AGRICULTURE
XCIX
Year Number Year Number Year Number 1807 1808 1809 1870 1871 1872 1873 9,937 10,150 10,939 10,902 11,586 12,390 13,156 1874 . 1875 . 1876 . 1877 . 1878 . 1879 . . 1880 . 13,989 14,212 14,800 15,087 10,089 17,083 19,003 1881 . 1882 . 1883 . 1884 . 1885 . 1886 . Total . 20,762 22,112 23,198 22,994 23,472 25,535 328,716
Agriculture According to census returns the total acreage of farms and the improved acreage have been:
Years Farm Area Acres Improved Area Acres 1870 1880 1890 407,735,041 536,081,835 632,218,619 188,721,099 284,771,042 357,616,755
In the same years the numbers of farms of different sizes were:
Acres ISTO ISSO ISOO Under 3 acres 3 and under 10 10 " 20 20 " 50 50 " 100 100 " 500 500 " 1,000 1,000 and over Total . 6,875 172,021 294,607 847,614 754,221 505,054 15,873 3,720 4,352 134,889 254,749 781,574 1,032,810 1,695,983 75,972 28,578 1 150,194 205,550 902,777 1,121,485 2,008,094 84,395 31,540 2,659,985 4,008,907 4,504,041
In 1890 there were 4,767,179 families occupying farms. Of these, 3,142,74:6 families occupied farms which they owned (2,255,789 farms being free, and 886,957 encumbered), while 1,624,433 families occupied hired farms. The average size of farms in the United States is constantly decreasing. In 1850 it was 203 acres; in 1860, 199 acres; in 1870, 153 acres; in 1880, 134 acres; 1890, 137 acres.
