Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-07-20
BUY a Farm.

About the best advice we have to
offer to the ambitious young man Of
today who is looking forward to the
time when, comfortable and prosper
Gus, he will begin to cut some figure
In the affairs of the world, is to buy
a farm.
OF course there are those who will
smile skeptically at this suggestion,
and in view of the history Of the re-
cent past, we do not blame them; but
at the same time we beg even the
most skeptical to take another look
over the situation and study 1t with
care, for we think we know what we
are talking about, and we are not jok-
ing.
The older men and women Of this
country who began the battle of life
about forty or fifty years ago, are bet
ter qualified by actual experience to
understand what we have in mind
than are the younger people who have
been the beneficiaries Of the faithful
older men and women referred to.
Fifty years ago this county was lit
orally poverty-stricken, and 1t was all
it could do to produce enough pro-
visions and clothing in one year to
last to the beginning Of the next year.
Indeed, we venture that accurate fig
ures, could they be obtained. would
show, instances where it took two
years work to make a living for a
Single year. and this state Of affairs
continued for a long period.
But as the county began to gradu-
-affy-gee IFS cheaar above water, condi-
tions grew steadily better and wealth
began to accumulate steadily. Now,
as everybody knows. the county is ac-
tually growing rich, and although we
still have the poor among us, as we
always will have, there are few adults
of such small intelligence as to be un-
able to realize the remarkable in
crease that is taking place in the
commonwealth.
And here is the point. Only twenty
years ago the average price Of farm
land-the actual average purchasing
price, was only 81 or So an acre, and
$25 an acre for farm land anywhere
was considered a fancy figure. With
out going into details. it Is sufficient
to explain that the tremendous ad-
vance in land prices since that time
has been because of the tremendous
increase in wealth.
The widest dreams Of the most
hopeful of our farm owners forty
years ago, could not have foreseen
telephone connection with the towns,
rural free delivery, improved agricul-
tural machinery and quick automobile
transit, things that have placed the
country on an equality with the towns,
etc.
In view of all these things anyone
ought to be able to realize now that
progress of every kind along every
line will be greater during the next
ten years than it has been during the
past forty years, and the significance
Of all this ought not to be difficult or
Interpretation. 1t means, If 1t means
anything, that agriculture is going to
be a greater and easier source OF
wealth than it has ever been. and
that farm lands Of all kinds are going
to continue to increase in value at a
greater rate than heretofore.
The lesson Of it all is for the young
man of today to study farming as
hard and as intelligently as he can,
to buy land, improve it and stay on
it. He should be able to realize that
this is the best means to get the ad-
vantage of not only his own labor;
but of the labor Of others around him
and to eventually come into wealth
and comfort. and reasonable inde-
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