The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-11-11
BENNINGTON. w, NOV. liz 1911
PROSPEROUS FARMERS

Slang and OF many popular plays, mas
CT late years bought several farms in
his home state OF Indiana and now
attends moro TO farming than to
writing. In an article in a recent is
sue OF the Country Gentleman he
gives a glimpse of the progress that
has been made in the west in farm
,ng-a progress that will be duplicat-
cd IN New England when the young
men awake 20 the truth that there
Is more meney to be made by the
Average man on q farm than in a
snop or factory or in working AT any
OF the ordinary trades. Mr.. AIDES ar
tlcle is in part as follows:
Land at 5000 an acre will change
as. I'll az once, from a new and
shifting community TO an old settled
community Those who have are go
ing to hold. Transfers OF land arc
becoming infrequent. The tenant
farmer on 100 acres hasn't the cour-
age to assume a debt OF 5000 and
pay $1,000 interest on the mortgage
when he can get the farm for about
$1,000 a year in grain rent.
Our country lanes are punctuated
with the trim white houses and the
bulky ed barns OF men who landed
ou5 here in the seventies and eigh
ties from Ireland or Sweden or the
Teutonic region OF Pennsylvania and
went to work as farm hands at 800 a
mt nth They saved up to get their
cams and implements and marriage
licenses; then they bought land on
time. and today they are indepen-
dent and wealthy. with the boys at
tending Purdue and a motto, car
standing under every clump OF ma
pie.
- is the fashion of each generation
&c say that the day of opportunity
has passed, but 1t certainly does
seem, RICH, in our nelghborhood,
that the farm hand who wishes to
transform himself into country
gentleman has not the chance that
fell into the way Of young men hi
y years ago.
I'VE have capitalized so heavily
that the man with a few dollars Ia
afraid to get into the game Like
sc me of the trusts that we henounce
so willingly, We have quadrupled the
valuation without increasing the size
or output Of the plant. We know that
land has gone sailing to S200 an acre,
bu we don't know why.
"rhe fact is that out in the Missls-
sippi valley We arc trying 10 live up
70 sudden inheritance. We have
come face TO face with a new and
tewildering set of conditions. We
find ourselves the custodians OF eat
hunks and wads and bundles and
bales of unexpected and undeserved
wealth. Even the most benumbed
and unambitious slave OF the old
time rontlne has been Jared by the
revolution. He is compelled 10 give
some heed 10 a new contrapdo call
ed scientific farming
when iattendcd Purdue University
in the eighties the course in agricul
ture was a joke Tie lowly 'ag' stu.
dent was a logical campus goat Tht
licosie: farmer merely snickered n,
the suggestion OF sending 4 boy &c
college so he could learn to plant
fields and feed cattle.
To-day the agricultural course is
Ike most popular one at Purdue. FIJI
y broad-shouldered huskies complet
sd the four.year course in June.
These boys are not going TO head
FOR The cities, to get desk jobs
slowly starve within the overcrowd
ed battlemen,s OF the learned pro
fessicns. They are going back tc
the farms TO raise more corn and
wheat and oats per ac.e than ever
we're raised before; 10 feed the
broad and buxom steer so as TO top
The market; to live civilized and use
ful and happy lives in comfortable
homes, surrounded by all OF the con
vehiences and most of the Iuxuries
The motor ca and the stone road
have eliminated distance. The morn
ing paper Is poked into the r. e. ID.
box before noon every day. The base
bail scores are on tap AT central. The
shower baths are just as Satisfactory
az those a the biggest New York
hCtel u the poo peasant farmer
chooses TO sit down in thecool OF the
evening aud listen 10 the Sextette
from Lucia. who shall deny him his
hanble JOY?
More than Coo students come 10
Purdue every year for instruction in
agricultural, horticulture. dairyine
and animal husbandry. This total
does not include the hundreds who
come in January for the week lee
lures and demonirations 4 whole
army descends upon the college town
The men come to learn about fertile
ers and the economy OF silos and the
principles Of stock feeding: how to
get their hog-cholera serum. how TO
judge seed corn. how to spray fruit
trees. how TO measure butter-fat in
milk. The women come learn house
hold management. the relative food