The times., 1900-12-23
ABANDONED FARMS IN DEMAND.
Opportunities to Get Land and Build
ings Cheap in Massachusetts.

(From the New York SUM-
You have all read and heard more or
| less about the abandoned farms of New
| England" said the man of an agricul-
| tural turn to company of listeners, "and
| have no doubt some of you concluded that
large tracts in New England had utterly
| gore to waste. It is true that many farms
there are not so valuable as in some other
parts of the country, but the case is not
nearly so bad as it has been represented
| and there is hope for New England yet.
l have been looking up farms and sta
| tistics in the State of Massachusetts. the
richest of the New England States, 1 SUD-
pose, and find that OF the 45,010 farms in
\ the State by the last census only I'll were
reported to the State Board of Agricul-
| ture as for sale. You will understand
that the State has taken the matter up,
| and the board lists in catalogue for free
distribution all farms which may come
under the head of abandoned.
''Of these Ill farms 500 have been sold,
either for homes, for investment, or for
farming, and buyers very generally report
themselves to be well satisfied with their
purchase. OF these purchasers POI are
from New England and New York, 17s
being from Massachusetts, but enquiries
are received from all over the Union
and from the British provinces, and the
work is progressing favorably. Up to
April 20 of this year 252 enquiries had
been received, representing twenty-four
States, Canada, and Nova Scotia, Four of
the Southern States were heard from. and
letters have come from as far west as
California and Washington.
"of course. the New England climate is
not the balmiest in the world or the most
equable, but il is healthful, and the farms
when properly handled, are good pro-
ducers. Prices are low enough to warrant
man putting on a little extra work and
fertilizer One farm in Berkshire County
five miles from railroad station, con-
tanning fifty acres. a house of eight rooms,
outbuildings, good water, vein of white
marble, and other attractions is offered
for 81, 200, about what it would cost to
build house; another in the same coun-
ty, of sixty acres. with buildings. water,
fruit, and sugar orchards, is offered for
$780, One in Barnstable County, of thirty
acres, with house, orchard, ETC., two miles
from the station and a mile from the
shore, is offered for only $500. Another
in Berkshire, of 100 acres, forty acres un-
der cultivation, with house, outbuildings,
two barns good water etc. a mile and a
half from the station. is offered at 500.
One of 500 acres six miles from Great Bar
rington, With a ten-room house on it. is
to be had for 81 500; another of 375 acres,
Lake Garfield, and 100 sugar trees, is Of
fered for SO 500; another of 125 acres with
outbuiIdings can be had for $500, only $4
an acre. farm Of $50 acres, with 500
acres to pasture and 100 to grass, four
miles from South Lee, is offered at s. an
acre; another of 40 acres is offered for
5000.
In Dukes County which is an island. |
the average price is $50 an acre; in Frank
lin IS and $40 an acre is asked, and nearly
all farms have houses and outbuildings.
Twelve counties offer farms for sale. and
while some go as low as $3.50 an acre,
others run as high as 800 an acre but
these are few in number and really should
not be reported in the abandoned farms
list
at is a plain case that land is more
than dirt cheap. but a cheap farm is not
always the most desirable. even to the
poor man. Yet am sure that the farmer
In the Northwest could do better in
Massachusetts than where he is. not only
as a farmer. but in the improved condi-
tion of civilized surroundings Possibly
you do not know ii, but the value OF agri-
cultural property In Massachusetts in
1885 was $40, ,27i ,S59, exclusive of build
ings, which represented a value of $77.-
920. .3j7. and the annual value Of all prod
ucts was about $55, GOO coo. Something |
that may strike you as almost phenome-
nal, having boston IN your lnlnu, is tnat
only 80 i94 bushels CT beans were raised !
in the State, while there were 1881 357
cabbage heads turned out. And this is
not exclaimed by the further fact that the
value OF the fish produced-fsh being a
brain food-was but S. ,055, while hogs
pork not being brain food. though |
bean complement-were raised TO the |
value Of sGi7 .4S5.
However ! am talking about agricul- |
1nd ahr int
ment, and TO get back to my subject / |
would say that | believe the farmers OF |
less favored States than Massachusetts |
would do well 10 look over the land there |
before purchasing elsewhere, as the ad- |
yertisefs say"