The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-09
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INF ORM A TION
BUREAU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director.
Washington. q. c.
ONE MORE WAY TO GET A FARM.


great many Americans, including re-
turned soldiers and sailors. are anx-
ious to become farmers so that they
may share in the high prices now be-
ing paid for farm products is shown
by the work of the homeseekers' bu-
reau of the United States railroad adj
ministration-
During the first three months of
1919, about $4,000 persons applied to
the bureau for help in getting farms.
About Is per cent of these were men
| back from war, and large number of
women were also among the appli-
cants.
| Town folk who want to get out in
the country make up another large
section of the back to-the-soil army.
That the city man often makes sue
! cess in the country is indicated by the
| fact that these people generally say
they have friends who have gone into
| farming and made a success of it, and
i they want to follow suit
Farmers who have sold out lands at
| fancy prices in thickly settled parts
of the country, and want to buy larger
| places farther west a. e also among
the applicants. Some of these farm
ers want to buy places for boys just
back from war. There are also
/
| in Canada. These generally went
there from the United States, and now
want to return.
The men returned from war usual
! ly state they wish to continue an out
door life. 1t is interesting to note
| that a majority of the returned SOL
diers mention either that they have
| Just been married or that they are
! just about to be married.
Most of the women who write to
| the bureau express an interest in fruit
growing. dairying or poultry raising;
\ but there are some women who want
| to tackle the heavy work of general
| farming. and some who want to raise
cattle. In a number of cases. three or
| four women have pooled their re-
sources to buy a farm. Most of these
! intending women farmers are I'M
| married. a majority of those who
! give their previous occupations have
| been school teachers.
! About one-haIf of the tillable land
| in the United States is uncultivated.
/ To be exact there are about 75,0O0,-
| 600 acres of good farm land lying idle.
This land is scattered thruout the west
and south, and can be purchased at
| moderate prices. Within the last few
years southern and western farmers
! have been doing an exceedingly profit
| able business, and there is no end in
| sight to this era of prosperity. Gov
! eminent officials predict that there
will be a continued heavy demand all
over the world for American food
products for some years.
To help a homeseeker locate, to
start him right, and then to find a
market for his products. are the OBJ
jects of the homeseekers' bureau. The
idea originated with Z. P. Ripley,
president of the Santa Fe railroad.
| His scheme was to interest people in
| the idle farm land in the territory
| fray NV he
| colonization plan worked out so well
| that the scheme was soon afterwards
adopted by other railroads, with the
result that when the government took
control, nearly all the principal lines
| in the south and west had agricul-
tural departments.
These departments were all united
under one division, known as the
| homeseekers' bureau, by William G.
McAdoo, former director general of
| the railroad administration. On ac-
count of the war. the activities of this
| bureau were temporarily suspended,
| but recently Director General Hines
directed the bureau to resume its
| work.
A simple plan had been worked out
by the bureau to assist the homeseeker
in finding suitable farm land. For in
Istance, if a homeSeeker is anxious to
locate along the Union Pacific rail-
agricultural supervisor of that road by
the bureau. The agent of the Union
Pacific directs the homeseeker to re-
| liable real estate agents in the COM
| munity in which he wishes to settle,
steering him clear of land sharks.
After the homeseeker has bought land,
| the railroad agent notifies the county
a agricultural agent. who is paid by both
| the government and the county. He
calls upon the newcomer and helps
him to start The county gent sup
plies all information regarding meth
DDS of soil preparation, seeding and
cultivation.
J. L. Edwards, of Washington. is
| head of the bureau. He is confident
the time is at hand when city folks
will take to the farm in large num-
bers if they can be shown the way.
He lately visited the principal agricul-
tural states, and everywhere he found
a revival of farm development. News
papers, bankers, chambers of COM
merce, associations of farmers and
| kindred organizations seem to be
awake to the Importance of more and
! better farming in this country.
1.-THE demand for food in the last
| four years." said Mr.. Edwards, has
| been the greatest in the history of the
world, and the prices of farm products
have been the highest. Then, too, the
modern farmer has learned to apply
business principles to his farm, and
this has added to the profits of farm
ing.
1.-The great war had left hundreds
of millions of people in Europe and
parts of Asia on short rations-many
actually starving. Immense areas of
| agricultural country have been de-
vastated; cattle. horses, hogs.| sheep
and poultry killed; farm implements
| destroyed; orchards, gardens and
vineyards torn up by shell fire and
some 25.00o,000 of the best young
men of the world slain or wounded
The world looks to the American
farmer for salvation"
The buReau is giving special atten-
ton to the improvement of marketing
conditions by the wide circulation of
information in bulletin form as to