Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-02-23
FARM LOAN BANKS
(Fifth and Last Article. J

tflfth ana Last Artlclc.)
The main points of the Federal
farm loan act have been set forth in
the preceding installments. The rca-
der will readily see that this act is Il
new thing in this country, and is liable
TO have an important effect on our
social and financial life.
Let us briefly suggest some of its
possible effects:
The rapidly increasing cost of liv-
ing has of late given American think
ers great deal of uneasiness. The
fact is everywhere recognized that
our city population has been increas-
ing more rapidly than the rual pop
ulation. Every day there are some
more mouths to feed, hut there is
only a slowly increased acreage upon
which this food is produced. Two
more important facts are therefore
patent:
First, more farms must be estab-
lished to provide homes for more pro-
ducers, second, the land under culti-
vation must be farmed more care
fully ad with more and better equip
ment to meet the growing demand for
food.
The farm loan act will have a
strong influence towards realization
of both of these ideals.
Farm tenantry is curse whose
worst effects are lowered fertility
and inefficient farm methods. The
tenant is not normal farmer. The
transient nature Of his living makes
maximum production impossible. He
is often not meat producer, because
he is not on one farm long enough TO
build up herd of live stock. He is q
grain farmer. He is snapper of
fertility. He is engaged in the past
time of hauling the fertility of his
landlords soil to market With ap-
proXimately one-half of the farm
lands of the country in the hands of
tenants, America is cashing in her
land fertility at an amazing rate.
The farm loan act has for one of
it's. important purposes the placing
of land into the hands of owners who
will farm it with the inspiration that
comes from ownership. The owner of
land treats it so as to converse its
fertility. He is permanent fixture
in the neighborhood. He markets his
crop through his live stock, returning
the fertility to the soil A nation of
't'iItt WIFI d
constantly increasing capacity to pro-
duce food for its people.
But the farm loan act will do more
for agriculture than merely supply
ing cheap money. The act actually
specifies how the money borrowed
shall be spent. 1t says that unless
used to pay debts, it shall be :pent on
things that will contribute to more
production on the same acreage. So
the farm loan act means higher
and better type of agriculture.
Stimulate Cooperation.
But some students Of the act be-
lieve its greatest contribution will be
the stimulation to the practice of co.
operation. Cooperation is its basic
fact Farmers are required to get to.
gether into groups to secure its ben.
efits. When they put their mortgage.
ogether for the sake of getting
cheaper money, they will also form
the habit of cooperating in Other
problems of common interest. Wht
knows but that these cooperative
associations may become the bushes!
and social units of farm society.
The financial saving to the farmer!
of America would alone be enough t.
justify this enactment. On a volum,
| of four billion dollars our farmer.