The Press., 1892-05-12
Connecticut Farmer.) THOSE ABANDONED FARMS

Connecticut Farmer.)
 THOSE ABANDONED FARMS" Secretary Colds Descriptive Cata- logue of Farms in Connecticut for Sale" is pamphlet of s6 pages, giving @ brief but sufficiently full description of 300 1 farms which are in the market. The list was prepared in accordance with vote passed by the board of agri- culture. In commenting upon the re- sulGs, secured through the circulars sent out to granges, farmers clubs, town off, cers, etc., as well as many private indi- viduals, MT. Gold says: Some farms have been abandoned be- cause, from location or otherwise, they ought to be abandoned; their legitimate use was for growing wood and timber rather than for general farming. The di- version of travel and the removal of small business centers and small manufacturing industries have caused some property once occupied to be no longer in demand. In other cases the owners have preferred to let houses and lands emain unoccu- d-'abandoned" as far as occupancy is concerned-rather than to be at the ex- pense of repairs to fit the place for a ten ant, or even to persuade themselves to 6 l sale to some chance customer who might offer. .3E
 Our expressed opinion that such cases are rare of abandoned farms'' in Con- necticut has been confirmed by the re- pol ts returned to this office. Many read, "No abandoned farms in this town;" oth- CTS, "No farms for sale in this town" But when we set aside these two class es-the abandoned farms' and the town ships where there arc none, or where there are no farms for sale-we find that there ale large number of farms in eve- ry degree of desirabil lity and condition of culture and buildings that are for sale at very low prices, in proportion to the cost of the buildings and fences, expended even in 8 few years. Death of the own- CT, or other family circumstances, place Ion the market much valuable property. There are in some sections small farms very desirable as residences, where the l owner used to follow some trade, now re- moved to the village or city, gaining only 8 part of his support from his farm. In some towns these places, as they came on the market during the last fifty years for that period covers about the time of this change1were bought up and absorb ed by the larger farms, used for pasturage or the growth of wood; in others they re- main as separate holdings, and are offered at very low prices. - ! By counties the returns show the fol lowing interesting facts:-
 Hartford coanty-For sale, 40 farms ; total area. S,S6s acres.
 New Haven county orsale, GA farms ; Itokal area, 5,953 aeres. -l.a.ss- |:
 New sLonion county = For sale, 1e farms; total area, 1,47O acres.
 Fairfield county-For sale, 24 farms ; total area, ITO acres.
 Windham county-For sale. IS farms ; total area, 1861 atres. Greatest number, Eastford 4.
 Litchfield county-For sale, Fl farms |; total area, s,222 acres.
 Middlesex county-For sale, 23 farms ; total area, 9, 6O6 acres.
 Holland county-For sale, 51 farms total area, 5,172 Acres. Greatest number in town, Mansfield 8, Holland 2.
 Total, 3O9 farms for sale, comprising 3O,522 acres.
 Of the 300 farms Litchfield county SUD- plies the largest number, 71; New Haven county comes next with GA, though Tol- land with 51 furnishes a relatively much larger number. These three counties, ii will be noted, furnish nearly two-thirds of the whole number; very few are re. ported in the eastern counties
 Comparatively few of these farms are in the condition in which one would ex pect to find abandoned farms" As a rule the condition of land, buildings and fences is reported good. We note in 6 very nasty examination prices ranging all the way from $25O to $1s,OO0. The form CT figure will buy a 35-acre farm in Bark hamsted with house and barn upon it.
 Naturally most of these farms are some what remote from railroad stations, post offices, churches and schools. They offer plenty attractions to those who can make up their minds to accept homes mile ol two from the latter and somewhat greater distances from the railroad. We judge that few of the best farms in the state '1 are among them, but these the owner are not anxious to give away.
 The man who has an idea of buying { farm can probably find something in this list which he will want to investigate, ant can suit himself, if he is not too partlcu lar. But if only 300 of Connecticut's 30, 900 or more farms are in the market there's good deal more agrcultural de pression in the newspapers than anywhere else.
 A few weeks ago ex-Senator Warner " Miller said to Zenas Crane, of Dalton Mass: II know your mills are small but your product is precious. If the gov