West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1916-02-24
With Improved Living Conditions
and Better Roads the Rural Life
Will Have Strong Appeal-Mod-
ern Methods IN Cultivation Insure
Against Failure of Crops


Against Failure of Crops
Statistics will show that the back
10 the farm" movement is not gaining
the impetus that economists and other
interested individuals hoped for. In
West Virginia the number OF farms
under cultivation varies but little
from year to year. although 1t has been
demonstrated by scientific application
that actual failures of crops are a
thing of the past il modern methods
In cultivation are adopted. Better
roads are being built and school houses
and churches are becoming social cen
ters. but the younger generation seem
10 listen 10 the lure OF the lights OF the
city and leave the farms The rural
population would be actually less than
II was years ago If II were not for the
number of city-bred persons who have
turned farmers through a desire for
the change and life in the open, Of
ten stimulated by glowing accounts OF
country life and the voice OF nature
One cannot repeat too often that the
back TO the farm movement will be-
come real success just as soon as liv-
ing conditions on the farm are better
The younger generation demand bet
ter living. and the older ones are con
tent to often house their stock better
than they do themselves. There mus
be the same appeal. or one of similar
and equal strength. on the farm, tc
lure the man from the city II sucl
Is the case much OF the social unres
In the United States will have beer
dissipated.
Only by increased earnings on tn,
farm can this new order OF things
emerge. The farm must be made &c
yield a greater financial return If W,
are to bring art. music, literature anc
amusement into the home and the
community and which will attract tn,
allen or the native from the city where
they have all these things now for tn,
asking.
Rural trolley lines. good roads and
II motor car will solve most of these
problems, They will relieve to some
extent farm life of its dead and un-
eventfui routine which consists of day
light. work. darkness and then again
daylight and drudgery throughout
most of the time.
The old theorizing about the re-
deeming effects OF country life and
such absurd movements in our early
history as Brook Farm is as dead al
tho originators of the scheme and the
ideas OF Thoreau seem TO belong to
the seventeenth century Those who
see in the abandonment OF the farm
and the Capitalization of population
u menace to the nation, cannot ignore
the fact that there must be an appeal
other than the song OF the birds. the
smell of new mown hay and all this
sort Of piffle that is now obsolete.
The alien or native must be shown.
He will not hesitate to return to the
farm and be happy II the farm has any
charm to him other than it's natural
pastoral appeal. It must produce a
livelihood and the community i'm which
1t is located must have an appeal for
his family.
The average peasant I'm Europe
dreams of the day when he will be-
come land owner. Every one wants
bit of land that they can call their
own. In the United States there seems
to be so much land that one can hard
ly conceive OF the day when the same
conditions will exist here. But sup
posing more persons should return to
the farm, would the economic condi-
tlons OF the city dwellers change, af-
ter all7 Would not conditions become
relative? The price Of farm products
would go down, because OF the larger
supply, and with smaller cost OF
necessities the wages would CORES
pendingly drop. The only real benefit
70 be obtained would be the new life
fer those who live in the open close to
nature.