The San Francisco call., 1899-09-13
a CHANGE IN RURAL NEW ENGLAND.

c ONE years ago the abandoned farms OF New
England constituted topic which engaged the
~ attention OF the whole country. The number
of idle farms large in localities that sew
eral States to the expense of advertising them
at public cost for the purpose of attracting settlers
and preventing what threatened to be widespread
decay of the rural industries of that section OF the
Union.
The advertising given to the lands has had Its effect
and most of them have been taken up. There are no
longer any great bargains to be had in the way Of
abandoned farms and, according to late report on
the subject, "One may travel far through even the
remote sections of New England without finding any
large number of farms that may properly be called
deserted In one way or another the list OF
abandoned farms has been greatly reduced, until IN
many sections the number is not greater than would
be expected under normal conditions.
The change has not been brought about however,
by the reoccupaton OF the farms by class OF genuine
farmers nor by people retiring from the cities to
undertake farm work We told some have been
bought by wealthy and fashionable people and turned
into more or less elaborate sumner places. Others
have been taken up by professional men of limited
means drawn by the prospect of obtaining vacation
home at small expense, good many have passed
into the hands of owners of adjoining property who
have at last come to see that other things being equal
large farm is likely to be profitable than a
small one Some have been acquired for the timber
they bear and few have been bought for speculation.
The use of the farms for summer resorts, hunting
grounds forest and speculation does not on
the face Of it give much promise OF upbulding the
r1rua industries of a country but it appears
theless to have had that effect The persons who have
purchased the farms have had money enough to i'm
prove them and therefore have given the neighbor-
hood an appearance OF thrift and prosperity which has
had the effect OF stimulating the residents to improve
their farms also. Moreover more scientific system
OF farming has been introduced by the corners,
and the old-fashioned farmers have profted by it.
Labor-savng machinery, scientific tlage, has become
the order of the day, and the value OF stock and
orchards has advanced
Along with all that there has been a marked change
in the social conditions OF rural New England, The
farms are passing into the hands of who instead
OF tilng the soil themselves hire others do the
work Thus the OF farm wages is rising and the
o1dfashioned farmer finds it harder than to make
living Summing UP the whole situation writer
for the New Yor Post says: That the process will
eventually give us type OF alternating town and
country life akin to that prevailing in England by
no means improbable, if, indeed, such type is not
already established The resident farmer on the other
hand has but open him he wishes 20
be assured comfortable living. He mag accept the
new conditions and become himself a landed pro-
prietor and agricultural entrepreneur on the new
scale or he may resign his independence and become
a hired man. For there is going quietly, in our
day. social and industrial change likely, before many
years to give the development OF the farms Of New
England into the charge OF men who themselves never
swung scythe or held pow"