Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-12-14
GET TING TOGETHER
ON RENT PROBLEM
LAND OWNERS AND TENANTS
INCLINED TO MAKE
CONCESSIONS.
SOME REDUCTIONS IN
CASH RENTALS NOTED
Others Switching From Cash to Crop
Division Basis, While Still 9th
ere Waiting to See Whit is Going
to Happen-Farming Still Job as
Well as Business.
rBy c. E. wilson.1

Ackley, Dec. IA tenant farmer
near this town called OIL his land
lord. from whom he had leased a
farm for the coming year at cash
rental of $40 per acre. and told the
owner he couldn't afford to farm the
place under the terms agreed upon
before the price drop in farm proc.
sucts. What can you AFFORD to pay
asked the landlord. and the tenant
answered that he would. go ahead
Win. lose or draw in consideration OF
d reduction Of 81 an acre. The owner
hof the farm met the terms of the
other and the rent question for mex!
year. 80 far as these two men are
concerned is settled. It is the opinion.
Ipe ssthe banker who told OF the in
IScident that. good many more cases
lsol the kind. will be settled i'll the
same manner In this section of tie
country and that the wholesale
Throwing up Of leases. holding of
sheriff's sales, abandonment OF FARM
Ing for town life, etc. will not take
place IS some have prcphesied it
will
Il A heavy landowner at Hampton be-
siisyes that 1t. would be good idea TO
wait while before revising the
leases that have already been signed.
Prices are expected to rise again
1cfore next years crops are market
able. and nobody can tell at this
time to what extent they may come
back An arrangement between nwn-
er and tenant in cases where they
Gan trust each other. whereby the
matter could be adjusted ut time
when probable prices for grain and
livestock. might be estimated mere
closely than in these uncertain times
would seem to be more Just to- both
sides than one made at this early
date. Many men in position to jude
intelligently believe there will be
many cash rent leases changed to a
share basis and that this might 1T
done at any time. as the plan Is fair
tc either side under any conditions
That the tenant is not the only. man
getting hurt in these days Is shown
BY the statement of one extensive
farmer and feeder In the Hampton
yieinit F. who has more harl 100 head
NJ cattle on feed and which he says
re worth about $s5 per head less
Tow than when he bought them.
go
peaking OF farm conditiris in gen :.
eral one man said. When was in
active farm life and threshin:g season
Gene went to the hefgfbor with
whom ] changed work and said, Well
Fill. where do you want me to work
teday??' He told me what he wanted
me to do, generally to go into the
straw and I went. When it was his
turn to help me ne did what I
wanted him to do and that was all
there was to 1t. Later on WE got so
We didn't want oedo the disasreeahle
Jobs. so each man stacked his own
straw. Still later we tried another
Innovation and the PROFESSIONAL straw
stacker was employed at about SIS a
day. This led to the practice in re-
cent years Of paying unreasonable
wages for this kind of work. anything,
In fact. that was demanded. The
trouble with the farmer" this man
continued. "is that he has been told
until he has come to believe it that
farming is business In too many
cases he has been working on the
theory. that he ought to hire, high
priced man to do the field wo-k while
Et. rode around In his car picking up
few head OF cattle or other kinds OF
stock at cheap figures and selling at
a profit. Farming is business all
right but Il is also a job and a
mighty steady tne too, and when this
Is again realized and properly acted
upon. as It viii be, the farming