The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-10-07
Thirty Yankee Farmers

west OF the Connecticut RlVer, nave
been most astonishingly impressed
with opportunities there are for the
profitable investment of capital here
With deliberation and care | have in
quired closely into the average pro-
duction of these mountain farms, and
into the cost of cultivation, being
quite anxious to solve the problem
"Why the mountain farms don't pay ??
The conclusion is forced upon me thai
these mountain farms do pay, and that
in the hands Of skillful, co mmon sense
men Of good ability there are great
fortunes to be made.
1t may be th"t the farmer will need
to own from 800 to 1000 acres, as
they do in the West, to secure great
wealth. But a few facts which | give
here must go strongly to convinc"
capitalists and farmers that in all
America there is no agricultural in
vestment so profitable as are the
Massachusetts highland farms to-day.
After many years Of such inquiries in
every State but one in this Union, l
can say that neither mines nor Mn
pesota wheat can excel these lands for
profit.
We have gathered carefully local
figures for FIVE years (1691 to 1886
on five farms in Hampshire County,
and cut down the estimates unfiuch-
ingly where there was an opportunity
to over-state innocently. Four Of these
farmers said that their farms 3D. mt
pay cent" and said they wanted to
sell. The fifth one, who has the most
rocky farm of ali, and only ten acres
more than two of the others, says he
began with nothing, and has paid f'r
his farm and built a house in the five
years, and has paid IF all claims
wholly from the profits of the farm.
The farm had been abandoned and
lad been sold for taxes. But the
mortgag ges red. cmed it and sold it to
the present owner for $3.50, with two
hundred acres Of land and a 1T Of
decayed buildings hewas obliged to
tear down. This successful farmer
raised each year thirty acres of pota-
toes which in these highlands is a
very sure crop and of the finest quality.
He raised his potatoes at q total
average cost for the five years of q
cents per bushel.
But all these farms, selected for in
quiry because they we're only average
farms, showed figures on the hay crop
that was simply amazing. One farm
which was about two-thirds rocky
pasture land, averaged to raise through
five years 12O tons Of hay. The Others
produced as follows: One 100 tons,
another go tons, another SO tons and
another 105 tons
Knowing that your space Is valuable,
I will only give the figures for the first
farm. 1t is II miles from any rail
road, is quite stony, and is situated on
the top and sid,s Of a rugged hill.
The owner bought the farm in 1887
for $1,000, gave a mortgage for $4,000
savings bank at 5 per cent. Be.
sides the corn, the potatoes and a gar.
den of two acres, the owner has put in
his barn an average hay crop of l2O
tons. One year he was offered s19 a
ton for al of it in the barn. The
lowest figure hay has reached at any
| time has been $40 per ton. Now, II
we strike cons ervative average for
i've years, the hay in his barn has
been worth in gold SIS ton at some
| one season of each year. Now it is
easy to see that his hay crop alone
was worth in cash $1,000 a year,
which is the interest on $4,000 ear
at the usual rate OF invested capital
in the United States. Now the cost
of all the fertilizer u>ed and the total
expense of fencing and harvesting wa
S242 year, allowing interest for in
vested actual capital in the land.
Suppose, then, we cut down the total
gross income to the net income over
all possible reasonable expense and
call it 81, 400 for the hay crop. That
would make that one-third Of the
farm which he bought for about (the
one third) 5000 to be actual y worth
when measured by its regular, safe
income, the neat sum of S2l 900.
Now why are not all these hill farms
sought as investments?
l have no land to sell nor have l
any interest in the sale Of any land
But this summer spent in these high
lands has convinced me more than
ever that Massachusetts has great un-
developed wealth in the western high
neutrality-suspicious. Of the Spring