New-York tribune., 1920-01-14
The Wealthy Farmer
A Plea for Better Understand.
ing by the City Man
To the Editor of The Tribune.

10 the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The city man enjoys his desk
work, the congeniality of his business
acquantances. his auto ride before
supper and on Sundays. He enjoys his
family, the theater, which, expensive or
not, is accessible. The average farmer
enjoys milking cows, blowing and the
congeniality CD of his hired man (aay
ruffian that happens along nowadays.
He enjoys his trips to the barn to milk
cows before supper. He enjoys his
family, the theater, quite ordinary and
very inaccessible. With these pleas
ures the city man saves $500; the other
$1,000.
The city mans invested capital Is
$4,000; the farmer of equal stat .
averages $4,000. The city man Us
his to live on; the farmer uses his
earn his bread and butter or. Afte,
all, it is matter who likes his Par.
ticular life. But the farmer is d S.
tinctly branded "farmerish' because
his car is muddy, old styled. rattly.
Why not so? He has five times as "a
to go to get to theaters, and uss
therefore, not five times as mu,
money to keep his car going. but
times more, because he has 10 tray
vastly poorer roads than the city ma,
And, most important of all, his chi
dren are trained by only eighteen-yes
old school teachers just out of HI
school,
And yet all this demonstration II
the farmers are making so mu
money! Compare their life with you
Mr.. City Man. Forget about your
weeks vacation in the midsumm
Why don't you take that time off
winter? You don't take account OF :
musicales at the beautiful churches an
elsewhere, the excellent lectures ano
public libraries, the atmosphere Of
wealth, contentment, luxury and pros
perity, the advantages Of good doctors
and hospital and police service whicf
you have. But the farmer must @
list; he must be as he is that you,
City Man, can have something to
Would you live like him in order % Sc
$500 more each year? The farmer woi
not save it any more than you II he
as many temptations for cntcrtainmt
as you have.
know how you feel. because " :
city bred and have now been on ne
farm five years. | shall have 70 tuyn
from merely raising the children to
I educating them. You say. why doesr',
the farmer cooperate to ge, these
tEings?" He remind YOU that YOU
don't need TO cooperate to obtain th.ss
things, because you alrcadY have ,h nj.
He does ask. "Why doesn't the city
man cooperate to fgh, the retailers
milk price" With you its Il should
worry about little item like is cents"
Yet all the time is Blame the falm-
er. He's no fool fer putting up with
such Inconvenience Hes making
bushels of money"
To better their conditions farmers
cannot change their jobs so easily. fos
there is more at stake. He would haze
to sell $1,000 business end his hons.
but you would have nothing to sell
very often no, even your home 10 m
prove yours.
Why not, then, concedc the farmer
ms Sooo additional savings? Why don't
You seek to cooperate with him and yet
the milk distributors, profit yourself.
why don't you, at any rate, feel better
toward him and not pick on him as Mr.
James Adamson in The Tribune OF to-
day and others Ike him are constantly
doing?
GEORGE ". KOCHLER JR.
LaErangeviu,. N. Y, Jan. 10. 1920