The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-12-13
GOOD HOUSES
AND BETTER
TENANTS
is A RULE THAT is WORKING
WELL IN THIS COUNTY. OLD
SHACkS ARE RAPIDLY OiSAP-
FEARING.

of the state considerable trouble in the
past. When an owner is fortunate in
securing desirable tenant, one who
works and works intelligently, it i.
problematical whether he keeps him
more than one year or not. With these
facts in view, several land owners and
tenants were interviewed on the sub.
ject, and here are the views expressed
by each class for their earnest con.
sideration.
One prominent farmer. who has
| large interests in this county stated
that he was having very little trouble
in late years with his tenants, that as
a rule the people living on his farm
were old hands, contented to remain,
and were doing well. He added, how
ever, that there was reason for all
this and that was from the fact that
of late years he had been looking more
| closely after the comfort of his ten
ants than he did when he first took
up the burden of managing farm, and
! found that that was the key to the en-
tire situation.
He stated when he began farming
and renting to tenants, his rent houses
were anything but desirable, that the
out-houses were no better, and in many
ft,.,t 20, ,,H th,, Ia g.. >r H.
tenants was a secondary considera-
tion with him and the result was that
season. He remarked that it took him
but a few seasons to tumble to this
fact, and when he did, he Immediately
began TO make the necessary improve
ments, rebuilt the rent houses and
added more rooms erected houses,
cribs, barns, and smoke houses, and
set aside "A garden patch, and place
for one or two COWS and some hogs.
The result has more than justified this
mans expenditure. He now has
class of tenants on his farm that are
doing well. Several of them have bank
accounts and all are well clothed, well
housed and well fed, and they are
contented to remain with this farmer
under these conditions until they have
accumulated enough to buy farm of
their own.
Another modest farmer was like
wise interviewed and he practically
agreed to the above statement He !
said that he had but one tenant on
his land, the balance being farmed by |
himself and family, but that man had
been with him for five years, and as |
far as he was able to learn, would |
probably stay until he had accumuat- |
ed enough to buy farm of his own,
which he was rapidly doing. a ten
ant farmer who has done very well |
buy a small farm of his own, stated .
that for several years he was on the
move most of the time for the very
simple reason that the accommoda-
tions furnished himself and family
were such, that no self-respecting
white man would stand to see his
family in such environments. He stat
ed that when he asked for better ac-
from the land owner, he
was informed that his accommodations
were as good as he was going to get,
and as good as the conditions war
ranted. With these facts confronting
lim, he, as stated above, was on the
move for the greater part of the time
until he rented from the man with
whom he now is and will be until he
las accumulated sufficient money to
make the first payment on small
arm.
Other instances might be cited but
he above are sufficient. The land own
RS of this section are awakening to
he fact that intelligent farmers will
ioI lehldiH OH lnelT pldceS unless Jney
re furnished with homes that are it
or white people to live in, and not on
y homes, but barns, cribs and out
louses enough to make the place ,
ome-like. These, together with a gar
en- plot, a place to keep couple of q.
ows and raise sufficient hogs for .
heir meat, and perhaps a surplus to =
ell, likewise a flock of turkeys, geese, ;,
nd chickens, goes a long way toward n
taking the tenant farmer contented n
nd also gives him and his family Y
nance to accumulate something ahead a
} buy farm of their own The lum- n
er dealers of this city and county r,
ate that they are selling more lum- cl
er every year to land owners that is
eing erected into better tenant "
buses, and the result will be a better d.
ass of tenants who will, if given a W
tile encouragement, become land n,