Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-09-14
he
tho Matter with tho Renter?

when | got married some thlriS
years ago and started out on my w
hook, | did Just what thousands OF
others do every year, or, ! might say,
what they must do" writes M. Nj.
Johnson to Wallace's Farmer. Il
rented a farm. bought tools. imple-
meilts and teams or time and started
In with u strong heart and arm. After
two years of hard work we gathered
up the paid for and partly paid for
stuff and made a sale. Came out
ahead only n few dollars for two years
hard work.
"Then I went to railroading. and
have never farmed since. j have had
nearly thirty years in which to figure
out why / did not come out better or
the farm, and / think ! have 1t hB-
ured.
"T'he trouble with me then. and with
many renters right now, was that l
had my Investments In things h a
were decreasing in value. In most IN
stances ] was paying interest on
things that were decreasing, burning
the candle at both ends. as 1t were.
For instance, / was paying interest on
money invested in horses, machinery,
and other things that We're getting
less valuable all the time; 1t took the
proceeds from my labor to keep up
the losses. Like many others did
then, and do yet. l depended on SELL
Ing the raw product. The grain and
hay was marketed; my live stock con-
sisted of horses principally, and X
cept their feed, all the grain was mar
| keted.
after nearly thirty years Of medi-
tation l have come to the conclusion
renters farm too much land, go in
| debt too much, and do not keep enough
profitable stock. Surplus work horses
do not produce: even those that are
used, beyond their labor. are poor In
vestments. A yard full of machinery
does not produce beyond a few weeks
use.
IF I was going to try 1t over I would
be a crank on producing. Everything
would have to gain In value or add to
itself in some way. My team would
be brood mares; would try to shift
my little investments towards buying
a good COW, and more of them as fast
as l could. The premises would be
adorned with some good brood sows
and ! would help the other half out
with the hen business. Yes, / would
have to have a wagon and some i'm
Elements. that's true: but l would
make one wagon do, inc when 1
bought implements would need them
first. After getting these things I
would go to a little more expense and
keep them under cover. Would try to
make them last ten years instead Of
three or four.
80 IT H. AZ - ler,,rAJ xl,N ,nrtA~u ~, ktn
average have from $1,000 to 5000
tied up in DOR investments, and that
In most instances 1t takes the entire
earnings to keep up the losses or
shrinkage in values. Also that inso-
much as he depends on selling grain
for the income, his pay days are .
far apart. He spends what 1t comes
to before he gets it; or, in other words,
after all, he gets no money to spend
as he wishes. Looking through a COM
bination of front sights and hind
sights, my advice to any young man
would be to keep his investments in
things that produce or increase In
value just as much as it IS possible to
do SO.
II do a manufacturing mall order
business, and through my correspond
ence with people in all parts of the
country, engaged in ell professions,
object lessons OF great value come to
my notice. Let me mention two in
stances: An old man, past sixty-flve,
lost his companion. He had been
renting here and there and dickering
around to make both ends meet. His
wife had been helping ali that an
aged person could. After he vas
alone their two cows and some hens
became company for him. In q little
while he discovered that they were
bringing in a small evenue every day.
This happened four years ago.. Today
he has seven Jersey cows and 500 Leg
horn hens, and is making more money
than any renter, or in fact, any farmer
in that locality. He does nothing but
play with the cows and hens; he calls
it play, and l can be excused for doing
the same. This is no fairy tale by any
means. I rave mentioned him in my
articles before M given his name,
but it served to burden him with cor
~respondence.
Another instance started three
years ago. A mar owed a mortgage
of $1,000 On his farm, and had never
OCCIl uOic W pay jill AlSS ySoIo
ago his last boy married and moved
to himself. In his correspondence he
stated that he was broken down in
health, wanted to know what I
thought of his prospect of making a
living at poultry raising and renting
ont the farm. He stated that he had
a ifteen-acre orchard that he could
retain. 1 advised him to try 1t, but
to keep some of his best cows and
some brood sows. He went ahead and,
made "a sale. The proceeds of the
sale cut 60 per cent wi Of the mort
gage. A recent letter from my old
friend states that he is out of debt,
has eight good cows, some hogs, and
lots Of chickens. I mention these two
particular cases for the reason that
in both instances the men were prac-
| tically worn out with hard work and
as a last and as a drowning
man grabs at a straw, they accidents
ally discovered a better way to make
some money"
Horse Talk.
Modern Farm Monthly.1
Heavy draft horses are not being