in the relative number of tenant farms during the period considered. The percentage of decline was largest in the case of Pope county. In Pope county, however, the percentage of decline was only 22.5. Through the Central part of the state the increase was between 25 and 50 per cent. In general, it may be said that the relative number of tenant farms was stationary in Southern Illinois, increased by one-fourth to one-half in Central Illinois, and doubled in Northern Illinois during the generation, 1880 to 1910. The following table shows the number of counties in each grade when classified according to the percentage of farms operated by tenants. 27 All of these counties are located in Southern Illinois. CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTIES ACCORDING TO THE PERCENTAGE OF FARMS OPER ATED BY TENANTS, AND NET CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF COUNTIES The table shows the positiveness with which the percentage of tenant farms has increased in Illinois counties. The counties having percentages below 40.0 have been growing fewer and fewer in number, while the number of counties in each grade above 40.0 has undergone a regular increase. The percentages characterizing the Illinois county with least tenancy at the four census dates, 1880 to 1910, were 14.5, 16.0, 21.2 and 20.1 respectively.28 The highest percentages similarly reported were 50.4, 53.7, 62.9 and 66.9, respectively.29 The lowest percentage was 5.6 points higher in 1910 than in 1880, and the highest percentage had risen 16.5 points. All indications go to show, therefore, that while the rate of progress in the direction of farm tenancy has been slow in the case of some counties of Illinois, it has been very rapid in the case of some other counties. The movement away from uniformity in Illinois has been much greater than is indicated by the census map showing the distribution of tenants by number. 28 Edwards county, in each case. 29 Logan county in 1880, and Ford county in 1890, 1900 and 1910. STATISTICS OF LAND TENURE BY COUNTIES 30 The absence of county data on the acreage hired and owned by part owners in 1900 makes it impossible to present maps showing the percentage of farm land operated under the various forms of tenure at that date. By courtesy of the census bureau, however, the thirteenth census data on renting and owning by part owners in Illinois have been received by private communication for 99 of the 102 counties in the state. This makes it possible to present here the data on land tenure for 1910. Comparing the map showing the percentage of farm land operated by tenants in 1910 with the map showing the percentage of farms operated by tenants, it appears that in Southern Illinois the tenants operated farms averaging smaller than those operated under other forms of tenure. In Central Illinois east of the Illinois river, and especially in the interior counties of Northern Illinois the tenant farms were larger than those of other tenures. In the Military tract tenant farms were about the same in size as other farms. As a whole, the state had 43.59 percent of its farm land operated by tenants whereas these constituted 41.44 per cent of the farm operators. The farms operated by managers were 0.96 per cent of all farms in 1910, but averaged 234.04 acres. The percentage of land managed was 1.72. In Piatt county, managers cultivated 7.64 per cent of the land, while in Wabash county they controlled but 0.18 per cent. Little can be said of the sectional variation except that the distribution of managed land is highly sporadic. However prevalent managing may be west of the Mississippi,31 its prominence in Illinois in 1910 cannot be regarded as important. The percentage of farm land operated by part owners in 1910 was 17.15. The farms of part owners contained an average of 147.5 acres against the general average of 129.1 acres.32 In two counties part owners cultivated over 35 per cent of the farm land, Edwards county leading with a percentage of 39.1. In DuPage county, in the Northern part of the state, only 3.0 per cent of the farm land was operated by part owners. In a 30"Land" tenure may be conveniently used when we think in terms of acreage, and "farm" tenure when we think in terms of farms or of farmers. 81 See above, pp. 14, 16, 17. |