Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 September 1902 — FACTS ABOUT FARMS .... [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FACTS ABOUT FARMS ....

Interesting Statistics Issued by the Census Bureau

In the general and sectional Introductions of the various volumes of the census of 1900, now being issued from the press, there is much matter of keen interest for those who have a little time to prowl and forage in such formidable looking vol-: limes. The first volume of the report on agriculture has recently been published. It abounds in facts of great interest to persons engaged in agriculture, and cities that are dependent upon it. There are 5,789,057 farms in the United States. The number of acres comprised in them is 841,201,546. In 1850 the number of acres in farms was less than 300,000,000. The improved farm acreage or crop producing area has increased so much faster than the national population that 42,915,891 acres of improved land are now available for surplus production. At the same time the yield per acre, owing to improved methods, has greatly increased. The farm and farm property of the United States are worth at a low valuation $20,000,000,000. The annual value of the farm products is $5,000,000,000. The size of the average American farm is 146.6 acres. The average value of a farm is $3,574. The average value per acre is $24.39. The value of farms increased 25.6 per cent in the last decade. In the north central division of the country the increase was 35,3 per cent. Tlie center of the number of farms of the United States is 110 miles east by south of St. Louis, in Wayne County, Illinois. The population center is six miles southeast of Columbus, Ind. The center of value of farm property is thirty-nine miles west-northwest of Springfield, 111. * The center of investment in manufactures is fifty-nine miles south-southwest of Cleveland, Ohio. The center of corn production is fifty-four miles southwest of Springfield, 111. The center of wheat production is seventy males west of Des Moines, lowa. The center of production of cotton is thirty-four miles north by west of Jackson, Miss. The center of the number of farms has moved westward faster than the center of population. The greatest westward movement has been that of wheat, whose center of production has in fifty years moved thirteen degrees-from northeastern Ohio to western lowa.

"Suddentiy attackted” by serious illness on the first morning of school. —Chicago Record-Herald.