Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-15
PROPOSED NEW EDUCATION Blu ILDING.

get labor The second largest number Is
old age of owner the third largest is
owner in other business and cannot at
tend to farm; next is illness of owner;
then comes death of owner and heirs
engaged in other business Many say
simply cannot work and cannot rent:
others owner wishes to retire But you
will notice that the reasons are almost
the same in every case.
There are 22s,7 2O farms in the state of
New York. said Mr. Flanders, (which
are valued at 81 ,Oe9, 723. s95, and you will
notice from our advertising bulletin that
about 1 per cent are unoccupied and for
sale. The reason is chiefly that the own
ers are getting old and dying off or can
not get labor. New York offers advan-
tages for farmers and farm laborers that
are unexcelled by any other section of
the country today. Good farms can be
purchased in this state for from $40 to
$50 acre. with small first payment
in cash and the balance on longtime
with low rates of interest. The adver-
Using and bulletins of the Department of
Agriculture have awakened large num-
Der of inquiries from all sections of the
country, which indicate Enthusiastically
that people are recognizing the advantages
afforded by the peculiar conditions which
have brought about these low prices, and
that, within the near future, these farms
will be very materially advanced In prices.
The present conditions have been brought
about by the great expansion of manu-
featuring, mercantile, transportation and
other enterprises, which have drawn the
young men and women from the farms
to the cities. and to the western states
and British Columbia. Thus, while there
has been a depletion of the native agri-
cultural population, stream of imml,
grafton has passed through the state and
its advantages have been disregarded or
are unknown. Our business is to bring
the advantages enjoyed by the New York
farmer to the attention of the public and
to bring sellers and buyers together.
And we have been remarkably success
full. Our records show that this depart
ment has been already instrumental in
of s1,02SOOO. The price has varied from
81 500 to $4,000. which would make the
average about S4,O95 This does not look
like an indication of abandonment. They
are not abandoned farms; they are only
temporarily unoccupied and the number Of
fered for sale shows a smaller number of
suspensions than you will find in any
other line of business.
Who the Buyers Are.
"The buyers come from every class of
the population. Many city people ere
buying farms for summer homes; many
immigrants r. principally Germans and
Swedes-are taking up the farms, and
farmers in other parts of the country at
tracted by special advantages, are buying
from our lists. Farming in New York
state is not running down; it Is progress
ing. We are the largest dairy state in
the union. There are 100000 mich
cows in New York, and we make nearly
half of all the cheese produced in the
United States. BY the last census the
total cheese product of the country was
$50, 100000 pounds and New York pro-
duced 130,0OO.OOO last year. We stand
second TO California in fruit, and are
branches of farming. Our greatest diff
ficulty is to secure labor. and we are
gradually getting it through agents at
Ellis Island. who present to the new ar
rivals, so far the federal authorities
Will permit, the attractions of the state, |
and the inducements offered by our farm
erS.
Mr. Wieting the commissioner of agri-
culture, has issued circular to the farm
ers of the state, and has furnished them
blanks which they fill out for the use
of our agents at Ellis Island. Upon these
forms the farmers describe the kind of
help they want, the nationality they pre-
fer the ages, wages and other condi-
tons, and many of them inclose money to
pay the railway fare of the immigrants
from Ellis Island to the farm. We try
to fill such applications as accurately as
possible, and last year were able to send
nearly 1900 men from the immigrant land
ing station to the farms of this state.
This year we will send out 1000 but our
farmers want $4,000 hired hands, and we
will obtain them if we can do SO without
violating the statutes of the United States.
1T seems to me- continued Mr.. Fian-
ders. that the government of the United
States ought to help. instead of hinder.
the location of immigrants upon the
farms. 1 cannot believe that the repre-
sentatives who passed the law intended to
prevent the authorized representatives of
the different states Of the Union from
having access to immigrants in order to
give them information as to the advan-
tages offered within their limits. and w
ought to be allowed access to the immi-
grants before they get scattered through
out the country