Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-06-13
FARM cREDlT PROPOSITION
Expert Gives Business. Like Summary
I'D, of Situation. yi.t -g ,H

An expert OF the Unlteu oIdtec Coh-
sus bureau, who has been looking into
the subject of farm credit, outlines the
chief elements in the situation as fol-
lows, for the New York Journal Oh
Commences. ~ .'' - ~ -
.In order that we may see the prob
lem in its simplest form, let US ex-
anime some of the facts connecting
the United States as q whole and one
representative state. Facts can De
compiled for any state in the Union
and most Of them are available for
any county in the United States, II
desired by any person.
'1The best bases for rural credit are
the different classes Of farm properly
Gland, buildings. implements and ma
chinery, and live stock). These, under
the farmers directions, annually re-
suit in the production OF valuable
goods Especially food, clothing and
beverages) in abundance. These pro
ducts are also good bases OF credit
SO, too, are the prospects Of the farm,
as a going concern, and SO too, are
the farmers good names. r1erSs =.
'"The approximate land area or the
United States Is 1,903,2S9,600 acres;
for Wisconsin 1t Is 35,36S,84V acres.
OF these areas, 87S,798,825 acres, OF
only 46.2 per cent Of the land area Of
the United States is in farms, and 2l,-
06O, O66 acres, or only 69.6 per cent
or the total land area Of - Wisconsin
Is In farms. Thus Wisconsin Is con-
siderably ahead Of the United States
in this respect, but still offers great
possibilities. ~ ~ "iLlap 9t ti'i
"It is true that considerable part
Of the land not reported as in farms
Is occupied by cities, towns and VII
lagos, railroad right Of ways. roads,
etc.. or owned by mining cropora-
tions, but probably a much larger
part Is held by the United States,
the different states, corporations, tndf-
vidual spectators or others than
farmers. At least IT. is not at lIne
present time being used for farming
purposes. Much OF the land not now
in farms would be occupied and farm
ed IL institutions were available which
would furnish prospective farmers
with money or credit. It should be
made possible for them to occupy and
operate this land. Assuming that the
institutions exist, prospective farmers
should be taught to use them to the
utmost.
zone of the first problems to be
solved, therefore, Is how to provide a
system by which farm laborers and
tenants or other interested parties
may become owners and proprtetors
Of the land not now in farms. In the
past, the national government has
Interested itself in the problem, and
has given away large amounts Of land.
It Is still interested. Many states,
which still own millions Of acres OF
so far as disposing Of state land Is
concerned, now have very satisfactory
policies. Probably none has a better
system in this respect than Mime
sofa. To any who are interested In
the policies Of that state, ! will refer
to an article which appeared in the
American Economic Review (volume
II. No. 2, June, 1879 entitled, Max,
ing Of Agricultural Land In Mime
sofa and North Dakota Railroad
companies are interested. SO, too, are
many individuals. The biggest prob
lem here Is to work out q system oy
which poor men may purchase land
not now in farms, may develop and
operate II. Each state should care
fully list and describe all such lands
In a public document and should
also work out system whereby 1t
might be brought into farms.
Probably more important even
land into farms, Is the problem con-
fronting farmers who already operate
farms whether as owners, tenants or
managers. It Is really remarkable
that 47S,451,750 acres, or 54.4 per
cent OF the land In farms In the UNI
ted States Is reported to be improved
by the farmers who operate them,
while In Wisconsin only 11,907,6O6
acres, or 56.5 per cent Of the farm
land in the state Is improved at the
present time. In this respect 1t will
be observed Wisconsin Is slightly
ahead Of the country as whole. But
the farmers Of Wisconsin, as well as
Of all the other states, still need liter
credit in order that they may i'm
prove the land which Is in their
farms. but which is now undevelop-
ed. 1t Is true that some progress Is
being made, but the movement Is
very slow. During the last ten years
there was an increase Of 63,953.26S
acres, or 1914 per cent in the amount
Of improved land in farms in the
United States as a whole. During the
same time the population Of all the
cities in the United States over 2,5O0
in size increased almost 35 per cent.
The increase in the acreage Of improv-
ed farms in Wisconsin was only 66O,-
634 acres, or 5.9 per cent. 1t GER
tainly cannot be denied that 1t would
be possible, If proper steps were TAX
en-, to improve many times as large an
area In the same length Of time.
Land must be drained, timber and
stumps must be cleared from land
which could be used to better advan-
tage for agricultural purposes; brush
and stones must be removed; land
must be irrigated. and in various other
ways unimproved land now In farms