The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-10-25
HOW He
CREW RICH
ON THE FARM
CBy Leased Wiro.)


New York, Oct % llnder,the cap
tion IA Great Farmer the New York
Sun says editorially today:
IA Missouri farmer David Rankin,
has Just died, leaving a fortune OF
three and one half million dollars,
which he had made out Of agriculture
honestly, without Shaving or niggard'
lincss; for he had always taken q
great interest IN civic affairs, given
in philanthropy as much perhaps as
he left, built up poor Missouri town
into thriving municipality and en-
dowed its college with quarter of a
million.
Brains and the Farm.
Ills career Is OF more interest to
the country than that OF many other
men who have made even greater
fortunes In that he proved what brain
applied to the development OF our
greatest natural industry will accom-
plish. When men were pushing west
ward to try their luck, Mr.. Rankin
stopped IN Missouri and took up the
more certain means OF Livelihood on
the rich farming lands in the north
western part Of the state. He made
acres grow In value from $40 or $l5
to $75 and 500. He had fifty poor
acres when he started; he had thirty
-four thousand capable OF the highest
cultivation when he died. In 1906
he planted nineteen thousand acres
In corn and raised nearly a million
bushels. He attained reputation as
an authority on corn raising because
he made It study and agricultural ex
pelts came from Europe to learn his
methods. What Cobprn of Kansas
said could be done Rankin OF Mis-
souri, proved.
The last census has shown that Mis-
souri,, as well as many other staHs,
has los. in rural population and there
are those who complain that people
leave the farms become poor stenog-
raphers, poor clerks, poor something
or other. The Isolation and lonell-
ness" of the country drives them to
the cities, 1t Is said Perhaps that
phase of the life never bothered Mr.
Rankin. In his early life he was too
busy to think much about IT, In his
latter years this isolation was spent
in one of the finest country homes In
the West. He had more horses to
drive than he needed, as many motor
cars as be wanted; he visited eastern
cities when he felt like it. he went
to Europe when he wished He could
afford it. his income grew from moth.
ing TO $4,000 a. year It Is doubtful
II many of those accused of this ex'
odus to the city would ever have be-
come David Rankin, They would
have been about as much failures on
the farm as in the city. Besides their
presence helps some struggling mum
ieipahty to keep up appearances at
census taking time. Modern farm
ing requires brains and industry.
Profits Follow Logically.
"To people thus equipped Mr.. Ran
kln's career must appeal strongly.
Agriculture, though one OF teh Oldest,
is not the most highly developed OF
our industries. Davi dRankin did as
much as any man has ever done 70
prove that business methods supplied
to II meant profit. He studied soil
and products and he learned the ad.
vantage Of rotation OF crops. lie kept
a set of books as complete as a banks
he ran his farm as methodically as
other men run packing houses, rail-
reads or manufacturies--and he7mado
It pay The opportunities are greater
today than when he began. There
is lot Of this big country of ours
out Of doors, and its development ag-
riculturally is one industry not over
done"