Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-06-21
Sales OF Farms.

We copy an article on this subject from
the Brattleboro Phonir. There is sense in
the article, but it does not go to the bottom
of the matter by many fathom. 1t is true
that many Vermont farmers have emigrated,
and continue to emigrate, but it is not be-
cause they dislike Vermont, or have poor
opinion of Vermont soil. The great ma
iority Of our exies are men who have run
in debt for farms and have found it impos-
sible to pay for them. They struggle along
until they see that If they struggle longer
they will have nothing left. Then they sell
out, realizing what they can, and leave Yer
mont for the cheap lands of Kansas, Iowa,
or Dakota. They don't go because they
want to, but because they must. When
young farmers with little or no money are
willing to work out until they have the
money to buy farm and pay for it, Ver-
mont agriculture will be on new basis,
and emigration will cease. The article is
as follows: The improved condition Of
business interests seems at last to have some
effect on real.estate farm property. There
have been more sales of such property this
spring than usual, and in some cases little
would have brought few years ago has
been realized. We have in mind two farms
for which bona fde offers have lately been
made, in one case at an advance of twenty
per cent above the price paid for it year
ago. and in the other case at an advance of
twenty-five per cent above the price paid
for the same place three years ago. Several
other places within our knowledge, that
have been in the market for many years
without purchasers, have lately been sold,
But it is still difficult to find purchasers of
farms. A good farm may be advertised for
sale for years without attracting customer
willing and able to pay reasonable price
for it, especially if it is hill farm or in a
small or back district. There is no good
reason why Vermont farms should not find
more ready sale. Every intelligent per-
son comedies that, as whole, the best farm
ing lands of New England are found in this
state. Only limited areas in other New
England states are equally productive. That
the average condition of farmers, as far as
this worlds goods are concerned, is better in
Vermont than in some of the most fertile
states of the west, can be shown from trust
worthy statistics. We should educate our
young men to appreciate the merits of
their own state. This is where we have
failed. They have been taught rather to
believe that there was something much
better elsewhere. While western papers are
filled with praises, each of its own locality,
not few of which are published here, we
seldom see in a Vermont paper anything de-
signed to encourage immigration to the
state, or even to discourage our young peo.
pie from leaving it. On the contrary, the
tendency of most of the articles we read is
to encourage emigration to other states
There are probably at least 100000 natives
of Vermont now living outside of the state
If we had half of these back within the
state, farms would be in demand and sell
readily at fair prices, and the general pros
perity of the state would be very materially
enhanced. Instead of reiterating the advice
of Horace Greeley, Go west young man. we
should publish oftener his deliberate opin-
ion, expressed after an extensive acquaint-
ance with the different states, that nowhere
in the country will given amount of money
bring more substantial comforts to those
seeking homes than when invested in Yer.
mont farm"