Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-12-14

= ~ mr. from being reached. Thew
= little chance 70 lose money a. tand
crowded Il b wiDely invested. u b To
laek Of knowteaUe Of what CONSTITUTES
Z rood farm that makes land IN I'M
safe Investment for the city man.
There may be some honest land
agents. but unfortunately they have no
Trademark to distinguish them from
the other variety. To buy land with
out seeing It IL painless way Of part
ing with hard earned money As for
the promised profits they usually nnd
their way TO the pockets Of the lana
agent. leaving the investor q sadder
and wiser man.
Between 1900 and 1905 the average
Increase In the value Of the farm land
In the United States was IS per cent
Between 1900 and 1910 much Of the
land In the western part Of the Missis-
sippf valley doubled In value. With
system Of farming that keeps up the
fertility prices win 90 higher rather
than lower
The man who owns a farm has con-
tinual opportunities to put his money
into better fences. better stock and
better buildings. He has opportunities
to invest In more land at home or far
Their west
From a financial standpoint farming
Offers opportunities to young men that
are duplicated In few other cailings.
Farming as a profession 10 new. and
its ranks are still far from full The
young farmer Is not entering an over
crowded calling where he must COM
bine with his fellows and boost prices
unnaturally In order to make q bare
living. In agriculture there are room
and opportunity for all The country
Is throbbing with the vitality Of Q new
awakened life. The password Is ambi-
ton. and the reward Is success
It h not the call Of money alone that
II turning the ambitious young man
to the farm calling that can offer
no reward but financial one II scarce
" worthy Of the name. The chief call
Of the city has been the call Of the dol
lar combined with the call of the
crowd Better roads and denser pop
vlation have enabled the country to
otrer a social life which Is superior to
that Of the city. Higher prices and
scientific methods have enabled II 70
duplicate the financial rewards of the
city. In addition. II offers 10 the young
man the opportunity to live the broad
est. fullest life Of which he Is capable.
II offers him business he can call his
own and an independence which be
could gain In the city only after life
time Of toll. The greatest need Of
most rural communities just now b
leaders-men who eau demonstrate on
their own farms the possibilities Of
scientific agriculture: men who under
stand the possibilities and the need Of
q broader community life.
The stories OF some Of the young
men who heeied the call Of the coun-
try and gave themselves to the deveI-
opment OF their community read IKE
romances. A dozen years or 90 ago .
little Massachusetts community was on
the downhill road The nearby cities
had Slapped II Of It's strength and Wig
or. Injudicious cropping had taken
away much Of the fertility Of the
soil. and the people had lost all ambi
ton and were content TO let things
drift from bad to worse About this
time young man. son Of one OF the
farmers, graduated from an agricul-
tural college. He received tempting
offer from the department OF aErfcui-
ture to take up work at Washington.
A brother In Iowa wrote him a glow
ing invitation TO come to the fertile
lands Of the middle west He rejected
both offers and went home.
The most optimistic resident would
have laughed at the idea OF there BE-
ing any opportunity there. But the
young man went 70 work. He did not
lecture to the neighbors or advise
them He merely set out to show them
what the impoverished land was ca
pabie Of He made the old farm pay.
and Its dilapidation changed TO IN air
Of prosperity. His neighbors gradually
began to follow his methods and to
catch some Of his spirit. The commu-
nifty started to go forward instead Of
backward As soon MS be could spare
the time from his farm the young
farmer set about recognizing the vii
iage school He gave one corner Of