Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-24
.ONN[RS ON The FARMS
Opinions Expressed That AS
Values Advance There Will
Be Fewer Landlords
STATISTICS THAT PROVE 1T
Owners or Their Relatives Occupy Ma.
jority of Farms in Butler County
Many Retired Farmers Moving Back
to Their Lands-The Swine Plague
Wilson'S Rural Letter.
20 Times-Republlcan.

| Special 20 Times Republican.
Greene, Dec 24.-Some time ago
very successful and observant farmer
| was asked his opinion as to the future
ownership of the farm lands of the
country; whether capitalists and bust
ness and professional men would OWE
them and have them operated by ten
ants or hired help. or whether they
| would be possessed by those who Gull
| tivated the land. He promptly ex-
pressed the opinion that as land values
nobody except the man who expects
either to personally direct the farm
| work or else do it himself can figure
out a reasonable profit in the owner
| ship of farm land at the prices which
they are soon to command; that with
each succeeding decade there will be
greater number of so, 100 and 160-acre
farms in the middle west owned by
those who reside on them.
| Comparison of new atlas of one Of
| the counties of north central Iowa with
| one gotten out several years ago, and
observation of what is being planned
for the near future in regard to local
| land purchases, show that SO far as
the locality in question is concerned the
old Danish farmers prediction is cor
rect. Nearly all the farms which have
| chapppd nuinarShip flIrpr tho OF
three or four years in this county,
where conditions are perhaps fairly
representative of a large part of the
state, are owned by those who are oc-
cupying Them or by near relatives
| Business and professional men who
few years ago were buying Iowa farms
have turned their attention to the
| cheaper lands Of the Dakotas, Mime
sofa and Canada for their investments.
Very many young men who are near
| ing the close of a three or five-year
residence on a rented farm are already
| negotiating for a place Of their own re-
gardless of the oft made statement that
| no one can pay for an Iowa farm any
more with only the proceeds of that
| farm to furnish the money to make the
payments, and it is a noticeable fact
that OF the large number who have
bought farms during the last few years,
a very high percentage have thus far
been able to meet the payments on
| them as they have fallen due and are
not at all alarmed in regard to their
ability to pay the succeeding ones. I'm
til conditions are greatly changed from
what they are at present and have been
for some time past. there is certainly
little foundation for the statement that
the man just beginning to farm can not
hope to own place of his own without
the financial aid of others, nor for the
other assertion, sometimes heard. that
the farm lands Of the country will
eventually pass from the possession of
the men who cultivate them.
! Frequent notices occur in weekly
| newspapers at the present time stating
that Mr.. So-and-So, who has been a
| town resident for several years past,
has decided to move to the country,
where he can have fresh butter and
eggs, good meat and wholesome vege-
tables for his table, healthful outdoor
work, less worry and an easier life in
general. At the same time others are
| ileges, because of inability to endure
the hard work and for various other
| reasons. Whatever the explanation
may be this fact may be demonstrated
by any one who will follow score Of
cases of this kind to the end; a few
of those who leave the farm for town
later get back to rural life content to
>remafn, but very much smaller num-
4 Der of those in search of better vege-
| tables and an easy and care-free occu-
| patton are found on the farm after am
experience there of two or three years.
| Recent reports Of swine plague in
| this and nearby sections of the country
have stimulated the efforts of many
| hog raisers to provide their stock with
more comfortable and sanitary quar-
| ters. The opinion is prevalent that i'm
proper methods of bedding or the abb
sence of any method at all, and open
thouses thru which draughts of cold
wind blow are causes which are fire.
| quently resultant in the loss to the
owner of his entire herd and it is per-
haps true that this class of mortgage
filters" is receiving more attention just
| now than 1t ever mas Delore.
A very familiar spectacle these days
is the chicken crate in the wagon of
the farmer on his way to the town in
which he does his trading. This town
is getting to be poultry buying cen
ter of considerable Importance, one
firm having this season shipped out
| twenty carloads Of dressed geese, tur-
keys, chicken and ducks. Ten or twelve
expert pickers are employed each year
for the six weeks period preceding the
holidays, and they are said to earn
from $2.75 to $3.50 per day each at this
work Most of them are young men
who live here, and who temporarily
forsake their regular occupations each
fall for the more remunerative one of
picking poultry. c. q. WILSON.
| ENTERTAINMENT AT AUBURN.
Hiqh School Gave Drama Entitled
"Among the Breakers"
Special to Times Republican