Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1916-11-17
IOWA FARMERS POOR POLICY
Plain Words From One Whose Ex-
perience Should Interest
Our Readers

In iowa. The Farm journal Is the
one farm paper with circulation
around the million mark It is pub
lished in Philadelphia, but its inter
ests are conferred and it's welfare de-
ponds On the prosperity of rural
America Hans Garbus wrote letter
to the Farm Journal the other day.
It summarizes his experience and
that Of his neighbors in neglectins
their home merchants in order to
"save' money by patronizing the
mail order houses. The letter is a
human document. Hans Garbus
writes just as he would tell us
and it rings true. Every farmer
should read it and it should be pub
lished by every country paper in the
land.
eve farmers reed awakening to
the fact that we have unmistak-
ably reached the period where we
must think and plan. l am one of
the slow German farmers that had to
be shown, and l am now giving my
experience that others may profit,
for knowledge is more expensive nov
than ten years ago.
Twenty years ago 1 began
my farm career. I had an old team
and $50 Our furniture was mostly
home made-chairs, cupboard and
lounge made from drygoods boxes,
neatly covered with ten-cent cretonne
by my girl wife. We rented 80 acrs.
Being boy of good habits l got al
needed machinery and groceries of
our home merchants on credit, until
fall crops were sold. The first year
was a wet season and I did not make
enough to pay creditors. l went to
each on date Of promise and ex-
planned conditions, paying as much as
possible, and they all carried the bal
ance over another year. They con-
tinued to accommodate me until | was
able to buy 40 acre piece of my
own.
Gas soon as I owned these few
acres the mail order houses began
sending me catalogs, and gradual =
commenced sending my loose
change to them, letting my accounts
stand in my home town, where
had gotten my accommodation when
needed it.
eve had one Of the thriftiest lit
tie villages in the state-good line
Of business in all it's branches, mer
chants who were willing to help an
honest fellow over a bad year, and
town full of people who came twice
a week to trade and visit. Our lit
tie country town supported Ii
brary, high school, band, ball team,
and we had big celebrations every
year A farm near a little town dou-
bles in value soon. / sold my 40
acres at a big advance and bought
an eighty, gradually adding to it un-
til I had 200 acres of the best land
in Iowa. I then felt no need Of ask
ing favors, and found it easy to
patrOniZe the mail order agents that
came almost weekly to our door. l
regret to say that | was the first in
the county to make up a neighbor
hood bill and send it to a mail
order house. Though we got bit
every once in a while, we got in the
habit of sending away for stuff.
Gradually our merchants lessened
their stocks of goods-for lack of
patronage. Finally We began to re-
alize that when we needed bolt
quickly for machinery, or clothing for
sickness Or death, We had to wait
Or send away for it which wasn't so
pleasant. One by one our merchants
| moved to places where they were ap-
preciated and men of less energy
moved in. Gradually Cur to wn was
going down, our business houses
are ''tacky" in appearance, a number
are empty, our schools churches and
walks are going down; We have no
band, no library, no ball team.
There is no business done in the
town, and therefore no taxes to keep
things up. Hotel is closed for lack
| of travel. Go down to the depot
when the freight pulls in and you
see the sequel in mail order pack
ages.
Mine years ago my farm was
worth $195 per acre; today I'd have
a hard matter to sell it at $165 per
acre. 1t is ''too far from a live town
l. so every farmer has said who
wants to buy. He wants place near
schools and churches, where his
children can have advantages.
| have awakened to the fact that in
helping to pull the town down it has
cost me $4,000 in nine years. Like
the majority of farmers, l didn't fig
| uro far pnO11ph ahead