The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-01-10

| Inc ARtlCulturai EdltOr OF the Ner-
mont Wdtchmdn contributes to the dis
| cussion:
What is the actual truth in this mat
ter Simply this, that any land that
ever was good and has not been denuded
by washing, can be easily and cheaply
restored to more than its original fertil
lty by any skillful farmer. Were Il
otherwise the population Of the old
world would have starved to death long
ago. China, the longest civilized and
most densely populated of countries, is
today the most fertile and productive;
while the fields of Greece and Italy, to
say nothing of France and Britain. show
no signs whatever of running OUT
although they will run down very quick
y under the farming" of men like the
President of the New England Agricul-
tursl Society.
This subject is a most important one.
We hear great deal about the worn
| out farms of New England" and right
here in Vermont we are about to try to
try to induce immigration to take up
our exhausted" hill farms. II we be
lieve they are truly exhausted, then our
State is officially about to undertake
what could hardly be regarded as any
these farms exhausted No! A thou
sand times, no These abandoned farms
are worth great deal more money to-
day than they ever were at any former
period in the history of our State. True,
they are not, at least in the hands OF un-
skilled men, so productive as when they
were first cleared, but any survivors of
our original settlers, or their immediate
do mt uyh hat
ing was in New England fifty years, ago
know that these farms will today afford
much better living to any industrious
man than they would then. In the
times which we call old, but are really
only single lifetime behind u.s. the
farmers of New England had no market
at all for more than trifie OF their pro-
ducts Today they have cash market
for all of them, almost at their doors.
In those days they farmed for living;
now they may farm as a business. The
man who farms for living needs only
| to know how to produce his food and
clothing from the land. He who farms
as business needs to know more, but
it is knowledge not difficult to obtain by
any man who is alive the whole length
of his body. In almost every one of our
towns are men who not only have made
good living on these hill farms, but
have laid up money at interest and are
| forehanded. What one man can do all
can do. Farming is good business in
New England.
Is this mere talk Well, we bought
one little run-out fam twenty-five years
ago, and have got something more than
living out of it, as our neighbors can
testify. And not content with SO much
foolishness, we have recently bought
another one, ten times as large, and, at
the age of sixty years, have undertaken
to make it pay for itself in four years.
We expect to report progress in these
columns from time TO time. The days
of decline in New England farming are
nearing their limit. There is going to
be a revival in Yankee agriculture, and
the time for good farms to sell for less
than the value of their buildings is short
The young men who stay right there,
take hold of these cheap farms and de
vote themselves to farming them with
hands and head, are gong to be the
most independent men in America with
in the next quarter OF century
The great trouble with Kansas at the
present time is that it belongs to some
body else. New England probably has
more money invested in Kansas than
the people who live there. The wealth
of the people there mainly represents
the rise in the price of land, Ordinary
farming does not pay. 4ne farmer who
can make both ends and ''hold the fort
is very fortunate. A gentleman who
has travelled extensively over the State
told US that during the past year he had
met in the central and western part OF
the State hundreds of farmers from
Ohio, Indiana and the East who had lett
comfortable home in those States and
moved to Kansas, thinking to better
their condition, The failure OF crops
for two successive years has reduced
: them to State of abject poverty and
/ they are too poor to leave the State.
Real estate agents never mention these
facts. 1t is said that the average Kan
, san has great recuperative powers, and
/ that after two good crops in succession
I he will take his oath that he can scarce
remember the time when crops were
q failure.
i So far as we have observed, there is
I but little inducement for Vermont far
Q mers to emigrate to this State to better
! their condition. Land in this part OF
1 the State, outside of city limits, is worth
e from $50 to $50 per acre, and unbroken
prairie inside the city limits is held at
prices varying from 5000 to 1000 per
e acre. Topeka is very pleasant city OF
40, 900 inhabitants Ind doubtless has "a
/. grand future before it. Topeka is an
. Indian name and signifies small pota-
toes" The Indians gave it this name
because sort of wild potato was for
merly found on the river banks in that
J vicinity. In territorial times, during
the controversy between Lawrence ana
n Topeka in regard to the State capital,
the former always referred to the latter
q town as ''small potatoes" The tide oil
affairs soon turned and Topeka IS now
n far in advance of her former rival. Le'
compton, about half way between Law,
- renee and Topeka, was the scene OF
n many stirring events in territorial days
e but at present it is hardly more than
way station. These two towns are the
= only ones between Topeka and Kansas
: City which have any special interest to
the traveller.