Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-05-18
Kansas vs.. Illinois Continued.

L
Kansas VS.. Illinois we want to mention
a few facts concerning the rent
ing or land back there as compared
with the same here. One party leased
land there last year. and the land was
no better than our land. and not SO
good according to my judgment. He
paid one-half the crop and SLIGO per
acre cash besides, and when he got his
corn gathered he found it only averag-
ed about Is bushel per acre. This he
could at that time sell for 3S cents, so he
had at time of settling with his landlord
a crop worth $3.50 per acre. Out of
this he paid the landlord 81 65 and had
$685. left for his labor. which would
stand him about as follows: plowlng
the land, 81 per acre; preparing it to
plant, about another 81; cultiVating
another 81; husking another 81. Thus
leaving him only Is cents for his profits
If even that much. But ii he had
to do as much work on the land last
spring as some said they did, he didn't
even have IS cents per acre. Now com.
|
here last year, and last year wasn't
one of our best by any means. A man
leased farm for one third of the crop
and the house. garden and pasture
free. He raised an average crop of 25
buhsels which he sold for 38 cents per
bushels. 1t cost him or was worth so
cents per acre to get his corn planted,
Is cents per acre to cultivate it,
and Is cents per acre for husking it, or
two dollars for the whole business :.
This would leave him a little.over 81. 90
net and then he could and does put In
and manage more than double the mum.
Der of acres that the man IN Illinois
can under the most favorable circum-
stances. You can very readily see which
man has the better chance of the two
But you say this is more than many of
them pay. Yes that is true, but it is
much less than many of them pay. For
instance. one man whom I could men
ton has paid 81 per acre cash rent for
five years. This is an extreme case, of
course, for not many have to pay that,
worth had he only used that same
sum to pay for a farm in the west.
Four dollars per acre cash is considered
cheap rent, and any number pay from
two ffths to one-half they raise and pay
from 81 90 up for the use of the pasture
and improvements, on the farm. Five
years ordinary rent there would buy
them good farm here better than the
land they are now living on, in many
cases. and as good as any. they have
there. Parties there told me that they
had been feeding their stock, not stock
that was being prepared for market, but
stock cattle and horses. for about six
months, and had to have. where possible,
good sheds for their protec.
ton. Compare that with our people
taking their stock horses and cattle
through the same winter In many cases
with nothing but the wheat pasture,
and straw stacks, who got through in
as good or better condition than the
fellows in Illinois that piled in the
hay and corn for six months. One man
[ might mention has a good farm leased
and pays two-fifths of his corn, oats and
other grain, and one-half the hay,
cut and stacked, and pays $4.OC
for the pasture per acre, and pays
$1.25 for the use of house, barn orchard
and small truck patch, thus paying
the landlord over half of what he can
possibly 5make, for the privilege OF
!; residing on and keeping up his farm
And to make it still worse, he has to dc
most of his own improving and repair.
ing of buildings where they are not tC
his satisfaction. These are only few
but enough to see what they have
to do to get to stay there, and yet many
of them seem to think there is nothing
better In the wide world than to do this
Many others will follow this up till
they have become broken down in
health. and have nothing more with
which to pay the landlord and will then
try to get out, after they are no longer
able to do good days work, and after
| they have spent all they had trying tC
keep the landlord from bouncing them
and taking In another that is better fix.
ed and that can give better security fol
rents. Ignorance of the conditions
elsewhere is their only excuse, and we
don't intend, if we can help it. to let al
OF them remain in this conditions. II
they will listen to the truth they shall
be fully informed and then If they are
T.