The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-02-27
New England Paradox.
Boston Transcript

Anyone who is fond of a paradox
can find a good one in the fact that
abandoned farms continue to be numer-
Gus throughout New England, while
the price of meat and milk and butter
still goes kiting. There has been no
effective movement toward the eco
monte reoeeupation of these farms
Many of them. it is true, have been
bought and are internationally occupied
b. lefty folks but this occupation
can hardly be described as on an eco
nomic basis. 1t is sentimental, or aeS-
thetle, rather than agricultural. In
many instances it represents great
/ farming expectations which are not
/ practically realized. Many more of the
/ former abandoned farms have been
eliminated as separate entities through
4 their annexation to adjoining farms,
/ their old buildings disappearing or be-
4 ing used as barns. But in the ease Of
/ these annCxations there is seldom an
effective use Of the property. Former
fields are used as pastures, and the old
pastures grow up to woods. This may
| represent in some cases the best eco
monte employment of poor land, but it
| is nevertheless true that when a New
! England farmer adds an adjoining
| farm to his own, it generally means 4
| looscr use Of both farms, mere ex-
tension of slipshod methods; for there
is III such eases no addition of the la
Dor requisite to carry on both places
| properly. Its means will always have
a continuing value. But viewed IN
its essence, is 1t anything more thar
an indivldualist program? Can one
read the excellent reports issued by
agricultural colleges, by the fedora
government and by our own chamber
of commerce, telling Just how tho
} farmer ought to conduct every stage
in the production of milk in order tC
get the best return, and not be strucI
by this thought" All this is of cours,
very good. \ man of strong will
= training, and intelligence ought to b,
able to use it with very good results
, College trained farmers, here and there
are already using 1t. But what of TIL
general run of our farmers The pro
: gram here proposed is plainly beyon'
the personal capacity of the averag
| clerk or mechanic, and are we to as
sumo that the average farmer S vii
and intelligence are so much above tina
of the average man in the industrial
+ world, that he can do what his fellow
-, certainly could not?'
So long as the farmers have no
5 availed themselves Of the subtle valu
@ of cooperation, that force which ca
h win the game for a team of eleve
mediocre players against team con
rrising three or four great individua
stars, but lacking cooperation, so Ion
Il the program of scientific farming wi
y be unable to solve a whole nation
g agricultural problems. Once team pla
!, has been firmly introduced, we sha
: see the less able men being led to max
Il use of the facilities employed by hi
T. more able neighbor i'll a way he neve
+. employed them before. For one thing
: he will be enabled to secure the cap
tai necessary to such enterprise An
: money by fiat for farmers will be see
} lation proposes. The creation of chea
l. he win not be securing it in any sue
!. way as the present rural credit legi
at last for the uneconomic process
= is, and farmers will be strengthenin
Z their credit, as farmers have in Del
mark, by pooling their resources I
create real strength, not by begin
charitable aid to prop private credit
= already weak. As Mr. Herrick has re
N commended, the legal powers of co-ol