Agriculture
Printable Version
Digital History ID 3837 Age Distribution of Wisconsin Farmers, 1860 | Age | Proportion owning no land | Land worth $1,000 or more | 20-29 | 44 | 15 | 30-39 | 13 | 39 | 40-49 | 6 | 39 | Questions To Think About 1. How likely were young men in Wisconsin to own land? 2. How likely were older men in Wisconsin to own no land? Cost of Making a Farm, Western New York State, 1821 | Clearing 30 acres at $10 per acre | $300 | Fencing | $70 | Log house and frame barn | $200 | Outhouse, well, orchard | $150 | 1 pair oxen | $50 | 1 horse | $50 | 2 cows | $40 | 2 hogs | $10 | 10 sheep | $50 | Plow, harness, tools | $50 | Purchase 50 acres at $2 per acre | $100 | Essentials for family consumption before first crop | $75 | Total | $1,145 | Questions To Think About 1. Western land has sometimes been considered a "safety valve" for American workers. Do you think that a laboring American could afford to start a farm? 2. How would a family acquire the money to start a farm? Percentage of American Labor Force in Agriculture | 1800 | 83 percent | 1810 | 84 percent | 1820 | 79 percent | 1830 | 71 percent | 1840 | 63 percent | 1850 | 55 percent | 1860 | 53 percent | Agricultural Productivity | | 1800 | 1970 | Wheat | | | worker-hours per acre | 56 | 3 | yield per acre | 15 | 31 | Cotton | | | worker-hours per acre | 185 | 24 | yield per acre | 147 | 438 | Occupational Distribution | | 1820 | 1860 | Agriculture | 79 percent | 53 percent | Mining | 0.4 percent | 1.6 percent | Construction | -- | 4.7 percent | Manufacturing | 3 percent | 14 percent | Trade | -- | 8 perccent | Transport | 1.6 percent | 6.4 percent | Service | 4.1 percent | 6.4 percent | Questions To Think About 1. Why do you think the proportion of Americans working in agriculture declined? 2. What kinds of work might non-agricultural workers do for a living?
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