The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-04-29
within five miles of the town of Elem
ington, and al sold at public sale:

2. TwentY-f z acres sold N 1870 fCr... 5000
The same sold IN 1886 f r....... $500
The same so d ii 1899 for ..-........... 1900
rs 3Sse s, or; sold il 1890 for :::.:"" 1 Ss5S
4. one hundred and ten acres sold in 1881
the same sold in 1883 or. 4II0
5. Two hundred acres sold in 1872 for. 1000
The same sold in 1881 for ....... ..... 800
The same sold in 1889 for. ............ $500
6. Ninety eight acre sole in 1877 for....... 1852
The same sold il 1890 for........... .. 4,132
He says these are all strictly good farms,
and are kept in good condition, and adds,
. the above is about a fair average of de-
! oreciation ia farm lands throughout the
county"
Go to the States of Vermont and New
Hampshire, wnos every farm almost is
within the sound of the bells or whistles
Of villages, towns, cities, workshops,
mills, or fa3tOries-the land where the
farmer is peculiarly blessed with what is
popularity known as "hOme markets"
Where is the picturesque beauty and
charming loveliness that once crowned
those hills in the glOries of diversified
farming?" The doleful answer comes
back from fields abandoned to briar and
brush, and from thousands of one happy
homes, now given over to the spider and
the bat. l hold in my hand a pamphlet
of 1O4 pages, descriptive Of some of
thes3 abandoned farms in New Hamp-
shire, and issued by t2e commissioner of
agriculture and immigration for that
State. On page 9 he tells US: "There
have been reported to US by the selectmen
of the various towns townships LAP
vacant farms, with tenantable buildings"
The reason given for the abandonment of
| 4Iooo forroC --hNoo 6 loro,o orI aovoeo.4
able buildings, substantial fences, and
permanent Improvements make them in
every way desirable" is, in some in
stances, by death Of former occupants, but
chiefly the occupants have gone into
other business. He distinctly states that
it is for reasons traceable to other sources
than inferiority of soil" I open this
pamphlet at random and read:
X X = X X X
hold in my hand a circular from the
commissioner of the agricultural and
manufacturing interests" of the State of
Vermont, prepared" as he says, "in
answer to the many letters Of inquiry rela-
tive to the unoccupied lands of Vermont"
and it IS but a repetition of the same sad,
sad story.
The same appalling story may be told
Of the farms tributary to the Baltimore
market.
The Philadelphia Times of last week
asserted that the farm lands in the vicin-
ity Of hat city had deprecated in va'ue
80 to so per cent. within the past decade.
Within the sweep of vision from the
dome Of this Capitol, with its 800, 900
mouths in this city to feed, hundreds
and thousands of acres Of as fine farm
land as may be found on the Atlantic
slope, have deprecated in value from 33
to so per cent. What do these startling
facts and figures demonstrate? They do
not disprove that under ordinarily favor
able conditions, a judicious Investigation
in farm husbandry is most conducive to
comfort, prosperity, aud success, but they
do conclusively demonstrate that with
our present environments and surround
ings to adopt it as a factor Essential to
u agricultural salvation" would be to
follow a fatal delusion.
But, Mr.. Chairman, there are other and
still more serious and important phases of
this subject to DE considered.
From 1870 to 1880 the number of farms |
in the United States under three acres de,
creased 38 per cent, while those of one
hundred to FIVE hundred acres increased
300 per cent. The number Of farms of
three to ten acres decreased q per cent,
while those from five hundred to one |
thousal3 acres Increased 472 per cent.
The number of 10 to 20 acres decreased !
l3 per cent, while those of 1000 or
more acres increased no per cent. In
1880 we had AS, 553 less farms under so |
acres than we had in 1870, and yet our
agricultural population had increased
during hat decade 20 per cent, !
To my mind no more serious aspect Of
the situation or Of the downward ten
dency Of the times can be found than is
presented in these figures. They stand
as a strong witness to the fearful and de-
plorable truth that through the rapid con-
gestion of wealth, enriching the few at
the expense Of the many, our population
being rapidly resolved into two classes
the extremely rich and the extremely
poor-claSses which in all ages have
proven themselves to be the weakest de-
tenders of civil liberty. To the student
thought to the theory of our government
and the genius of our free institutions,
this rapid absorption of the small farms
and this rapid expansion of large landed
estates portends the sure approach of the
crucial era of our republican form of gov
eminent. And when that day shall come,
upon whom will devolve the responsible
ity and task of preserving and perpet-
uating the blessings of free government
and of civil liberty, but the great conser-
v~ative, patriotic middle class of our popu-
%lation? Will that people be prepared to
meet it? In seeking a true answer we
cannot turn a deaf ear to the ominous
declaration proclaimed in the following
figures, VIII Oh point unerringly the road
which is strewn with the ruins of wrecked
republics: .
WEALTH OF THE UNITED STATES.
1850.
Total value of taxed and untaxed
Assessed value of property. ....... 5,275,OOO, 900
Of which the farmers were assessed 4,5OO,OO,OOO