Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-07-27
AIDS THE POOR MAN.
A Few Notes on What Is Being Done
by the Consolidated Farm Co.

The Chicago Record-Herald of the
issue of July Is contains a detailed
description of the work of the Con
solidated Farm Co. and of its plan,
which was evolved by John P. Hume
of Marshfield AS number of Mara
thon county men are interested in the
company, and some of the lands con-
trolled by it are located in this
county, we believe that few words
said regarding it will not go amiss.
Mr.. Hume saw that the land which
had been stripped of its wealth by
the lumber barons was lying idle and
being swept each year by forest fires
which were menace to the outlaying
settler and small towns. To improve
such land required capital
After studying the proposition for
years, John Hume recognized that the
present high prices for available wild
lands, coupled with the lack of out
side employment, was the principal
obstacle in the path of development
of the stump land country. The
natural developer of a new country is
the poor man, but he could not afford
to improve these lands To make any
headWay at all, he must have employ
ment for part of the year that would
yield him some cash whereby he could
care for himself and family, until his
own land yielded some return for his
labor. 70.
He found that 80 per cent Of those
who settled on lands in Southern Wis
consin and other states, started with
from 800 to $500 capital. The secret
of the success of the pioneer in those
days was the fact that he was certain
thus support his family.
Now conditions have changed. The
forests are gone and with them went
the employment, which was furnished
to the pioneer during his first
struggles for home. Where there
is still timber the settler is sup
planted by the cheaper foreign labor,
furnished by the employment bureaus
Mr.. Hume organized company ano
then began to look around for capital
and for time he he was unsuccessful,
because his plan was new and un-
tired one.
He kept on talking about his propo-
sition. He insisted that if the poor
man was given an opportunity tc
settle on some land for which he long
ed. but for which he did not have
capital to buy, that that man would
prove a substantial citizen and would
pay back every cent loaned to him
with fair interest and with immense
profits to the community which he
was helping create.
Finally John Hume obtained some
capital for his company, with which
tract of cutoyer lands, from which
all valuable timber had been removed
was acquired. Then the company be
gan experimenting in the work o.
clearing and stumping the land.
a variety of machines were tried
but with little success, until a steam
machine was designed that not onll
pulled the stumpS, but piled them a.
cost of 90 per cent less than th'
methods pursued by the earlier settler
This machine with six men clears twt
acres of pine sumps or other land pc
day and in addition TO the operating
force furnishes labor for from fifteeI
to twenty men brushing ahead Of th'
machine and picking up behind it
Several machines were introduced an(
as each machine developed in da,
what the average settler developed II
year. rapid progress was made.
The important result achieved wa
that the steady employment at goot
wages could be furnished the nev
settler close TO his home and the LAM
of the settler could be cleared at
considerable reduction over the meth
cd he must of necessity pursue with
out the cooperation of the company
The clearing methods settled, tn
necessary employment provided ant
the capital for financing secured TN
work of introducing the settler wa
undertaken.
1 The company has worked on yer.
conservative lines and has not aime'
TO see how much land could be dis
posed of, but how men of iimite'
means could be successfully establish
ed on land Herein is one of tn
most interesting features OF the mes
enterprise and the essential one 5
| far as the possibilities of the man G
limited means isEcOncerned. II wa
announced through various source
that any man with 500 could secur
farm nome and ON payment Of tina
amount, material for building woul
be advanced, tools, machinery an
stock gradually supplied, Assistanc
given in clearing the land fOY c1ltivs
tion at reduced cost, teams furnishe