The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-10
"The Farmer. Condition"

The migration from country 20 town com
menced in our Northern States near the close
of the civil war. and it has been steadily IN.
creasing till the present time. IL has included
the most desirable and the least desirable OF
the inhabitants Of the rural districts. Ii may
sound strange 10 Eastern readers, but Il IL
nevertheless true, that in the States or Hill
uois. Wisconsin and Iowa more farms have
been deserted by their owners than in New
Hampshire Vermont and Massachusetts, In
the New England States owners leave their
farms because the labor spent in cultivating
them is no longer remunerstlve but such Is
not the case in the prairie regions Of the West.
There the owners of farms leave them for
the reason that they can obtain sufficient
rent from tenants 10 enable them
To support their families in towns. Cities IN
several of the Western States contain hun.
dreds of retired farmers. Springfield, Ill,
and Janesville, Wis, are good examples 81 thd
towns in which these absentee landlords re.
side. They obtain land at low price, and
improve it with the intention of residing
permanently upon il; but when they became
independent they divided their farms into
small tracts, erected cheap buildings on them,
and leased them, generally 10 persons Of
foreign birth. These retired farmers, or alb
sentee landlords, take little interest in main
tanning good roads in the townships in which
their land is situated. or in sustaining schools
Of high grade. As rule they do not even
keep up the improvements on their
farms or commence now ones. They erect
no substantial buildings, plant no orchards
and vineyards. and set out no ornamental
trees and shrubs. Their favms are worked AZ
mines and quarries are, for the amount Of
marketable material they can be made TO pro-
duce As their tenants ordinarily lease the
land from year to year, they have no interest
in making improvements. Occasionally
stately residence, surrounded by lawns aud
t,ieaetra ,,roupIa and "a NorJinr, ex-i1anra that
it has been recently erected, Is still seen in
the country; but il is not often the home OF a
grain producer or Of general farmer. II Is
more likely 10 belong To breeder of hne
stock, 10 some wealthy man who moved out
of the city for the Improvement Of his health,
to person who is raising fruit or
stock rs pastime, or 10 one Of
that much ridiculed. greatly abused. but very
useful class known as fancy farmers" The
successful farmer now defers erecting house
of such q character till he has moved to the
town. Wealthy farmers move to town because
they wish better social educational and reli.
gious advantages than are afforded in the
country. The desire for amusements also ex-
erts an influence. When one family OF rohne-
ment and culture leaves farming ncighbor-
hood, several are likely 70 follow its example,
till finally the desire for agreeable companion
ship causes nearly every farmer of intelligence
and refinement to leave the place which he
had fitted up for home. The result of this is
the formation of distinct peasant class
such as is found in Bavaria and Bohemis. In
entire counties in Illinois and Wisconsin the
English languages scarcely ever heard outside
of the large towns The church services are
conducted in a foreign tongue, and instruction
is given in il in the schools The intellectual
condition of the people who occupy farms
there is not above that Of the lowest class 81
laborers in our large cities. The townships
they inhabt seem ike detached portions Of
Central Europe put down Lear the centre Of
the New World Normally these men
may be citizens. Tor town ponticians nave haa
but they know little, and care less, about the
institutions of the country. for Feb
ruary.