Page:Evolution of American Agriculture (Woodruff).djvu/75

Rh increased to one-eighth of the farm population (22 3-4 per cent of the operating farmers), while the wage hands and children had decreased 1-15 to 44.8 per cent. During this period, machinery was displacing vast numbers of farmers for the total number of farmers in comparison to the total population had suffered a decrease of more than 11 per cent in the ten year period from 1880 to 1890, and from 1890 to 1900 it had practically held its own. The reason there was no comparative decrease in the farm population between 1890 and 1900 was because great numbers of men sought the farms during the hard times from 1893 to 1896, and immediately following this occurred the failure of the European wheat crop, which drove that cereal up to a dollar per bushel and suddenly made farming a profitable enterprise.

During this period the number of land owning farmers increased by 1,023,500 persons, the tenants increased 696,000, and the wage hands, children etc., increased 948,400.

Since 1900, the homestead lands have all been occupied, a great immigration of farmers from this country into Canada has taken place, and the price of land has gone up to almost fabulous figures—all of which have decreased the ratio of land owning farmers. In the nineteen years just past the number of land owning farmers has increased by 512,000 persons, a little more than half the increase in the previous twenty years. The tenants increased by 823,650, and the wage hands and others increased by 2,331,217.