The Greeley tribune., 1911-10-19
BACK TO FARM
IS REMEDY FOR
COST OF LIVING
Congestion In Cities Of Non Produc-
ers Given IS Cause Of High
Prices Of Food

(Lord Ogilvy In Denver Post)
The number of idle working peo-
pie in the streets during working
hours is very noticeable. Most any
trivial occurrence can gather good
sized crowd, and two or three thous-
and IL not an unusual attendance
to see results of base ball ganSs.
Population increased 81 per cent
in the last decade, and the number
of farms only 10 per cent, with an
average decrease of eight acres In
the size of each farm-from l4b to
|13S acres. Our aggregate OF farm
land is very large. In 1900 it was
|S3S,592, 1000 acres, and in 1910 873,-
|729,000 acres, an increase OF 35,-
173,00O, or Az per cent, which is
the smallest for any decade in the
history of the country.
The acreage of improved land
showed a more favorable increase,
100000 acres, which, however.
was still only two-thirds of relative
to the increase in population. All
these things tend toward high
prices and the worst features do not
come out in the figures, for there is
a woeful lack of skilled labor in the
land to cause it to produce at its
best.
Farm values, on the other hand,
on which someone must pay inter-
| bounds, for in ten years they have
value per acre, from $15.57 to $32.-
40.
When it is said that the value OF
| tt,,r,
the increase in lands in the census,
this is only partially true and refers
to buildings and improvements OF
that nature.
very large part OF the Increase
is due to irrigation and drainage
without which land We're previously
almost valueless accounts for q
large share in the increase.
In 1900 the city population form
ed 400 per cent OF the total in
1910, 46.3, which, if all the suburbs
were included, would show fully
half OF the people resident in cities.
This is too small a number II pro-
lcers and too many people living
on them in one form or mother,
from the man who clips what should
be the perennial interest-bearine
coupon to the man who gets a rake
OH from the produce direct. There
has been considerable effort to off,
set the downward flow, and the de-
ieat OF the reciprocity bill, which
would have been merely bonus to
the artlilcer as against the WORKING
man, has stiffened things up ouite
DIT IN such states as Maine and New
lofK, that were threatened w1ln
heay' invasion OF potatoes and dairy
products.
The tendency of the Dopula ion to
hock TO town has been fosterad nv
the very cheap foods Of tbe last
loity Years, which hardly returned
any profit to the producer, mo had
lor the most part to depend on the
rise OF the Price of land for INV &c
re,loh OF wealth in old age for him
sell or heritage for those 80 Iah-
ored with him, and was nor much
pehehtted by the rise in the rice Of
.ne lahd as long as he farmad IT.
indeed, merely mulcted moro haav.
NY IN taxes, though his creIit was
improved. A good many land own
ers preferred to realize tbe cash
saiue OF their farms ana c,ma IN
.o"h ana live on the interes, r.tbar
lhah 10 De merely rated rich md live
pooI; increased profits tc those Who
uo .he actual work on tire INA and
produce the food win proyo - .wr-
est magnet to increase 80
producers Oh the land ~