Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1919-04-16
JOINT.STOCK.SHARE LEASES.

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JOINT.STOCK.SHARE LEASES.
A recent number of The Country
Gentlemen, farm paper OF nation
wide circulation published in Phila-
delphia, Pa, contains lengthy, well
written, illustrated article, a part OF
which is descriptive of farm leases
and farm conditions in Northeastern
Iowa.
After describing farm leases in use
in Kansas and Ohio the writer Of the
article reaches Iowa and commences
by saying:
There are probably more farms
rented in Iowa now under this joint
stock-share lease than in any other
state. For instance, in Delaware Coun-
ty, in days ride round Manchester
talked with fully dozen farmers
renting under this method.
"As typical of these want to give
the details of three farms owned by
Fred Munson, mayor Of Manchester.
l saw all of these farms, talked with
some of the tenants and then secured
the details from Mr.. Munson himself
as he sat in his Office in town.
"Munson has three farms, one Of
eighty acres, one Of 40 acres and a
third of 26O acres. He furnishes his
tenants with cost account farm re-
cords books put ont by the farm
management department. Of Iowa State
College, and he has them come to
town once a month at least and set
| tie up. a.
HE keeps a set of books himself
in which he enters all sales and ex-
penditures for his farms and at FREE
quent intervals he balances the ac-
counts. He can tell you any day you
call just where his farms stand to
date. He permitted me to copy the
figures for 1917 out of this book" :,
For the purpose Of this article the
items of receipts and expenditures
on Mr. Munson's farms are omitted,
and only net income given.
The 80 acre farm showed a net in
come, after all expenses were paid,
Of $1557.66 to be divided equally be-
tween owner and tenant, or $19.44
to the acre, or 1912 and acre to
each.
The net income from the 120 acre
farm was $43S7.79 or $31.33 per acre
to be equally divided between the
two.
The 26O acre farm for certain
reasons did not make as good a re-
cord as the smaller places The net
profit from it's operation was $3693.9S
or $1420 per acre.
"Mr Muson has farmers on these
place who are leading citizens in the
community. One of them was form
erly a herdsman at Iowa State Col
lege He made the record on the
eighty-acre farm in 1917 and in 1918
moved over to the 140-acre one.
"The farmers are satisfied they are
doing excellent farming, as the figu-
res prove. In turn Mr.. Munson gives
them every advantage possible. ]
consider the owner, the farmers, the
farms and the lease about as ideal
as could be found. O. G. Lloyd, farm
management expert Of the Iowa Sta
ton, agrees with me in this opinion.
1.-THE most significant point under
lying all this is that man who farms
under such lease comes to have a
self-respect that he can never have
under any other form. He feels that
he is somebody. The stock is
as much his as the other fellows
and so he takes the care OF 1t that
he would take of his own stock. And
the care is reflected in like degree
upon the farm, the fences and the
fertility of the fields.
Zone of the four most important
dairy regions in America is that OF
district in Northeastern Iowa, extend
ing mainly over Bremen, Grundy
Blackhawk, Tama, Buchanan, Fayette
and Clayton counties. Throughout this
region the great majority of the ten
ant farms that have dairy cattle on
them are rented under joint-live'
stock-share lease such as l have beer
describing"
Why is Delaware County not eligible
to a place in this list Of dairy coun
ties? This county for many years
stood at the head of the list of butter
producing counties, not alone in Iowa
but in the North West. The frs
creamery built in the United State:
was built in this county, and the but
ter made in that creamery took thu
first premium at the Worlds Fail
held in Philadelphia in 1876. At ont
time there were more than a scor'
of successfully operated creamerie'
in this county. Again we ask, WHY
has this county lost its place amont
the leading butter producing countie:
of one of the best dairy sections il
the world?
There may have been several con
tributory causes, but in our owl
Judgment the chief cause is the un
fortunate fact that this county has