The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-09-17
FROM CITY TO FARM
HOW MEN OF THE TOWN HAVE
CULTIVATED THE SOIL.
Realized Well From Their Investment;
An Interesting Story From Omaha
AS to the Profitable Manner in
Which Small Tracts of Land Have
Been Handled; the Widow and Her
Struggle for Existence.

Omaha, Neb., Sept. IL. People of
the cities of the west, as well as those
| of the rural sections, are rapidly be-
coming imbued with the idea that there
| is more money to be made in carry
| ing on farming of small tracts than
by trying to make money in business
ventures. AS result, owning acre
property outside the corporate limits
OF the cities and towns, thus avoid
| ing the high taxes for internal i'm
provements, is becoming quite the
thing.
For miles around Omaha and along
the motor lines that have stretched
out into the country during the past
three years city people have bought
property from two to ten acres, and
while they are still conducting their
business as in former days, or work
ing on salaries, they are planting their
lands in fruit, OF bringing them un-
der a high state of cultivation show
ing what can be done if the soil is
property titled.
Instances where men and women
have made money, besides living
on small tracts of land are numerous
all of which is believed to indicate
that the day of the large farm poorly
cultivated is past and that in the flu
ture there is to be more of desire
to get away from the hurry and hustle
of city life, its cares and business
perplexities.
Land Costs Him Nothing.
Four years ago George West, city
passenger agent of one of the Omaha
Chicago lines, purchased twenty acres
| of land six miles from the city. One
year later he sold half of the tract
for more than ne paid for the whole
| The year of the purchase he bought
500 worth of fertilizer, and scattered
it over the twenty acres. That year
he hired the, land cultivated and in the
fall picked and sold l,4OO bushels of
corn, which he sold for $40, leaving
MIN profit of $3.50 This next spring
he planted the ten acres ne-half in
strawberries, and the balance was
set out in cherry trees. Of course
that year he did not raise anything
but the following year from his straw
berries he sold 81 800 worth. This year
his Strawberries crop Melted him ST..
200 and his cherries $500.
Five years ago W. A. Anderson, a
struggling young lawyer without any
practice to speak of, found himself in
the same rut with many others and
decided to get out. He had saved UP
81 900, and with this he made a pay.
ment on twenty-five acres of land
one mile from the end of a car line
The first year he planted grain and
made enough to pay for the erection
of small house. The. next year he
planted the greater portion of the land
to berries and small fruit. The Sec
ond year following his net income was
$1,000, and every year since it has
ranged from $1,000 to $1,000.
Makes $4,000 a Year.
George Gray, street railway con-
ductor, three years ago bought ten
acres of old and WORKOUT orchard
| That year he gave his trees severe
pruning, spraying them and killing the
insects. That year his crop aggre
gated six bushels. Last year he pur-
sued the same methods with reference
to care and raised 100 bushels of fine
fruit. This year his trees are loaded
so heavily that they have to be prop
ped up, and the contracted sales are
$1,000. 1t is estimated that the
crops will be 1900 bushels.
Lansing Hoyer has two acres under
cultivation and he carries on diversified
farming and fruit raising. On acre is
i in cherries and raspberres and the 9th
er acre in corn. His berry and cherry
crop this year Melted him 5000 and
from the acre of sweet corn he has al.
ready sold 5000 worth His entire ex.
penses have been less than $780, In
addition he has had sufficient fruit OF
his own use and a supply of vegetables
sufficient to carry him through the
winter.
George Hadlock, had a patch of
strawberries 5Oxl60 feet, the equivalent
of city lot. OF this patch he picked
200 cases of berries, which he sold at
$2.40 per case.
Grapes Bring $4,000 Year.
Fred Walker has turned his atten-
ton to grapes and fifteen years age
set out ten acres of vines. Since
they came into bearing three years
later, they have never failed to produce
a full crop. Some years they have
netted him as high as 5000 per acre
and no year have they run less than
$500 the expense is caring for and
harvesting being about $50 per acre
Mrs. George A. Cockrell, left widow
with three small children and twenty
acres of barren bluff land, found ex.
istence hard struggle for three years
She had always lived in the city, but
upon the death of her husband, moved
to her small farm and running in debt
for team, commenced operations. She
lived in granary and for two years
contended with poverty, raising barely
enough to pay the expenses of the
farm and live. In the meantime she
was planting her land to berries and
small fruit. Last year was the first
Il. E.. 1a,, L.,