The Red Cloud chief., 1880-04-29

- Wofk&t ~ c1fstA<1&A
IN The Eq7husnsen S<asss fkis hss
gives No. - ksa fkss the t~nSesry
st Aueyic~a fsnmssx b In tina asrve-
tSaL Fortunately this u 30 The f.rx
The ~ a fzTusas On an issn<as-
sca1s would indeed tacrx>~r the unrzb<r
u surh experiments N ~ pssxr and
rpoccnps~d States. and TIN. pryAxsA
VII be b result The haszseU ssas>
nation tn. last fes yrxrs sksrA has
kept capitalists from invs<zing IN other
enterprises. has nssursiiy turned their
Aaentsoa TO farming. Nv securing
large trzcss g cheap lands. xsd keep
ing thsn under The piew for wheat. =
large apparent prsas u made The
firs; plowip~ br-zkinx prairie sd -
expensive. bat sitter thai sh-zi can be
grown :or sesfrzl wears with lfstie en-
pense except seed and harvesting. An
the work j. done by machinery. and
with - small n number af rnen \. t~sxl
bic Sclt-bindinS T.atsrrs diminish the
labor of harvesting. .fhreshing - done
Ia The bed. "A the strzw - harmed oa
the ground 10 get u oct a the NAY.
OF course. the soil l. rzpilly exhausted.
but the owners have taken the rreAm of
fertility and made IL pay for the land
tao or three or more times before they
throw IL aside IS worthless
As far as maintaining fertility i con-
c.rDed. this policy 10 the one always
adopted in n-w countries Heretofore.
with occasional exc-ptions. the newer
states have been occupied by actual set.
tiers. who come Ia build home. and h--
cnnae permanent residents ~ the CON-
monweslth- To be- SURF. fur n time they
unduiy exhaust The fertility Of their
lands; but when the farm l. compare
lively small this process is always
stopped sopner than when the farms
are unduly large. The small farmer Is
compelled TO maintain \ higher state II
fertility because he has fewer acres from
which 10 dofray family and Incidental
expenses. With . large farm \ small
profit per acre viii maintain It's owner
in aftiuence; but ON = small farm the
utmost must be male from every acre.
IL Is therefore for the public interest
In more ways than one that the ten
dency To- monopolizc large tracts IL
land In few hands should be discouraged
The more small farmers there are in
the country the greater number of in
dependent freeholders. who are the best
security Tor the perpetuiiy Of popular
liberties. Large farmers require an in
creased number of dependents. who
cannot have the same interest in the
future Of the country rs the owners Of
the soil 1t is true that other circum-
stances modify this rule somewhat
The large numbers u lsbor-saOng im-
1oemenis invented in the last thirty
years enables one man la work n larger
area Of land than formerly. Without
lower and reapers the crops of the
Northwest could not be Harvested with
the present force Of laborers. Yet tax
ing the country through the census re-
ports show that during thirty years the
size Of farms has greatly decreased. and
this, despite the fact that within thirty
years the new States have been occu-
pied with railroads which have massed
large tracts in few hands. The figures
from 1850 to 1870 are as follows:
Year. Aons.
1s50. Average size OF farms 81
lsSl- Average size Of fsrms.-..-....lae
ls.o. Average size of farms. ...l53
IL is probable that the census next
summer viii show that this tendency
continues, As is natural where land IS
cheap. rs il is in this country. and every
man who chooses can secure a home Of
his W with n few years labor. There
are no difficulties interposed in any
State 10 discourage CT prevent the sub
division of farms as in England and Ire
land, and the evils which the Irish peo-
nta 0ea aV4uru. ~ .-l---
in little danger Of appearing in this
country. Even in the newer States
where large, unoccupied areas tempt
capitalists to buy and hold immense
tracts, the tendency is the same. In
Texas, for example, the average size Of
farms in 1850 was 9I2 acres. In 1860
it had decreased 10 59l acres, and in
1870 to 30l acres. No other State has
so large farms rs Texas. Nevada i'm
1860 had farms of 6l7 acres; but in 1870
they had decreased to POI acres. In
Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, in 1870 the
average size Of farms was 12s, liz and
134 acres respectively. These are much
smaller farms than We OF the East mn
agine to be the average in those States.
Probably. however. this average il
reduced by the increased num-
bers of holders Of real estate for market
gardening purposes near cities and vii
lagos. However induced. the reduc-
ton in sizes Of farms shows a better
state of cultivation and Improvement Of
those commonwealth in the character
of their population. This country is as
vet far removed from some Of the most
difficult problems which demand the
attention Of political economists and
in the overcrowded popula-
ton Of the old world.-Cor. Country
Gentleman.