The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-05-26
Does 1t Pay to Go West !?
BY E. A. Summer.

Not so many years ago, even to
the present time, we and many other
farmers were deluged with literature
regarding the advantages to be de-
rived from emigration to the Golden
West" Promoters of land deals, i'm
migration agents, railway and indus
trial commissioners, all contributed
interesting data relating to their par
ticular section or field of action, until
it would seem to the average farmer
of the eastern or central States, or in
any section that had been long under
cultivation that a realization of his
highest ambition was to be found
west of the mighty Mississippi.
General farming as carried on IN
our own and the adjoining States,
was far from satisfactory. The land
which in the days of our parents had
yielded a competence, had greatly de-
Perforated and its value correspond
ingly deprecated. After absorbing
a large amount Of information re-
garding the health and wealth to be
found in the fertile valleys of the
West, we became so thoroughly i'm
bued with the prospect of prosperity,
that we disposed of our belongings
at a great sacrifice and began our
journey of discovery to find the ideal
spot in which to establish our new
home.
We had been especially attracted,
through correspondence, to one Of
the valleys in Colorado. The re-
sources for irrigation were superior
to those of many other sections; the
climate was reputed to be, and doubt
less is, exceedingly healthful, while
the price of land was claimed to be
exceptionally reasonable. We had an
exceedingly interesting drive to the
great head gates of the river and
irrigation canal with the genial land
agent, who pointed out with much
pride the holdings of a great Eastern
real estate syndicate which bordered
the canal. In fact, this syndicate had
promoted the whole irrigation sys-
TEN and was now Offering the new
land for settlement. The reason
able" prices of these acres were some
thing to wonder about, they being
from 5000 to $500 and more per
tcre. The special inducement offered
10 homeseekers all along the valleys
Df this and other States was that
from five to ten acres Of this valuable
land would yield larger revenue.
When we demurred at the enormous
prices for land that had never been
broken by plow, the answer invari-
ably was: You must consider the
valuable plant food this land con-
tains." When we noticed fine field
of alfalfa at the ranch home of this
man, he at once attempted to ne
gotiate the sale of four acres of this
field (all he could spare) at the Eek
tremely low price" of $1,000, and this
three miles from the nearest town,
containing 700 inhabitants, not an
other town within many miles, and
the public road half mile from the
plot
We were then driven to the farm
of a man who, with his wife, had
come from Vermont several years be-
fore. Both were far along in years,
and although the orchards and vines
bore luxuriantly, there was look of
longing and homesickness in the care
worn faces when we spoke of back
East" Then they told us that the
profits from the orchard fruits were
small on account of the excessive rail-
way rates and the almost total loss
of the vine fruits in consequence of
the great distance to a market. Said
the gray haired woman: 81 picked
eighty gallons of the finest goose
berries you ever saw, yet nothing
was gained. There was no sale
for them in our little town. and it
would not pay to ship them so many
miles to a large market. We used
'one gallon at home, the rest we had
to throw away" 'e~t
. This. man had been a practical
farmer among the Vermont hills. :. He
was far from being poor man there,
but dissatisfaction with soil condi-
tions and some i'll health had induced
him to leave the old home and the
ties of relations and friendship. In
'feply to some questions he said:
'"Yes, this is rich soil; plant foods
are plentiful, but it will never be
home, and we are always looking
backward. Had I taken care of my
soil, and studied what was needed on
the old Vermont farm, would be
now a prosperous man among my
own kin to-day, instead of owning
only these few acres, which bring me
so little, even though they produce
so much"
And so all along the journey of
thousands of miles we found the main
conditions practically the same. The
natural plant foods produced fair
crops, but no better than our we'll fed
soils of the East, and it is seldom we
experience the terrible hailstorms
which frequently devastate all of a
seasons crops as we saw them do
there. Wherever we Travelled we dis
covered some drawbacks to the per-
feet realization of the dream in which