Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-09
Optimistic
Teacher.

other man, and to come in contact more
closely with the real thing than anybody
else He makes 1t his business to inquire
deeply into farm management and to ana
lyze the reasons for failure and success,
and he teaches Ave or six hundred embryo
farmers what they must do to be success
ful and what they must avoid to escape
failure In farming. Prof Warren Is an
oHtimist on the subject he teaches, ano
believes that agriculture and horticulture
can be pursued as q profession-not as
mere occupation. you will understand
in New York and New England with
equal. II not greater. profits than in
Iowa, Illinois. California, or in any other
part Of the west. either under irrigation
or dependent upon the natural rainfall.
He asserts, therefore, that New York
offers opportunities to young men. and
to western young men especially, equal
to any that can be found in the Missis-
edppi valley or the irrigated states, or In
Washington. Oregon or California.
is there any movement OF western
men to the east?" asked.
Several years ago western men began
to move to eastern states" said Prof.
Warren. During the
Eastward past year hundreds OF
farmers have come to
AVs0AeAS' New York from the west
young men and middle-aged men. who
have been renting farms In the west
and some who own western farms are
selling them and moving east. All are
experienced farmers who know LOW to
handle horses and machinery. They are
the kind Of farmers We need"
How do land prices compare with
those Of the west?"
New York land IL not selling for very
much more than it did ten or twenty
years ago. The land boom of the middle
west raised prices there. so that eastern
farms Of equal quality are much cheaper.
THE development Of the western free
land is commonly considered to be the
only reason for the decrease in the value
Of eastern land but ma : other causes
contributed their share to the deprecia-
ton. Our land was too high in war time
and farms were divided into small areas.
so that after the war was over and when
the central west was being settled 1t was
hard for q man on an average size farm
in New York to produce enough to make
farming pay: whereas II he had had
twice the area he might have competed
with western farmers. Our farms are
now getting larger. as evidenced by va
cant houses on land that is not idle. Many
persons believe In the little farm, but our
statistics show that general farms and
dairy farms OF from 100 to 200 acres are
paying much better than smaller farms.
Another important reason Is that we have
lived so near cities that the farm boys
have been drawn away In the west
where cities and manufacturing enter
prises are not SO common. farm boys dc
not see the glamour OF the factory and
are, therefore. not SO likely to be led to
leave the farms. All these and other fac
tors contributed to the general depres-
~f~ To-, 60 ~ l. -
dence that necessarily followed.
But conditions have changed. AS late
as 1860 land in Illinois was used for free
range. This land is now sell
HIGHER ing for from 500 to $3.50 per
acre. Land in Iowa that was
1IiScS. free range in 1870 Is now
selling for from SIS to 500 per acre. In
Nebraska there was free range in 1880 on
land that is now worth. 500 per acre. AS
late as 1895 there was free range in west
ern Kansas and Nebraska on land that is
now selling for from $15 to $50 per acre.
Free land in the United States Is a
thing Of the past. though OF so recent a
past that many eastern farmers do not
that is free, also some free land that can
be irrigated, but irrigated land Is ex-
pensive when the cost Of the water right
is considered. There Is no more such
land as that In New York.
How are the crop yields in New
York;"
"Crop yields In New York are much
above the average for the United States.
and are getting better. The statistics of
the Department OF Agriculture show that
the average yields for the last ten years
have been better than for any other ten
year period. In values Of farm products
New York state ranks among the states
First. hay all dairy products. milk.
potatoes buckwheat. beans. farm forest
products. vegetables. apples. small fruits.
flowers and plants. nursery products,
hops. onions: second. honey and wax.
orchard products. grapes; fourth. total
eggs. sugar beets: sixth. oats; seventh,
poultry and eggs: eighth, animals
Slaughtered: ninth. barley: thirteenth.
wool: fourteenth, animals sold: twenty
second. wheat: twenty-fifth. corn"
where are the abandoned farms?'
=
"They are chiefly in the magazines and
newspapers. There are many empty farm
houses in some Of the poor
Combining or parts OF the state. Usual
ly these houses are empty
dAo' because the farms are being
COMBINE so as 10 allow tnc use VI liza
chinery. They are not being combined in
bonanza farms but In farms Of $50 to
go acres, so that they are large enough
to use machinery effectively One mower.
one hay-rake. one grain binder and
one manure spreader will do the
work on a 2OO-acre farm just as readily
as on q 1O0-acre farm. The larger farm
does not require nearly twice the horses
or la Dor. Our farms were laid out in the
days OF the scythe and grain cradle. and
enough homes were built to accommodate
With the introduction of machinery. few
er persons and consequently fewer houses
are needed. Empty houses are commonly
mistaken for abandoned farms.
Some fields are abandoned because 1t
does not pay to farm them. Much land
was cleared that was useful when work
was done by hand that is not adapted to
farming with harvesters. potato planters,
etc Much Of this land Is kept in perma-
nent pasture or in forests. and allowed
to grow up to trees again. There is also
some level land in some parts or the state
that Is temporarily unworked; but very
little that is adapted to farming under
present economic conditions.
"1n Caroline township. in Tompkins
county, in an area of ever fifty square
miles there are forty-five vacant farm
houses. There are also some vacant ten
ant houses on farms that have two houses.
Many of these houses are not Mt for use.
and remain merely because to leave them
is cheaper than to tear them down. Some
good houses are vacant and an equal
number are being occupied that should
be abandoned. This does not mean that
Caroline township. Nearly all the land
is rented by neighborng farmers for hay
with the introduction of machinery