The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1915-12-10
Farmer Gets Experience.
Iowa Man Tells HOw Mall Ordp,
Houses Reduced Price IT
Farm Land.

IOWA man IeUUN NOV MAIL Vr0pc
Houses Reduced Price IT
Farm Land.
Hans Garbus, a German farmer
Of Iowa, has discovered that the
benefits which appear or the surface
as attaching to the mail order plan
sometimes spell disaster and has
written a very interesting story of
his views in a certain farm paper.
Here is part of his story: I'VE
farmers need awakening to the fact
that we have Enthusiastically reached
the period where we must think and
plan. l am n of the slow German
farmers that had to be shown, and
| am now giving my experience that
others may profit, for knowledge
is more expensive now then ten
years ago.
"Twenty-nine years ago l began
my farm career. | had an old team
and $50. Our furniture was mostly
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, cupboard and
lounge made from dry goods boxes
neatly covered with ten cent Gre
tonne by my girl wife. We rented
eighty acres. Being a boy Of good
habits, / got all needed machinery
and groceries Of our home mer-
chants on credit until farm crops
were sold. The first year was a
wet season and | did not make
enough to pay creditors. | went
to each on date of promise. and ex-
planned conditions, paying as much
as possible, and they all agreed to
carry the balance w another year.
They continued to accommodate me
until | was able to buy a forty acre
piece of my own land.
AS 500 as | owned these few
acres the mail order houses began
sending me advertising and | began
letting my accounts stand in my
home town where | had gotten my
accommodation when | needed it. {
We then had one of the thriftiest
little villages in the state-good
line Of business in all the branches,
merchants who we're willing to
help an honest fellow over q bad
year, and a town full Of people who
came twice a week to trade and
visit. Our little country town
supported a library, high school
band, ball team, and we had big
celebrations every year.
A farm near a live town soon
doubles in value. l sold my forty
acres at a big advance and bought
an eighty, gradually adding to it
until had 200 acres of the best
land in Iowa. then felt no need
of asking favors, and found it easy
to patronize the mail order agents
that that came almost weekly to
our door. l regret to say thatI
was the first in the county to make
up q heighborhood bill and send il
to q mail order house. Though we
got bit every once in a while, we
got in the habit of sending away
for stuff.
Gradually merchants lessened
their stock goods for lack of pa
tronage. Finally we began to real
ize that when we needed a bolt
quickly for machinery, or clothing
for sickness or death, we had to
wait and send away for it. which
wasn't so pleasant. One by one
our merchants moved to places
where they were appreciated, land
men Of less energy moved in. Grad
ually our town had gone down; our
business houses are 'tacky' in ap-
pearance, q number are empty, our
schools. churches and walks are
going down; we have no band, no !
library. no ball team. There 10 no !,
business done in the town and
therefore no taxes to keep things
up. Hotel Is closed for lack Of !,
Go down to the depot when
the train pulls in and you will see
the sequel in mail order house pack
ages. !,
Nine years ago my farm was
worth 1896 m acre: today I'd have
. hard matter TO sell it ct $lO7 On
acre. It il too far from . live
town-so every farmer has aid
that wants to buy. He wants .
place near schools and churches.
where his children can have advant /
ages. have aw1kened 70 tie faet
that in helping to pull the town
down It has cost me $500 in nine
years." i