Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1914-11-12
PITFALLS FOR THE
CITY BRED FARMER
Is Risk to Invest in Business
without Making IA study of
That Bus. -.


Washington. ID. C.-The depart
ment OF agriculture receives many
letters from city people who ha'"
read glowing account of he wealth.
that may be made on the farm.
large percentage # these people na\'
already bought far.f land. Some oil
en- apear to hp-. lev that 'h> r''I-
So all farmers ?,e act III j. Is re-
cause OF extravaganza. wastefulness,
ignorance and lack of business abil-
ity. To these letters the departments
specialists reply much as follows:
LAS matter of fact. farmers rs Il
class are intelligent. industrious and
economical, and many of them are
men OF good business Judgment. Fur
Their, those who have made thor
ough study of the business side OF
farming know that it is not an easy
matter to make money on the farm.
Only the most practical and expert
enced farmers are making any con-
siderable profit out of their business.
Most of the money that has been
made on the farm in recent years has
been made not by farming but by the
rise in price on farm lands. In the
nature OF things this rise can not
continue indefinitely. and some one
will own this land when the price
becomes practically stationary or per-
haps starts to decline.
while il is true that occasionally
city bred family makes good on the
farm, this is the exception and not
the rule. 1t is always a risk to in
vest in a business without first max
ing a thorough study OF that bust
ness. Many city people who have
saved up few hundred dollars and
who have had little or no farm ex-
perience. but who are imbued with
rosy vision OF the joys and profits in
farming, buy poor land at high prices
and thereby lose the savings they
have been years in accommodating One
city family paid $4,000 cash and as
sumed a $4,000 mortgage on
farm worth only about $1,000. An
other paid $4,000 cash and signed a
mortgage for $4,000 on farm that
was later appraised at $4,000 A city
family that had saved $4,000 used
this money to make a first payment
on cheap farm land. and when their
eyes were opened found they still
owed considerably more than the
farm was worth. For seven years
they have worked almost night and
day to meet the interest. without be-
ing able to reduce the principal
These instances could be multiplied
almost indefinitely.
I'm purchasing a farm great care
should be taken to get good farm
at fair price. To pay or agree TO
pay more than the farm Is worth is
10 invite failure. From a business
standpoint. no farm that does not
pay interest on the total investment,
depreciation on equipment and wages
for all labor performed on that farm
Is successful
Even when great care Is taken In
making the investment only in ex-
ceptional cases should the city bred
family attempt farming. Generally
the best advice that can be given 10
the city-bred man who desires to be-
come farmer is that before pur-
chasing a farm he work as farm
hand for two or three years. This
will give him an opportunity to learn
at first hand many things about the
business. as well as the practical
side of farming. In no other way. a.
a rule, can he get good farm training
and experience at less trouble and ex
pense or without danger from finan
cial disaster"
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