The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-08
Our Abandoned Farms aud the High
To the Eiito, Of the News

ways.
| To the Eiito. of the News;
In my communication published in The
| News, February %, l mentioned the fsct of
thoro being large number of abandoned
| farms in our state and Of the necessity of
! efforts being made 10 cause their re-occu-
| pancy. / also referred 20 the necessity Of
/ proper facilities for travel. ask your aid I'm
an endeavor 10 comply with the numerous
quests have received for further information
in regard 20 these important subjects.
BY abandoned farms had In mind those
formerly cultivated but now deserted, and
upon which cultivation is now abandoned.
and tho buildings, IL any, unoccupied and
permitted 10 fall into decay. In somo eases
the grass is still cut on these farms, but moth.
ing is done I'm the way of enrichment of the
soil and the land is practically unproductive
and left TO run wild. The number OF aban-
Coned farms as last reported was 4s2-2gswith
buildings and lsl without buildings-with an
aggregate acreage of A. 1926, the assessed valu-
alton being $856,41O Farms with buildings
showed an acreage Of 2S, S,l29, and the assessed
value 1855, llO, while farms without buildings
had an acreage Of 1897 with an assessed val.
ue Of SSl83O. Bristol county reports no
abandoned farms, Providence county reports
and Newport county 3. The number of aban
doned farms reported in towns is as follows
In Burrillville 80. Coventry o., West Green
witch IS. Exeter g. Hoplxinton 40, scituate As.
Richmond 81, Glocester 30 smithfeld 49, Eos
ter 8, Charlestown Z, North Kingstown s.
Cumberland jamestown and South Kingston 3
each and North Smithfeld 1. BY the last re-
port we find the total acreage Of all farm land
10 bp Inv ha Wa nH hut
~, l26 acres have been abandoned, or $40 per
cent Of the total farm land of the state. In
1855 the value OF all farms was 1888, l0l, $685.
and the assessed value Of abandoned farms
as reported. was $780, 40, or l 32 per cent of
the value Of all farm land. The average size
Cf the abandoned farms. as shown by the re-
ports, was ~ acres, and the average value
sll35 BY counties-Kent county, average size
and value of abandoned farms, 1i9 acres, sl294
Washington county, 81 acres. s7o2 Newport
county, 50 acres, 5000, and Providence county,
IS acres, $464. BY the census Of 1875 there
were in the. state 49, $40 acres Of uncultivated
land, and in 1885 the acreage had been re-
duced 10 ia, sl9 reduction Of GO27 acres, or
8.s3 per cent. In 1875 the total acreage of
woodland in the state was l56, 45i, and in 1885
the number of acres had been increased TO
1863, 528, net increase OF 7014 acres or 4.52 per
cent
IL Is necessary, il order to Improve the con-
dition OF our agricultural communities, that
an Improvement should be made in the
method OF construction and maintenance OF
our public highway. Many who own and oc
cupy farms are decidedly in favor of change
THE "WoRKING-oUT'' SYSTEM.
People who have studied the subject tell us
that the old system of working OUT high
way taxes was brought over by our ancestors
from England, where IL existed part of
the old feudal system of the middle ages.
Old Mother England herself has long abandon
ed il and has developed different system
which hus butlt cxcellentihighways through
out her domain. France, Germany, Italy, Aus
tria, the Netherlands and other European
countries have done likewise, and the good
roads enthusiasts tell us that the only ma
tions ON earth which are still suffering from
poor roads are despotic Russia and other un-
enlightened states in tho Eastern hemisphere,
and our own great and glorious Republic II
il is true that nations civilization can be
Judged by her roads we should pray heaven
that we may not long be placed on the same
level in this respect with Russia, Turkey and
the nations Of Asia.
IL makes little difference how we go 20