The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-04-28
WESTERNER ON EASTERN
FLA RMS.

The cheapest improved farms in the
country to-day, all things considered,
are in central New York in the estima-
ton of no less expert authority than
O. C. Gress. superintendent of the Min
nesota Farmers Institute course. Mr..
Gregg has just returned from a five
weeks lecturing tour with the Farmers
Institute staff of that state. Mr.. Gregg
found somewhat discouraging state Of
affairs among the farmers of that old
| time agricultural section Many have
moved to the vest and among the re-
naming ones there is a general feeling
that their section has seen its best days
and cannot hope longer to meet sue
cessfully the competition of the west
The fine courage and the hopefulness of
| the western farmer are rarely found
there. Instead there are gloom and dis
couragement and general apathy
After careful study of the situation,
| Mr.. Gregg became convinced that their
condition was nothing like as desper-
ate as the farmers themselves would
make 1t out to be. That section has
| still excellent agricultural possibilities,
and any progressive western farmer
would be perfectly safe, he holds, in
selling out his high-priced farm here,
and going down there and starting over
again.
"Seyeral causes have contributed to
the present conditions among the farm
ers of New York" said Mr.. Gregg to-
day in reviewing the situation as he
saw it, First, the land is in most
cases badly run down from overcrop-
ping and poor farming methods. Too
much of the profits of the farm must
now be spent for fertilizers Defores-
tatiou has also contributed to the re-
suit, Following the removal Of the
trees from the hills and slopes, the rain
washed the fertility away and left I'M
productive land The high price of feed
stuffs is another bar to profitable farm
ing there But the chief source of the
trouble in my opinion Is the unprogres-
sive methods Of the New York farmer.
| was simply astonished to see in that
old, settled country how little attention
has been paid to scientific breeding of
dairy COWS. The herd as rule are
poorly bred, and with the prevailing
high price of feeds, can give but a very
small margin of profit. I am certainly
surprised at their lack of appreciation
Of the value of improved breeding
methods. In this respect the farmers
there are much behind ours in Mime
sofa. The silo, however, I found to be
in general use, and this is good, so far
as it goes.
1.-THE remedy for the conditions there
is, to my mind, to be found in more and
better cows, better feeding methods, re-
forestation of the hills and slopes,
greater attention to the cultivate ion of |
apples and intensive farming of the |
land best fit ed for agricultural purpos- |
es. There will always be a good mar |
ket for milk in New York and the |
western apple can never drive out the |
New York product. The New York APP |
pie can hold its own against the world. |
EARNS in the sections | visited are |
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 one
hundred dollars per acre. They offer
fine opportunities to the enterprising
farmer Wuulu IlOl We dlIdlu 10 Jackie
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 Lyon |
and begin life anew down there.
do not believe this condition will con-
.inue Indefinitely. The time is coming |
when the eastern farms of the better
grades are going to be in demand again
md when agriculture will show distinct
signs of revival Minneapolis Journal.
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