OCR Text |
Show Farm Population of U. S. Found Almost Stationary WASHINGTON. The census bureau bu-reau estimates that 30,475,206 persons per-sons lived on farms when the count was taken a year ago. This represented repre-sented an increase of only 29,856, or 0.1 per cent, since 1930, while the population as a whole increased 8,894,229, or 7.2 per cent. Thus the farm population in relation to the total dropped 1.7 points to 23.1 per cent. The bureau made its estimate from a 5 per cent cross-sectiun check. It attributed the failure of the farm population to keep pace with the general population to increased in-creased effieinncy in farming and a decline in exports of certain agricultural agri-cultural products. The number of farms declined 3.1 i per cent during the decade, so that the averoge number of residents on each farm increased to 5, as compared com-pared with 4.8 in 1930. The Pacific division Washington, Oregon and California showed an increase of 10.5 per cent in its farm population since 1930, but the dust-bowl dust-bowl area fell off sharply. The West North Central division reported a decline of 354,725, or 7 per cent, and , the West South Central division dropped 254,423, or 4.8 per cent. The only other geographic division to show a decline was the mountain states, which dropped 19,808, or 1.7 per cent. |