The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1908-01-02
"A Word About the Land
Rslnsss IN Bates County.
tcommuulesteia

ahcfo ho choukn iohu eeehefc
visited Bates county during the past
twelve months TO have sold sixty
per cent OF the land on the market
, In this county. There has not been
twenty-five per cent. OF 1t sold Why?
That is she question that ought TO
interest every property owner OF the
county to an extent. Some will say,
why ore all property owners inter
eeted2 Because the sale OF our land
to outsiders advertises our county,
advances values Of our lands, adds
to our population; increased values
and population necessisates better
and more intensified farming, that
produces more profit and establish
es land values permanently on u
higher basis.
Ihe increased valuation and In
Jaeased production helps build up
/our towns and villages, 80 il is easy
to see that every property owner OF
the county is jointly interested with
the real estate man who has spent
his time and money gettlng the pros
pective purchaser here TO see our
country, in having him purchase
land before he leaves.
II he buys be at once becomes a
living, positive advertiser for Bates
county. II he goes away without
buying, even II well pleased, bis ad
vertising has less weight and little
effect.
Are We going to say the reason
more sales have not been made lies
in the quality Of our lands? do not
think 80.
The lands OF Bates county are gen.
orally good, or can easily be made
good, even our most worn and most
abused lands.
There are many living examples OF
that feet In cur county.
As an illustration l want TO cite
the Bates county people to MIR. jew
eyt's farm, seven miles east If Butler.
MIR. Jewett tells NE he bought his
24O. acres seven years ago and at
that time IL was looked upon as one
oithe poorest and worst worn farms
In the county. 1t ranks to-day as
one OF the very best farms In the
county and MIR. Jewett has added
little to it In buildings, the improve.
ment all being In the building up OF
the land. His land was not original
ly different from any land In that
vicinity.
MIR. Jack Elgin's farm north OF
Passaic is another. MIR. Elgin re-
Gently refused $500 per acre for his
240 acres. Plenty OF land adjoining
it, or close to it at $45 to 500 per
acre.
Mr.. Elgin's farm is nicely, but not
extensively, improved, but the land
has been taken care OF and crops 70.
Mated. Adjoining lands and lands oil
the vicinity were originally Of the
SAD lie quality. Different treatment
is | II that makes the values different
= These examples could be multi.
J piled upon many times. These evi'
dences are enough to convince q
thinking person that Bates county
land is all right.
Then, what is the reason more ol
our lockers do not buy? l have an
opinion about 1t, and that is, that
our own people do not appre
ciate our lands and are 40 often
ready with 8 hammer to knock when
they ought to get out their buglt
aud blow.
It is so easy for a disinterested
party to say something to strsng'
or, who has ears and eyes open to
leRrn all he can about q new country
lat will throw him entirely off.
We often SEQ the land seeker chang
ed from agood prospect to one ready
\ to go home without doing business
irom q talk OF flve minutes with
Ssome fellow with q hammer, not be
cause be has had matters misrepre
Isented to him by the agent, but
simply because the knocker looks al
things from q "sour grapes view.
Many people seem to think only
b the worst features Of couftrJ
ind when they get q chance ct 9
prospective land purchaser, they en-
KY L. g.