Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-05-30
TENANT FARMING.

o
Tenant farming In the United
States is not a sign OF decadence OF
agricultural prosperity. but must be
Interpreted exactly to the contrary. A
large share of the city population that
is now oozing out into the country
must get its grip ON land through ten
ant occupation The only problem for
these people is, WIN farming pay suiii
ciently well TO enable them. ii they
desire, to purchase land after few
years Of accumulation? This drift OF
population outward is not noisy, but
u Is certain. From 1880 10 1890 con.
s'derably over 90 per cent OF the In
crease OF population went into tho
cities; but from 1890 to 1900 only
about 80 per cent. This check of the
driit OF population Inward Is accom-
panied by another drift outward. the
exact statistics OF which II is hard to
fix
The outward tide is of two sorts
the wealthy, who seek investments in
land, and the poorer, who seek landed
homes. In the western states, specu.
latlNe capitalists are said TO be buying
up every farm they can secure A
wealthy farmer OF Missouri said re.
Gently; Il am continually solicited
to sell, and there Is a temptation in
the fact that can sell TO an advan-
lnge Bat ! viii not sell What bet.
ter could do with my money than to
retnNest in land? The best Investment
To-Day is farm property My neign-
bors are selling, but they are making
a mistake. One OF them writes to me
TO get his land back for him. II
can, even al sacrifice He finds that
he has lost good Investment"
In the eastern states deserted farms
are largely taken up. and now there
Is steady push TO secure farm land.
The hest economists advise farmers
to hold their farms Nevertheless, "A
/ large number are selling or have sold.
In this way there is slow Increment
/ added 10 the number Of landluris-in
this country mlsnomer Cases are
known where the seller has tIrneu
about and hired what he had sold
In this way tenant farming is bound
| to Increase for time-not because
there Is depression, but because there
is farm prosperity. The capitalist
finds II for his advantage TO become a
landlord
Note the entire dissimilarlty with
conditions In Europe. In England and
in Germany, but in much less degree
in France. landlords constitute class.
| the tenants a class. The landlords
are such by heredity; the tenants are
! such in the same way. They have
their social rank from the relations
I which they bear to the land In this
country the tenant is not dishonored
| by his position. II is with him purely
n business Investment He hires
| farm as he hires a house. 1t IL true
| that we have cheap, floating popula-
| lion of tenant farmers-mostly ma
tive born-who ,are predestlned fail.
nres. They never succeed. and they
never stay long In the country They
| oscilate back and forth between shop
keeping or dray driving and trying to
work a farm.
Besides the drift of city folk out
| into the country. there Is the heavy
immigration from Germany and
Southern Europe to be disposed of
A larger proportion of these people Is
| steadily going into the country. This
is owing to a growing conviction that
| our cities are congested with a popu.
lation that cannot live as II Is living
without degeneration, Most of these
| people have no money 10 buy; but
many of them are able to rent small
| holdings. Almost without exception
The Irishman in short time becomes
a freeholder The Hungarian and the
! Italian not only hold their own. but
thrive. The Hungarian likes to be-
come a landlord. He buys all he can
and then has his own tenants, while
he himself may be shoemaker or
| storekeeper The German likes a
small holding near city.
Corporation is growing a good deal
more common and will probably be a
permanent feature Of the near future
that is, occupancy of a farm and
| division of duty There Ia really no
| reason why pHTlHtThHlp sHpulu nOt
| cover farming AZ well as commercial
ventures or manufacturing There Is
nothing in the nature Of the case to
prevent this evolution. and there are
Indications that It will grow on MS in
different forms.
What should he avoided In the Unit.
ed States is not tenantry altogether.
but a .debaslng dependency of one
class upon another. In considering
oil handles better than lard. and
add few drops Of carbolic acid and
little sulphur If the case is bad.
Sulphur sometimes affects the birds
in cold weather, and those who have
| fancy stock need to remember that
kerosene Will blench yellow legs,
Some think crude petroleum not 30
bad In this respect Scaly legs, In
rare cases. If neglected. cause the
+ death of-ihe birds.
Farmers who have poultry houses
with hen doors" may be Interested
| In the method OF one farmer who plac-