Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-03-17

WHY DO YouNG MEN LEAVE TIE FARM?
i have been very much Interested it the
weekly perusal of the Ploughman. The
question often repeated, and the advice
given to our young men to stick 10 the
farm and thus become in sense inde-
pendent o. the ups and downs in life, is
the thought that has been in nv mind for
some time. have asked myself, why is
it that the main stay of the flrm (the young
mcn) in many eases throw up the farm,
forsake the old folks and look to the cities
for source OF relief, in hopes to find some
other method of obtaining living, and in
time the farm and homestead becomes
deserted? the old folks in their declining
years pass away; the sons that should be
in their places TO take upon themselves the
responsibilities of their fathers in main
tanning and carrying on the farm, are
engaged Ill some other occupation and
thereby wcaned from their birthplace (the
iarm), and it becomes iorsaken and in Il
little while a thing of the past; sad, but in
too many instances, true. And here | am
led to ask why is it thus? am forced to
believe that the responsibility in part rests
with father or motheras the case may be;
the boys are not taugh, that they are part
owners and i'll time nuSL take upon them
selves the whole care OF HE firm. In too
many cases the sons are nutung more
than the hired men, drawing perhaps their
board and clothes and perhaps little
pocket money, or perhaps nine months in
the year the monthly pay of the farm hand
thereby become discouraged an try their
luck in other fields of usefulness. Such
I
believe. And here lies the secret of the
neglected condition of too many of our
farms at the present time. What is the
remedy for this evil? The young men in
many cases fail in their new undertaking.;
the farm becomes the property Of others.
so they are forced to shift for themselves
Heads of families they find themselves
without the means of support. If they
turn TO the farm for support they find they
can Get for their labor twenty-five to
thirty dollars per month. For such there
are many noble, capable young men, with
steady temperate habits, that would be
glad TO return to the farm, but for want of
pecuniary aid are debarred, Is there no
way out of the trouble? Can not our
institutes find some way where these
young men can find help? In this wise
let society be formed with capital SO
that deserving young man can select
some of these farms and borrow of the
society say some five or six hundred dol
lars on mortgage, and thereby give
them n start in life, and at the same time
redeem our farms and keep our young
men upon them? 1t seems to me that
while SO much is being said and done
about the Irish land question, we have
New England land question that needs our
attention, for the relief of eur American
young men who would gladly take our
farms that now lie idle, if the needed start
in life was offered to them, and thus our
farms be reclaimed, and we as well as they
will reap the benefits. Let us have a
New England aid farm society and set
our young men to work. | offer this
suggestion hoping some one will take up
the subject.-Fdrmer of CamJridgepo,l.
an Massachusetts, Ploughman of January
II, 1880.