Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-29
The Landlord Who Pays No At
tention to His Farm Likely
to Lose Possession
WILSON MAKES SOME COMMENT
Believes That the Time Will Come
When Many Small Farms Will Be
Controlled by and Operated Under
the Direction of syndicates- A Re-
tired Farmer and His Residence.
social to mes-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Sheffield, Jan. 29.-One of the sights
to be seen in nearly every rural neigh
borhood is that of the farm that has
"seen better days" The house on
such u place is often large and well
built and with the barn and other
buildings was once a credit to the
community and formed a comfortable
for several years he has not set foot
on the place, different tenants have oc-
cupicd it and either ignorant of condi-
lions or unmindful of them he has
neglected to provide the necessary re-
pairs and house, barn and fences are
in bad shape. Such places are usually
devoted almost entirely to grain rails
ing and before long the fields are in as
poor condition as the buildings re-
manning SO until the farm
is bought by man who occupies it
himself, when it is usually restored,
after an expenditure of considerable
labor and money, to something like its
former condition.
An old resident of this county and
a keen observer and student of what
is going on around him called atten-
ton to the great loss to the country
because of these rundown farms. No
body who is connected with them
prospers. They are valued at just as
high figure as those in a better state
of repair and cultivation and the re-
turns are so small that the tenant does
not make day wages nor the owner re-
ceive interest on his investment. The
above mentioned man believes that the
time is about at hand when such con-
ditions will not be allowed to exist.
That about all the land will have to be
in the hands of those who cultivate 1t,
or that small farms will be bought up
by syndcates and capitalists. man.
aged by men trained for that capacity
and worked by a class corresponding
to that of the factory hand in the city,
Under such an order those energetic,
ambitious and capable would own and
work their own farms. while all others
would till the soil and raise the stock
under the direction of an overseer or
foreman and every acre of land would
be yielding all it could be made to
produce.
That there is no tendency at present
in this direction, however, and rather
as an argument that the opposite Is
the case. it may be said that about all
the farms that are changing hands IN
this part of the country are being
bought up, not by business and pro-
fessional men nor capitalists, for spec
ulative purposes or with a view OF
hiring men to operate them but by
those who have heretofore been rent
land themselves.
One day last week I called at the
home of an old German farmer living
near here. He said he expected to move
off his farm in the spring If he could
find place to suit him. which, he was
as vet unable to do. and leave his son
in charge of the farm. I asked him
why he wished to leave the beautiful
home that had been secured by the
labor of half lifetime. He replied
that he wanted to rest, that he had
enough. "Well." said I "why
don't you build nice little house
there in the yard and live in that.
letting others do the work?' II will
tell YOU" was the answer, eff I would
10 that it would look to everybody,
and I would feel, too, as though the
Did man and woman We're pushed
aside and didn't amount to anything
sny more don't want to feel that
way and I won't have it said about me,
either. shall live the rest of my days
in house just as big and just as eX-
oensive as this one if I have to buy
ot and build new one. No little
shanties for me-" and he strobe up the
walk with every appearance of fndig-
nation at the thought of the idea sug-
sested to him.
If those portions of the state which
have visited this winter are repre-
sentative of conditions which exist
elsewhere the market reports next fall
will show unusually large receipts of
heavy hogs. In many instances the