The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-22
CITY DWELLING FARMERS
By 0 $. Professor of Asrcuture Cou mbia Uni, ersy, York

(Exclusve Service The Survey Press
 Bureau.)
 On this new continent every energetic man and woman still aspires to independ- enee. The hired man of the city has small chance of becoming the controlling man. ager of the big business in which he finds 20 years of age. He does after city bus mess has set him down as an average man." when he Is 40 years old
 everywhere" he reasons, "I hear of the high cost of farm produce. Every days paper tells what state and nation are doing to help the farmer be more successful producer of raw stuff, more successful consumer of social stuffs, while being his own middeman am going to take wife and the youngsters to the farm.
 The next morning he reads the paper with one thought in his mind-"farm.' ' His eye falls on column headed City Dwelling Farmers" He finds that on one day a week at a great university in city free lectures and free conferences on farming problems are to be had. Tue following week, if he happens to live in that city. he takes his noon hour to talk his case over in conference. The next week he attends one of the lectures.
 Success of a Back-tO- the Lander
 The lecturer is a man who operates @ farm of his own, but who has been brought up in the city, who has graduated from the common schools and got bis sub sequent education from his business and newspaper. The lecture is on How a Back-to-the Lander Succeeded" It is no Get Farm Quick story. It is narra- tive in which health. pluck, wisdom and finances work 15 years to win modest farm success.
 This Back-to-the-Lander had studied all the free bulletins he could get from the State College of Agriculture, the state department of agriculture and the United States department of agriculture. had subscribed to three kinds of farm papers, had bought few farming books and fur ther. had attended series of evening lectures given in the city on fruit, poul- try and general farming. His first sum- mer's vacation he spent in going about in the country to distance of 100 miles along three lines of railroads looking up farms for sale, types of farming, farm equipment and transportation facilities. The following spring he resigned his 'job" as clerk, left his wife and children in the city, and "hredout" to dairy and fruit farmer at $30 month.
 In September he contracted for the pur- chase of 120 acres of an indifferently worked and equipped farm for $6OOO, half down. He brought his family to their new home. The ensuing year $500 above the income of the farm was invested in cattle feed, seed, lime and phosphate. At the end of this year, after meeting his inter est on the mortgage and Shaking a pay ment of S5o0 (the last of his sinking fund) he found that he and his wife had cleared $350. hired mans. wages at 80 per month.
 Slowly he improved the buildings and equipment At the end of IS years work the family had paid of the mortgage and was banking an annual income of $500. Furthermore, he was chairman of the local committee on cooperative market ing and buying. He had succeeded. From this lecture the listening clerk knew that he himself was facing long. steady. uphill climb to the position of owner of a farm from which he and his family might hope to obtain a modest competence and the perquisites of life in the country. In succeeding lectures and conferences he was put in the way of sitting the chaffy advice and writings on theoretical and practical agriculture. He learned slowly that successful farming re- uuires knowledge of modern scientific ag- riculture, and actual experience in put ting through the diverse enterprises of the 365-day farm year: that 1t calls for business sagacity. and that above all it calls for patience with the slow pace which successful. plodding farm projects take. patience that one can be sure he possesses only by trying himself out in an actual farm programme.
 Better Prepared Farmers Needed There are many people of many strats 1n every city who would succeed on tho