Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1886-06-18
TENANT FARMING.
rhs En- tent to which 1t Has Grown In TAis
| Country.

me EAteht 10 w mon ~ ffas uFOWn IN IhD
Country.
Since the formation of our Govern
mcnt the impression has been given at
home and abroad that the farmers in
this country owned the lands they
titled. We have taken pride in point
ing to our vast National domain, and
have shown our unselfish spirit in in
viting poor people in every part of the
world to come and settle on it. During
many years the price Of public land
was $1.25. Some twenty-five years ago
Congress offered a homestead of 100
acres to any citizen or to any alien
who had declared his intention to be-
come naturalized on the payment of
sum about equal to the cost of making
the survey. During the last few years
any person has had the privilege of OBJ
tanning 100 acres of land by agreeing
to plant forest trees ON one-fourth part
of it. BY virtue of the Homestead,
Pre- .emption and Timber-culture acts
one person has been able to obtain title
to three-quarter sections of land aggre-
eating 4S0 acres for a trifle over $500.
The land thus open to settlement was
generally within easy reach of rail
roads, and the fare from the more
densely settled portions of the country
was low. The railroads, desiring to
have the country improved so as to pro-
duce crops for transportation, offered
favorable terms to settlers. Under
these circumstances it was generally
presumed that persons who wanted
farms would go and take them. Rail-
roads having land grants offered to
dispose of land for farms on very long
time and at low rates of interest.
AS it was thought that nearly every
farmer owned the land he occupied we
have expressed a great deal of sympa-
thy for the poor farmers of Ireland,
England, Scotland and Germany, who
were obliged to pay an annual rent to
grasping landlords. 1t was not till the
census of 1880 was compiled and pub
lished that we learned that there were
| 1,024,001 farms in the United States
occupied by tenants. But 1.-The
wonder grew" when people read that
there were 1924 farms in Illinois
worked by parties who had no title to
the soil. Still greater surprise was ex-
pressed that there were A, 174 rented
farms in Iowa, SO, 1872 in Missouri, 49,
651 in Kansas and IL ,419 in Nebraska.
Persons who have taken pains to col
lect information on the subject express
the opinion that the number of tenant
farmers in the country has increased
at least twenty per cent. since the last
census was taken. If this is the case
there are now in this country about
250,000 more tenant farmers than
in Great Britain and Ireland. Many
extensive land owners have laid out
farms of eighty acres each, broke hall
| of the land, erected cheap buildings
and rented them. Persons who have
taken up tree claims have had a part
of the land plowed and leased the land
to tenants who were too poor to make
improvements for themselves. In the
older of all the Western States thou.
sands of wealthy farmers have leased
their land and moved to towns to live,
where they think they can enjoy life te
better advantage. Others continue tt
occupy the farmhouse, tend the garden
and keep some stock, while their ten
ants supply them with food anC
money.
When money could be let out for ter
per cent. on good security capitalist
did not desire to invest their money il
farming land, either for occupancy OIL
for the purpose of renting. But at &
low rate of interest they find farming
land to be good investment. The de
cline in the price of farm products ha:
apparently had no effect on the rent o
farms. The number desiring to rem
farms is increasing in all the Western
States and Territories. Men who
worked as hired laborers while they
were single desire to rent farms n
soon as they are married. Our wealth,
farmers have not adopted the plan
which is pursued by most European
countries, of employing married men
who can live in cottages, to work Oh
their places. They prefer to hir
single men who can board in thei
families. Farm hands who marry be
come tenant farmers or move farthe
their own. They have the means t
make the journey and to acquire
homestead right, but they have nc
the means to enable them to brea
prairie sod, build fences, erect build
ings, buy teams, implements and seeG
, and to pay the expense of living unit
a crop is raised. They therefore CON
mence married life as tenant farmers
and in the majority of instances re
main such. That the number of ter
ant farmers will increase from year t
,, year seems probable. In five years
time it will be very difficult to obtai
public land that is of much value fo
: agricultural purposes. During tn
l period the price of land owned by il
dividuals will become so high as to /
out of the reach OF men of sma
means. San Francisco Chronicle.