CHAPTER IV

A DESCRIPTION OF FARM OPERATORS IN ILLINOIS

The farm operators of Illinois are, with few exceptions, heads of families residing on the farms. In 1890 the number of farm operators was 240,681, of whom 158,848, or 66.0 per cent, operated as owners. At that date 252,953 farm families were reported, of whom 160,065, or 63.3 per cent, resided on farms owned by them. In 1900 the number of farm operators was 264,151, of whom 158,503, or 60.0 per cent, were owners, 103,698 tenants, and 2,413 owners and tenants". The number of farm families was 262,388,3 of whom 158,496, or 60.4 per cent, owned farms and 101,817 hired. The almost exact correspondence in these data affords sufficient evidence that in 1890 and 1900 the normal Illinois farm was a "family farm". There is no reason for believing that statistics taken later would show any change in this condition.

THE BASIS OF RENTING

The tenants of Illinois may be described more conveniently after dividing them into classes according to the basis on which they rent. The following table summarizes the census data on this point.

The period, 1880 to 1890, during which the total number of tenants underwent only a slight increase, was the decade of greatest readjustment of terms between the tenants and landlords. The number of share tenants declined 6,973, or 11.7 per cent, while the number of cash tenants increased 8,562, or 41.5 per cent. The percentage of all tenants renting on shares fell from 74.3 in 1880 to 64.3 in 1890. The tendency continued, though much abated, until 1900, when 63.2 per cent of the tenant farms were rented on shares. In 1910 there were 23,665 farms rented on a basis combining the share and cash principles. All these are here counted as share tenant farms, though it is probable

1Census, 1900, V, lxix.

2The number of families residing on hired farms exceeded the number of farms operated by tenants by 11,055. It is possible that this was due to the reporting of some laborers hiring homes, or of some managers and owners occupying homes on land belonging to a tenant farm. Unknown, 2,075.

THE NUMBER OF ALL TENANTS, SHARE AND SHARE-CASH TENANTS, AND OF CASH AND UNSPECIFIED TENANTS, THE PERCENTAGE OF ALL TENANTS IN EACH GROUP, AND THE PERCENTAGE OF INCREASE OR DECREASE IN THE NUMBER IN EACH GROUP OVER THE PRECEDING CENSUS, ILLINOIS, 18801910.4

that a part of the farms rented in 1900 on the combined share and cash basis were then counted as cash tenant farms. To the extent that share-cash tenants were classified as cash tenants in 1900, less significance is to be attached to the decrease from 36.8 to 35.6 between 1900 and 1910 in the percentage of farms rented for cash."

In 1880 there were only 6 counties in the state in which the percentage of tenants renting for cash exceeded 50. All of them were in the Northern division of the state. In 1890 there were 21 such counties, 13 in the Northern division and 8 in the Central division. In 1900 the number of counties in which cash renting predominated was 24, 19 being in the Northern and 5 in the Central part. In 1910 the number of such counties fell to 15, all of them being in Northern Illinois. In 1880 there were 48 counties in which the percentage of farms rented for cash was under 20, 27 were in Southern Illinois, 20 in Central and 1 in Northern Illinois. In 1890 the number of such counties was 33, in 1900, 35, and in 1910, 45. At the last date 36 of the counties

4Census, 1910, V, 124, and VI, 438.

Minus sign (-) denotes decrease.

623,665, or 35.5 per cent, were share-cash.

'Moreover, the districts of the state in which the greatest decline took place from 1900 to 1910 in the percentage of farms rented for cash were the districts in which the percentage of other than cash tenants renting on the share-cash basis was the highest in 1910. Suggestion, at least, is thus given that the apparent decline in the relative prominence of cash tenancy is due to the classification of some tenants as share-cash tenants in 1910 who in 1900 would have been counted as cash tenants.

Percentage of Tenant Farms Rented for Cash Illinois 1910

Census 1910 Vol VI. 436-445

Legend

0-14.9

15-29.9

30-44.9

45-59.9

60-74.9

75-89.9

90-over

were in Southern Illinois, and the remainder in Central Illinois. Cash tenancy was relatively most prominent, therefore, in Northern Illinois, and least prominent in Southern Illinois. Since 1900 cash renting appears to have declined in relative prominence in each division of the state. Share-cash tenancy was most prominent, compared with all tenancy other than cash, in the counties of Central Illinois and the old prairie district. The reasons for this sectional difference will appear as the farms and farm practice of the various kinds of operators are described.

8

THE ACREAGE OPERATED

The method used by the census in presenting data on the size of farms of various tenures has undergone a change. For 1880 and 1890 the data are given for owners, cash tenants, and share tenants by acreage-groups. In 1900 the acreage-groups are continued and the farms formerly considered as those of owners are itemized into four classes. In 1910 the acreage-group data were not classified by various tenures. In both 1900 and 1910 the total acreages are given, so that averages can be calculated for farms of the several forms of tenure.

The first table shows for the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth census enumerations the percentage of farms belonging to the various size-groups that was operated under each of the several forms of tenure.

The farms of owners constituted a smaller percentage of all farms at the later census dates, and the farms of tenants made up a correspondingly increasing percentage. The farms under 50 acres were operated by owners to a larger extent in 1890 than in 1880, and those between 50 and 100 underwent only a slight increase in percentage of tenancy. The farms having between 100 and 500 acres and those having between 500 and 1000 acres were rented to a much larger degree in 1900 than at previous dates. The same movement toward tenant operation prevailed in the case of the farms over 1000 acres in size, though at a less rapid rate than in the case of the farms having between 500 and 1000

acres.

The percentage of farms operated by tenants in 1900 was highest in the farms between 100 and 175 acres in size, with those 10 to 20 acres next, and those 100 to 499 acres third. Ownership was most prevalent in the farms exceeding 500 acres,

8Census, 1910, VI, 438, 447.

PERCENTAGE OF FARMS OF SPECIFIED SIZES OPERATED UNDER SPECIFIED FORMS

followed by those under 3 acres.

It is evident that the farms of medium size were most cultivated by tenants, while the farms extraordinarily large and small were most characterized by operation by owners. It is a favorable comment on the ability of tenants to carry on large scale farming that such a large number of the farms over 500 acres are tenant farms, and that renting of the large farms was

Census, 1910, V, 124; 1900, V, 48; 1890, Agriculture, 118, 119; and 1880, Agriculture, 26-29.

10Including owners proper, part owners, owners and tenants, and

managers.

11Data is given for two subsidiary groups, less than 3 acres, and 3 to 9 acres in 1900 and 1880.

12 Data is given for three subsidiary groups, 100 to 174 acres, 175 to 259 acres, and 260 to 399 acres in 1900.

13 Data is given separately for owners proper, part owners, owners and tenants, and managers in 1900.