Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1897-10-07
FARMS ALMOST FREE.
Small Homesteads in Pennsylvania
Very Cheap.
Deserted Homes with Good Accom-.
modations That May BE Had
for One Dollar
Month.

4 travelling man who returned from
business trip by wagon through east
Pennsylvania said to the Sun CORE
spondent:
There is no need for any eastern man
TO 60 west for free farm. In my trav-
els just ended l passed more than a
dozen deserted homes in the country
good homes and stables, with not a
sign of an occupant. Some OF these
homes have a dozen fertile acres each,
a good spring, some woodland, and
fences still in fair condition. At other
places the acreage was not so large. At
one place there were Is acres.
In the northern part of Berks coun-
", where the soil is dark and good, I
came across a two-story frame house
with five rooms and an out kitchen,
bake oven, pigsty, and a small frame
barn. There was a garden, too, all over
run with weeds. No one had lived there
for two years. asked the owner of
big farm near by what the matter was.
He said there was nothing the matter
with the place, only the right man had
not come along yet. 1t had ten acres,
and the farmer was working those acres
along with his own rather than let
them be overgrown with weeds and
Canada thistles, TO spoil his own land.
The owner gets no rent. The house and
barn are nailed shut and everything is
going to decay. They have good well
of water. too, and good spring down
there under the willow trees said the
farmer. The man who lived there last
moved to town, saying he could not
make living and pay the rent of S24
a year. Think of a nice country home
like this for S24 a year. and yet not
rented Any good man and wife can
get along on such place, yet people
are not renting it. They ought to be
able to make ends meet on ten acres.
A man could keep a horse, a cow or
two, chickens or ducks, and could raise
a good many things on ten acres. It's
slow man who can't pick up odd jobs
in the country to make his rent and
have little besides
Notwithstanding all that the farmer
said, the fact remains that dozens of
such little country homes in eastern
Pennsylvania are entirely deserted and
nailed shut. l have now in my mind
very nice house with front yard, grape
arbor, garden with picket fence, bake
oven, clubhouse, stable, and nine acres
of ground, located on a hillside over
looking a beautiful valley. That place
has been deserted for two years. The
man who last lived there got job in
the city and now pays ten dollars
month rent, whereas he couldn't pay
$3.50 a month in the country. 1t is
puzzle to me why men can't get along
on ten good acres like that. l can only
conclude that they are too lazy to work.
The other day l doubled the road
and noticed that formerly deserted
house near Churchtown was occupied.
1t surprised me. l stopped and learned
that city family on vacation had
taken the house FOR two weeks, and
were having a picnic in the country.
The housewife said it was shame that
such nice house should be tenantless
and deserted. Twenty dollars would
fix up the kitchen and chimney, and
smart man could make the ten fertile
acres blossom like the rose, hut the
great trouble is to find the ST. It man
who wants to leave the city and live
in the country as small farmer.
The other day a gSod house. new
frame stable for two COWS, 10 acres,
good garden, fruit trees, good well of
water. grape arbors, bake oven, and all,
sold for $3.50. The buyer paid. S25 cash
and gave his note for year for the bal
ance The place had rented for one
dollar a month, and the tenant cheated
the landlady out Of years rent. so
she sold the farm rather than have it
among the deserted
IAN able-bodied man with few hun
dred dollars can buy a good little home
at many nice places in eastern Penn
sylvania, and if he makes up his mind
to pitch in, be saving, and work when
it doesn't rain, he can live comfortably
The trouble seems to be that so many
men would rather loaf than earn a liv-
ing."-N. Y. Sun.