Norwich bulletin., 1914-01-30
DISCUSSES coNNEcricUTs
 x FARMING SITUATION
Stats Committee Makes Report-Finds Farming 0ecreasing-Makes Reoom- n1endations.

TaFfHin9 6SCreaSin9-Mak axes hecom-
 nendations,
 In response to request Of the American commission which visited Europe this past summer for the study of rural cooperation, Governor Bald
 win recently appointed committee
 of three to prepare a brief report upon Agriculture Conditions and Needs in Conpecticut, for the r1se of the com
 mission. This committee consists of
 Outward NJ, Chapman of Old Lyme, the
 CoEmecticut member of the American commission, Walter Learned of New London. and Prof. E. o. Smith of
 Storrs.
 They have made their report, in which at the outset they review the general history of farming in Con necticut, and point out that now large portions of the state have become in a sense suburbanized, farms along the seashore and among the hills have given place to the large estates or small holdings of summer. residents, and considerable numbers of men skill ed in farming have been employed in their care. These men are still en- gagged in rural pursuits but agricul- ture as a means of livelihood has be come a secondary matter with most of them.
 Farming Has Decreased.
 These and other causes brought about a steady decrease in both the quantity and quality of Connecticut farming during the later decades of the nineteenth century, In 1910 709 per. cent. of the land area of the state was in farms but there had been a decrease in total farm acreage from 2,312,0S3 to 2,1S5,1SS acres since 1900. There had also been a decrease in the acreage of the average farm from S5.S to S1.5 acres-a change by no means fII1f-n nat tn in tCa A he time however, the value of farm property, including land, buildings, implements and animals had material ly increased from $113,305,5S to $159,- 399,771. This change in values may be said roughly to indicate the change
 in the attitude of the people toward
 agriculture. Within the last decade there has been a marked awakening to
 the need of better farming and the chance which it offers for making not only a living but a life.
 FarmsSCuItivated by Owners. Connecticut farms are generally cul- tiVated by the owners. In 1910 23,234 farms were managed by their owners, 942 by salaried managers and 2,S32 by tenants. Dairying is upon the in crease renewed attention. thanks to the persistent teaching of the states agricultural college and experiment station, is being given to orchard pro ducts, which climate and soil both favor, but which have been generally neglected. The raising of sheep and the fattening of cattle are also being widely. advocated and when the prob lerns of & proper protection of the former from the ravages of dogs, and adequate marketing facilities for both are solved, there is bound to be sub stannal increase in the number and yaue of livestock.
 Financial Aids.
 Connecticut has an admirable sys- tenn of mutual savings banks, no joint stock company being permitted to use | have long been a chief resource of the farmer and small householder de- string loans on real estate. Further 1 more mortgages on Connecticut real l estate are practically free from both state and local taxes, an arrangement which inures to the general advan- tage of borrowers. The rate at which 1 savings banks lend on mortgage is about five per cent. and on good se- curity money from private lenders can generally be had at a rate varying from five to six per cent The mort gage note is usually a demand note 1 and fees or commissions are rarely burdenSome. Some banks provide that sums of not less than s100 may be paid at any time upon these notes. 1U6 IaclllIlcS OI the 1OilHSCllCULr lar CT for long time credit may therefore
 be said to be fairly adequate-pro- vided he has clear title to his land except that the long time loan with provision for amortization is practi cally unknown.
 The small farmers facilities for short time credit are much less ade- quate. The cllattel mortgage is not in favor either with bankers or repu table private lenders. Some farmers in need of credit are carried by the country merchants during the period
 of making their crop. but 1t can
 scarcely be said that the method pre- vails as a general makeshfft for bank
 ing. The frugal and Well-to-do farm CT usually has his bank account, en-
 toying better standing with his bank CT. It is moreover encouraging to
 note that some banks are trying to increase their business among farm CTS to their mutual advantage One strong country bank known to your committee reports that within five years it has doubled it's business with farmers; that it is now paying over it's counter million and a quarter of dollars to them every year; that they represent one-half of it's custom CTS; that it generally lends at six per cent. on two name paper; and that during this period it has not lost a dollar on these loans.
 Credit Unions Almost Unknown.
 The small credit union of the Raif- felsen type is of course almost un- known except among the Jewish farm CTS who have four Rural Credit asso- citations situated respectively in Fair field, Ellington, Lebanon and Colches-
 ter. Authoritative reports are not at hand but it is understood that the members of these small banks are permitted to borrow ca pital from the 1 Hirsch funds and then to lend it among themselves for productive pur- poses. ! is possible that the key to the problem of this sort of credit for farmers of very small means may thus be furnished by the foreigners who are steadily taking ID the re- moter farming lands of the state. Schools Good and Bad.
 Schools vary from the very good to the pretty good but the quality
 of the latter is being steadily inn proved by the state supervision, the growth of public opinion and the gen era1 insistence upon professional training for the teachers. The fact that so many children in rural com
 munities are obliged to go to larger l centres in order to complete their high school courses has it's unfortunate side. While the training in the larger schools often rouses their ambition it has also a strong tendency to divorce them from the country when in search of a