The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-05-24
SATURDAY, NAY "a 1919.
vERMoNT's RURAL PROBLEM.

Having suggested in previous edit
orials the ways in which the town resi-
dent and the farmer might act individ |
ually to improve rural conditions, We
now suggest some things they might Dc |
comparatively for the benefit of them
selves and their communities.
They might trade with each other
more fully than they have done in the
past We spoke of the necessity of the
local merchant educating the farmers
to desire helpful improvements and
machinery This educative work and
development of the desire has been toe
generally done by the manufacture
| through farm papers or magazines anG
the farmer has gone to this advertiser
when he decided to purchase the machine
or improvement, paid the retail price
and waited for the delivery by freight
In many cases he might have gone to
| local agent and secured the article al
the same price with it before him for
inspection and delivery as soon as the
4 purchase is completed.
In many eases the manufacturers are
willing to furnish the local dealer Will
all its educative advertising and allow
the agent to insert his name as the local
agent for insertion in the local paper
This should be done because it will ad
vertise the article in the most effective
way and the agent as the person from
whom if can be obtained Then the
farmer win know where he can pur
chase the article locally and should al
a person directly better than by mail
with parties he will never see or know.
But there is another possible line Of
cooperation. Every good farm in 9
section should be occupied by a good
farmer. But there are some good farm
crs on poor farms and some poor farm
ers on very good farms. This of course
ia a disadvantage 10 the community. If
al the good farms could be put into the
possession of good farmers the com
munity would reach its best develop
ment. i. is all that is demanded at
present, There may come time when
the poorer farms will be necessary to
supply the demand for farm products
but they are not today; and so far as
they are utilized they reduce the profit
able production of the community as a
whole
We suggest that the good farmers
and the business men confer and make
an inventory of the good farms and
their occupants and work together tc
place the good farms in possession OF
good farmers. Some of this can be done
4 by suggestion TO the poor farmer that
he sell and to a good farmer or young
| man that he buy.
4 Often times there will be the further
necessity of financing the good farmer
as proprietor of good farm and here
is where the fullest cooperation of tn,
\ good farmers and business men is neees
sary Through the federal land banl
fifty per cent of the value of the farm
can be secured at a low rate of inter
est, the loan being secured by a frs
mortgage for a long term of years Blu
in many cases the good farmer canno
: raise the other fifty per cent of tn
II money needed. The successful farm
Il ers and business men could safely unit
| in furnishing this part of the none,
Il and take a second mortgage for seeur
II ity OF course a borrower must b
II thoroughly reliable to receive so niue
y assistance from his neghbors, bu