Morning journal and courier., 1890-03-04
ABANDONED FARMS.

No Market for Rural Pr0pertY-Mfs
 Colds Paper-GoOd Work by the State Grange.
 At the convention Mir. T. s. Gold, secretary of the state board of agriculture, read the following paper:
 T. s. Gold of West Cornwall, secretary of the state board of agriculture, has prepared for THE Posr the following abstract of his report on Abandoned Farms" recently given before the state grange at their meet ing in Willimantio. It will we'll repay perusal.
 Strictly speaking, there are no abandoned farms in Connecticut, yet from various causes we find many crumbling chimneys and cellar walis-onoe the seat Of happy homesIsome never have been cleared from the forest; the sooner they are allowed to go back to their original condition the better. The changes in travel and of business centers have left some places SO lonely that they have been absorbed by adjoining farms or are used only for pasturage.
 But aside from this, there is no mark ct value for rural property in Connecticut at all proportioned to It's actual value. Where forced upon the market sales can only be made at rates ruinous to the owners. Farms are offered for less than the real value of their buildings, to say nothing of the cost of fences and other improvements. But this state of things Is not confined to Connecticut; 1t reaches our whole territory east of the Nississippi, and the other countries of Europe.
 A result so widespread must have an equally fer reaching cause. Steam revolu- tionizinR tho methods of transportation has brought together the ends of the earth. The world is enabled to seize upon the accumu- lated wealth of centuries and with the aid of machinery production is enormously cheap- ened and increased. Tho resources of the great west have not only been developed, and Russia are competitors in all the great markets of the world. Only half a century ago and only few large cities were possi- ble, as by no known means of transport could they be warmed or fed. With the new order of things they have made @ great draft on the country. Manufacturers have been drawn from there are as many broken milldsms and rotting water wheels in all our mountain districts as deserted farms. Does this prove decadence of manufactured To some ex- tent the same causes nave operated on both. The unjust discrimination of railroads-in favor of long lines of transportation and business oentars-togethsr with tho eagernesa of the young for the settlements of village l and oity life have Q balsful influence on all these local industries; on the farm or in the shop Agriculture is the most conssIvatiye l of all occupations and changes slowly. If can never die while the human race exists. The questions of free trade and protection, taxation, trusts and fictitious dairy products, all need careful study by the farmers and may furnish some relief to tho different con- ditions of agriculture.
 | e->> Eo~ k< Ty,n railroads could only make their domains val uable by securing settlers. These things have nearly reached their limit. The west will soon have borrowed all 1t can. We dc not believe that those great schemes of plum dering first the national treasury in irrigat- | ing the barren deserts where no water is, tc be followed by Q robbery of their fertility before 1t is needed will be consummated Here comes in the preservation of our forests the accumulated growth of centuries from plunder and fire. This Is national quss tion that interests the philanthropist as vel as the statistician. We have no right to rot posterity in this inheritance whicl belongs to all humanity, and justly cannot be wasted on our own pleasures
 Already we arc receiving inquiries from a as far as Kansas for our cheap farms, express ing the hope that they may again enjoy th' privileges of Connecticut farm life.
 We pass without comment those serious questions as to the indisposition of our younl people to marry and settle in tho rural dis tricts and the limited number of children il our American families, giving rise to the diff ficulty of supporting schools. We must no overlook the fact that there are multitudes O farms which from location do not feel thi depression; others owned for generations il the family have attachments not to b. measured by many. They have never beel offered for sale and we trust the day is ia distant when they will be. They are dail, witnesses of the sturdy toll and thrift of ou ancestors. They have furnished a good liv ing and means for supporting education ant religion. Seats of a generous hospitality treasure houses of happy memories-may tn
 fires on their hearth.stones never be extin guished.
 The Storrs Agricultural school in furnish ing education for the farm-and tho grang with its social and educational influences build up tho home-are hopeful indication of the times-and with cheerful courage VI should bear the burdens of the day-fo viewing the world over we as citizens of Con necticut can say that s'the lines have fallel to us in pleasant places."