Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-12-25
ATTRACT|O Ms Of
EASTERN FARMING
Nearness TO Markets Should APP
peal TO Westerners Who
Seek New Homes.

New York, Dec 22--Is East en-
trrirE on O. new era In agriculture?
Efforts are BEING put forth In behalf of
revival OF this industry by enlisting peo-
pic In the great possibilities of farm
ing within the nine States comprising
the northeastern part of the country.
There IL no reason why this group Of
States, with about N,Oo0, 90 people, should
not constitute one OF the best possible
markets Demand for produce is here
within their own borders. Purch: sing
power is steady and certain. Is the
case with all industrial districts depend
ing on domestic and foreign commerce
for their icomes 1t IL only question
of application of intelligent effort to the
natural resources.
Some facts about the resources of the
eastern States. natural and social, will
astonish most people. Tho superior
buildings on western New York farms
their nearness to cities, good condition
Of the highways and the improvements
such as orchards, drainage and fences,
show how much better off in mere in
vesting equipment is the near eastern
farmstead compared with western or
middle western, where land often brings
]
room house with furnace and bath on
an eastern firm with a two-story barn
painted and well preserved. looks much
better to the man with money than
/ Illinois or Iowa farm with one and one
! half story house of about onc-third the
size and q barn that could be put three
times over into the New York barn
There are plenty OF properties through
out New York and Pennsylvania that
can be bought for the cost Of improve
ments to them Practically all arc on
good highways and adjacent to or not
remote from the railroad. 1t is this near-
ness to market by rail or by wagon that
makes prosperous farming within reach
. Of industrial towns Value Of cattle, for
instance in New York State averages
$3.50 "a head. against s3439 in Indiana,
$2427 in Iowa and S2529 In Nebraska.
| Lands in New York run from $50 to
slGo an acre, and they can nc obtained
on decidedly reasonable terms. A similar
| farm west Of Ohio would cost from 800
to $3.50 an acre Eastern prices Of coun-
try produce are from 10 to 20 per cent.
higher than western.
campaign in behalf of western New
York properties on which information
was collected shows cases of producing
30 bushels of wheat to the acre selling
at 81 bushel against western farm price
of about CO cents. A farm of 40 acres
near Geneva netted 5000. Another of
100 acres net 5000 and n third yields
80 acre. a feature OF mixed farm
ing such as the East has always follow
ed and which thu European Immigrant
| Iaborer knows most about seldom results
IN general crop failure from bad sea-
sons. In Ontario county New York, a
farm of 70 acres has not had crop fail
ure in GO years Here is economic indie
pendence OF the right kind In fact.
| western New York is the home of the
gentleman farmer and has been since
colonial days, and he has many neigh
bors to whom practical farming, includ-
Ing dairying, crop rotation and .vcr-
sifed production, make net incomes as
certain as taxes.
Looked at from the social point of view
the eastern farm is attractive Nowhere
i'm the country can more self-respecttng
Independent, cultured standard of living
be maintained at anything like the cost
and under such satisfactory conditions
all things considered, than in most of
the older eastern states on well-tended
farms within easy and comfortable reach
OF cities and towns.
Farming in sight of markets" is a
taking slogan. 1t ought to appeal to the
Iowa and Illinois farmer who sells out
At 500 an acre property to the village or
town banker, in order to get out on the
frontiers of northern Canada, under the
Arctic circle. to raise wheat in a To-day
growing season. 1t will take a few years
to teach the pioneers in frontier farming
communities how WaStctul the risks are
OF an untried district compared with one
in the older commemorative where ex-
perieuCe has long since settled the lines
OF largest certainty in application of
labor to land. The revival of eastern agri-
culture is in every sense richer with op-
porunitics for the same outlay of In
diVidual strength and financial resources.