The National tribune., 1902-05-08
NEW YORK FARMS.
A Minnesota Expert Calls Them slew. but
Advises Wssternsrs to Go East.


Soukhhisy
The cheapest improved farms In the
country today, all things considered. are
in Central New York in the estimation Of
no less expert authority than o. @.
Gregg, Superintendent Of the Minnesota
Farmers Institute course. Mr.. Gregg has
just returned from five weeks lectur-
| ing tour with the Farmers Institute staff
of that State.
Mr.. Gregg found a somewhat discour-
aging state OF affairs among the farmers
OF that ons-time famous agricultural sec
ton. Many have moved to the West and
among the remaining ones there is a gen
eral feeling that their section has seen its
best days and cannot hope longer to meet
successfully the competition of the West
The fine courage and hopefulness Of the
| Western farmer are rarely found there,
Instead there are gloom and discourage
| ment and general apathy.
After careful study OF the situation
Mr.. Gregg became convinced that their
condition was nothing like as desperate as
the farmers themselves would make it out
to be. That section has still excellent
| agricultural possibilities and any progress
sive Western farmer would be perfectly
safe, he holds, in selling out his high.
priced farm here, and going down there
and starting over again.
Several causes have contributed to the
present conditions among the farmers OF
New York" said Mr.. Gregg today in re.
viewing the situation as he saw it. First
the land is in most cases badly run down
from overcrOpping and poor farming
methods. Too much of the profits of the
farm must now be spent for fertilizers
DefOrestaton has also contributed to the
result. Following the removal of the
trnn thn ll- 81 al 80
washed the fertility away and left unpro,
ductive land. The high price OF feed stuffs
is another bar to profitable farming there
But the chief source of the trouble in my
opinion is the unprOgressive methods of
| the New LOrk farmer. | was simply as
tonished to see in that old, settled coun-
try how little attention has been paid to
scientific breeding of dairy cows. The
herds as rule are poorly bred, and with
the prevailing high price Of feeds, can
give but very small margin of profit.
am certainly surprised at their lack of ap-
probation of the value of improved breed
ing methods. In this respect the farmers
there are much behind ours in Minnesota.
The silo, however, | found to be in gen
eral use, and this is good, so far as II
goes
THE remedy for the conditions there is,
to my mind, to be found in more and bet
ter cows, better feeding methods, refOr-
estatOn Of the hills and Stops, greater at
tentiOn to the cultivation of apples and in
tensive farming of the land best fitted for
agricultural purposes. There will always
be n good market for milk in New York
and the Western apple can never drive
out the New York product. The New
York apple can hold its own against the
world.
Farms in the sections 1 visited are
ridiculously low in price. Many fine ones
are on the market at less than the cost of
the improvements that in their day have
commanded more than 500 per acre.
They offer fine opportunities to the enter
prising farmer | would not be afraid
TO tackle one Of those farms myself, even
at my age. and there would be money in
it for me to sell my own place down in
Lynn County and begin life anew down
there. | do not believe this condition will
continue indefinitely. The time is coming