The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1903-12-15

| try life, sometimes makes a great sue
cess as a farmer. This latter is, how
ever, scarcely a case of retiring to
farm but rather of changing voca-
lions for the better.
The farmer who retires to town has
ample reason to be disappointed. He
generally does not know the aggre-
gate cash value of what his family
have consumed on the farm. Much
less does he know what it will cost to
provide these things or such as the
retired farmer and his family ought
to enjoy in town. Of course, this re-
tired farmer will buy the house in
which he will live. To pay rent would
be absurd. He has a good house in
the country. 1t may lack some OF the
modern conveniences, but these, his
family shall enjoy in town. Room,
they are accustomed to and now that
they are grown up they will need a
pretty large house. Besides, there
must be some provision for entertain
ing company. Shall the family live
on a paved street? Well-yes. Have
electric lights? Of course. City wa
ter and sewer connections? The doc
tor says to do without them is pre-
carious to health in town. None of
these things costs very much, but it
is the sum of them that hurts. But
the taxes? The farmhouse made only
few dollars difference in the taxes
when it took the place of the old one;
but the taxes in town are different.
A farmer of our acquaintance who
moved into town and who lives in a
good house but no better than he left
in the country has just paid $500 to
the county treasurer for taxes on his
home. That money at interest? Huh!
If the interest pays the tax on the
money makes good the loss which re-
suited from insufficient security on
one of the notes, and leaves margin
that margin will be small. But man
must pay for his experience, and all
of the other notes are well secured.
In the country, the feed for the driv-
ing horse and cow were not consider
ed. In town, where they must be fed
out of the pocketbook, it costs a dol
lar week for each of them.
But if our retired farmer is finan-
cially we'll provided, these monetary
affairs may be considered as light af-
flictions. The main trouble is how to
dispose of the time. The business
men who were glad to see him when
he came from the farm to trade have
each congratulated him on his change.
But presently they seem less anxious
to chat than formerly. They are unac-
countably busy Politicians around the
courthouse who used to greet him
with the glad hand and to delight to
happen in about dinner time, and to
take such interest in his cattle, horses
and hogs, don't care a rap for him
now. Watching teams go by has
grown old. Work in the garden seems
small business, but is some relief.
To be so completely out of the busy
world, to be away from the activi-
ties which have become part of his
existence, away from the stock, away
from the growing things that produced
value, is less of heaven than it had
appeared during the days of strenu-
GUS labor. Disappointed"
However much the town man may
continue to dream of retirement to a
small farm, the time when the ration
al farmer will seek to exchange the
farm for one in town for the evening
of his days is probably passing. This
rational farmer is likely to so plan
his affairs that his counsel will count
g. IL l., e.