Census information in 1900

Just look at all the wonderful info that was asked for on a census!  Every ten years, the government wanted different items included (or skipped) since the last census, but the basic info was the same for almost all of them: name, age, M or F, place and date of birth.  Items kept getting added so that by 1900, there were 28 possible spaces to fill in for each person.

Here's a relatively random chunk of Pierz Township in 1900--probably east of town, because that's where Marshiks lived.  See John PRZYBILLA there?  He was born in November 1841.  He and Maria had been married for 34 years, and Marie'd endured 11 births, with 9 living children.  In 1900, only Katherine (16), Joseph (14) and Anton (12) were still at home, but they had a 3 year old 'boarder' from New York named Franziska Shilz.  (I hope they adopted her eventually).  Maria and John were born in one of the parts of Europe ruled by Germany (we know it was Poland near the Otrembas, Schmolkes, and Mischkes).
Their next door neighbors were Julius and Josephine MARSHIK, a young couple with 2 kids, John (2) and Magdalena (1).   At first, I thought Grandma and Grandpa (Joseph and Maria)  MARSHIK lived next door, but not if the info is accurate.  It says they emigrated from Austria 17 years earlier, but then Julius wouldn't have been born in Minnesota.  They'd been married for 45 years, had 9 births with 7 living children.
It's interesting to see who was a "farmer" and who was a "farm laborer".  Probably one was on his own land while the other was hired out.  Katherine Przybilla was working as a hired girl in someone else's home.
If you really want to know what each column was for, check the Ancestry Wiki ☺.