The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-18
HOMES FOE ALMOST NOTHING.
Little Pennsylvania Farms That May No HAD
for 81 n Month.

READING. July ia travelling man who
has just returned from q business trip by
wagon through east Pennsylvania said to THE
Sun correspondent:
There is no need for any Eastern man to go
West for n free farm. In my travels Just ended
I passed more than n dozen deserted homes in
the country-good homes and stables. with not
q sign OF an occupant. Some OF these homes
have n dozen fertile acres each. a good spring.
some woodland, and fences still in fair cundi-
ton. At other places the acreage was not so
large. At one place there were fifteen acres.
Tn the northern part OF Berks county. where
the soil Is dark and good. l came across a two
story frame house with 1--WE rooms and an ont
kitchen, a bake oven, pigsty. and a small frame
barn. There was n garden, too. all overrun
with weeds. No one had lived there for two
years. l asked the owner OF n big farm near by
what the matter was. He said there was moth
ing the matter with the place, only the right
man had not come along yet. l. had ten acres,
and the farmer was working those acres along
with his own rather than let them be over.
grown with weed and Canada thistios. to spoil
his own land. The owner gets no rent. Tho
house and barn are nailed shut and everything
Is going to decay. They have n good well, OF
wafer. too, and u good spring down there under
that willow tree said the farmer. The man
who lived here last moved to town saying he
n year. Think OF 4 nice country home like this
for 81 a year. and yet MOI rented! Any good
man ana Wl1e can ger along on SuCn r. place,
yet people are not renting It.. They ought 10 be
able to make ends meet on ten acres. \ man
could Keep a horse. a cow or two, chickens or
ducks, and could raise a good many things %
ten acres. Its u slow man who can't pick up
odd Jobs in the country TO make his rent and
have a little besides.
the fact remains that dozens OF such little coun-
try homes in eastern Pennsylvania are entirely
deserted and nailed shut; ! have now in my
mind a very nice house with Il front yard. grape
arbor, garden with picket fence, bake oven, out
house. stable, and nine acres OF ground, located
on a hillside overlooking a beautiful valley.
That place has been deserted fo- two years.
The man who last lived there got a job In the
city and now pays SO a month rent, whereas
he Couldn't or wouldn't pay sl;o0 a month in
can't get along on ten good acres like that I
can only conclude that they arc too lazy to
'"The other day I doubled the road and no
ticeh that a formerly d deserted house near
Churchtown was occupied. II surprised me.
vacation had taken the house for two weeks,
and were having n picnic in the country. The
housewife said 1t was a shame that such a nice
Twenty dollars would fix mn the kitchen and
chimney, and a smart man could make the ten
fertile acres blossom ltAe the rose, but the great
leave the city and live in the country as a small
farmer.
fruit trees, good well of water. grape arbors,
bake oven. and all, sold, for $50. The buyer
paid SO cash and gave his note for n year for
month. and the tenant cheated the landlady
out OF a years rem, 80 she sold the farm rather
than have IL among the deserted.
a able-bodied man with a few hundred dol
lars can buy a good little home at many nice
places in eastern, Pennsylvania, and II he
work when IL doesn't rain, he can live comfort
ably. The trouble seems TO he that so many
men would rather loaf than earn a living.