The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1914-12-23
Iowa Farmer Tells
of His Experience
Learned His Lesson With Mail
Order Houses; Realized it
Too Late

has learned some interesting
things. There are many Germans;
there are many farmers not only
in Iowa but in other states, but
there are not enough like this
man Hans Garbus who have
learned things from their expert
ence.
This farmer, Hans Garbus,
wrote letter to the Farm Jour-
mani published in Philadelphia in
which he summarized his expert
ence, also that of his neighbors,
and in which he told some inter-
esting things that he had learned
during the last thirty years or
more that he has been following
the business of farming in the
state of Iowa.
Mr.. Garbus writes:
eve farmers are awakening
to the fact that we have unmis-
|takably reached the period where
we must think and plan. I am
one OF the slow German farmers
that had to be shown, and 7 am
now giving my experience that
others may profit, for acknowl-
cage is more expensive now than
two years ago.
How He Started
'"Twenty-nine years AGO 7 ho-
gan my farm career. / had an
Old team and $50. Our furniture
was mostly handmade chairs
cupboard and lounge made from
ary goods boxes, neatly covered
win ten-cent cretone by nv girl
VIE. We rented eighty acres. Re-
ing a boy of good habits. I oct
all needed machinery and pro-
ceres of our home merchants on
credit until fall crops were sold.
The first year was a wet season
aad | did not make enough to
pay creditors. | went to each on
date OF promise and explained
conditions, paying as much as
possible, and they all carried the
balance over another year. They
continued to accommodate me
until | was able to buy a forty
acre piece of my own.
AS soon as | owned these few
acres the mail-order houses be-
gan sending me catalogues, and
gradually l began sending nv
loose change to them, letting my
accounts stand in my home town,
where | had gotten my accom-
mediation when | needed it.
I'VE then had one of the
thriftiest little villages in the
state-good line of business in
all the branches, merchants who
were willing to help an honest
fellow over a bad year, and q
town full of people who came
twice a week to trade and visit
Our little country town support.
ed a library, high school, band
: ball team, and we had big cele
brations every year. A farm neal
a live town soon doubles in val
ue.I sold my forty acres at &
big advance and bought an eigh
ty, gradually adding to it unit
| had two hundred acres Of the
best land in Iowa. | then felt M
need of asking favors, and found
it easy to patronize the mai
order agents that came almost
weekly to our door. | regret tt
say that | was the first IN the
county to make up neighbor
hood bill and send it to a mai
order house. Though we got BIZ
every once in a while, we got il
the habit of sending away fol-
stuff"
Gradually our merchants les
sened their stock of goods-fol
lack of patronage. Finally W,
began to realize that when W,
needed a bolt quickly for ma
chinery, or clothing for sickness
or death, we had to send ava,
for it, which wasn't pleasant
One by one our merchants movet
to places where they were ap
preciated, and men of less en-
ergy moved in. Gradually ou,
town has gone down; our bust
ness houses are "tacky" in .ap
pearance, a number are empty
our schools, churches and walk
are going down, we have n,
band, no library, nor ball team
There is no business done in tn,
town, and therefore no taxes t,
keep things up. Hotel is closes
| for lack of travel. Go down t,
| the depot when the freigh
pulls in and you see the seque
in mail order packages.
0Ninn wars orc v,,xy fov~~, xry0