The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-22
TALES OF AMERICAN FARMER.
INTERESTING LETTERS GATHERED
BY EDM ARD WILKINSON.

inner OF the SOIL such OppOrtunl-
fcS-He Works Hard But Lives
Wen, and His LuNuries Undreamed
of by His European Brethren-A
Nan Who Made SSO0.OOO Out of the
soil Tells How He Did II.
Boston, Oct 2l.-The American Farmer
/ There are now about 50Gl00O of him, the
greater number dwelling on their own
land in the great grain growing states
OF the Mississippi valley. Who is he
Where did he come FROM What is he do
ing? Yet more, what is ne thinking? Who
can answer these questions?
No longer a pioneer, struggling with the
/ difficulties Of The first settlers, he is now
/ rapidly developing intensive agriculture.
and is finding OUT that mental energy Of
farming with brains is a prime factor in
material progress. The true progress of
| agriculture IN this country will date from
/ the time when the government had given
| away all the good land within easy reach
of railroads. Whether or not that gift or
land will in the end have proved 10 be
a permanent benefit is an open question.
! In 1894 it occurred to me to start an
| inquiry. How to do it was the problem.
/ thought l would adopt the chain or snow
/ bail method. I knew few men Of high
/ intelligence TO whom ! could send circu-
| lars OF inquiry. / mad thousand cirCu-
| lars printed. ] put them in packages, I
| think of twenty eacn | sent one OF these
packages to each man of my acquaintance
| whom | thought would be sufficiently in
| terested to distribute them amOns farmers,
| who might reply. The rest 1 distributed
! ~ other ways The replies have remain
! ed IN my hands. A trained observer, cap
| able of taking "egotistigraphy" of each
| man, might well be delegated TO deal with
| this great subject. The center of power
| now rests in me Mississippi valley. As
! these men think, so will be the future
OF this country. What more important
/ question than to realize more about them?
Who among us in the East-who even
among the men of the West, really knows
the American farmer OF the present day?
Edward Atkinson.
The replies tell an interesting story. Ge-
graphically. they range from Vermont 10
! Texas and Montana. The farm holdings
run between ninety acres and 10000 odd
ly enough, the largest farm represented
IS not in Texas but in Sangamon county
illinois. and its owner is of Kentucky
breed.
OF course, only a small number are here
/ given.
These are lhe points of likeness: Every
farmer either went in debt for his farm
/ or where il was inherited inherited a
debt along with it, About half the debts
| were secured by mortgage. The extremes
| of interest paid are a TO per cent The
lowest rate IS more exceptional than the
! highest
a very small percentage cling to the one
| crop system and farmers have found thai
/ working with better tools give better re-
/ turns. Tools and machinery are reported
] a &, .,Te
than twenty-five years ago, and by their
1 betterment to have reduced the labor cost
/ OF many crops ny nearly one-haf. Farm
/ wages have fallen very little; in many
/ cases NOT at all; 10 "a few they have even
! risen slightly. fair year-around aver
age is $50 a month without board but
/ with house, Sarden ground fuel and COW
pasturage, or Sl3 a month with everything
| found. Day hands, in the stressful times
/ OF harvest, threshing, etc, receive from
Sl.JO TO So, according 20 the work. and the
/ correlation of demand and supply
But while labor has held its own with
/ the products of labor it is quite another
story. From 1873 10 1894, every sort Of
! farm stuff declined in value one fourth
| one-half even two-thirds. Orchard. pas
lure meadow. arabic land. have yielded
abundantly, yet put little money in the
! purse. Living expenses meantime have
moi suffered a corresponding fail Clothes.
necessary clothes. that is. are reported 20
per cent. cheaper. The rising standard of
living, however makes a greater outlay
| imperative. Small wonder then that 10
the question as 10 whether the decrease in
the prices of what he bought did not Off
set the fall in prices of what he sold. the
answer is No, emphatic as it is unaui-
! nous
Another negative, likewise unanimous. is
fun of hopeful human interests. These
farmers do not work so hard as OF Ole.
Some give as a reason failing strength or
increasing afiuence but on the whole ther Re
is an under-recognition of new ways bet
ter than the old. In line is The recos-
milton of the work of agricultural COLLEGES
and experiment stations, also of the fact
that given good brain it can be turned
into competence, and consequences among
men, as readily in the fields as in the
market, or the forum.
From a Farmer Professor.
On the question of farm mortgages here
is new light Eugene Davenport of Wood
land, Micn., some time a farmer pure and
simple. now an agricultural professor as
Wen writes;
You are right in holding that farm
/ MORTGAGES do not represent by that much
a loss OF farm property. We have had all
over the country an era of building upon
our farm lands such as l have not seen,
or known, i'm ANY other country Whether
wise policy or not, this one outlay repre-
sents millions of dollars, and our farmers
/ are better housed than any farmers on
! earth Times uow are close, and the shift
1 less farmers must go 10 the wall But
close times and narrow margins will COM
pei better stock and better methods Our
/ farmers are poor Just now, not from fail
/ uro of crops, but rather from over-a bun
| dance"
Dollar wheat may possibly have Undue
| ed Mr.. Davenport TO revise that last SEN
! tence. II. e. Battle, director of a North
/ Carolina agricultural experiment station.
| writes: our people are raising very
largely their home supplies, and with The
/ resi- OF their land raise a money croD.
Thus they can live in comfort. though
there is but little money in hand Farm
ing IS becoming to be a learned profess
| sion. Those That combine head work
with hand work. and are properly equip
ped find results successful. Diversification
aud brain work are essentials for sue
| cess"
Against these officials hear a plain far