The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1921-04-02


| Thomas Kashrent greeted his land
lord. John Acreowner, in the Kashrent
kitchen. The visitor took the chair
proffered and filed his pipe.
Thomas" said he, when their pipes
were well alight, II want TO get you
thinking over an idea that | picked up
! the other day from "a bulletin sent out
to me by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture. It's made up
| by the office of farm management and
! its subject matter is of interest to us
both. The title is, The Farm Lease
Contract
"NOw," he continued. I'D be a pref
~ poor judge of human nature If
| didn't know that you're feeling little
blue over that cash-rent contract you
signed with me last fall. You realize
that there are changed conditions,
since we made out that lease, that
will make it hard for you to pay cash
and you're one of those men whose
word is as good as his bond. Neither
Of us knew when we signed that pa
per that grain and other farm produce
were going to take the tumble they
have taken, but It doesn't alter the
fact that our contract, as II stands,
is hard on you"
Farmer Hard Hit.
"Prices certainly dropped" agreed
Kashrent, with a regretful sigh. "They
slumped before | had chance to haul
what / intended TO sell. All things
considered, I'd have been better off If
we'd taken the farm on shares instead
of on a cash basis"
The landlord nodded understanding
ly.
I'm not here TO tell you that I'll
reduce your rent materially, nor am
going TO offer TO change the present
contract for a contract on the share
thing that is the next thing to it. I'm
going TO try TO show you that / appre-
ciate good, honest tenant. IN case
grain is up again by fall you may be
able to pay the agreed cash and still
make fair profit. Besides. my own
expenditures are more or less fixed
and ] must have cash to meet them
with. but I'm going to see If can't
help you to help me by meeting you
halfway.
"What do you think of adding a
clause to the contract whereby you
will be given the option of paying me
in terms of bushels of corn. oats. or
wheat? This Farmers Bulletin 1
spoke of tells about similar arrange
ments which southern farm owners
and tenants have put into practice.
A good bit of cotton land is rented
on a basis such that the tenant pays
so many bales, or so many pounds of
cotton. for the use of the land for a
year. The amount of the rent Is close
ly related, or should he. to the value
of the produce which the tenant is
able TO raise-that's why farmers and
landlords find difficulty in fixing the
rent every year. They're trying to put |
a value on crop that isn't out of |
the ground yet, you see. If you agree
to pay me so many bushels of grain |
instead Of fixed amount in dollars |
and cents, I'll be taking my chance |
along with you and our good and bad |
years will run along together. What |
do you think Of the idea?"
81 believe we can come to an agree |
ment, Mr. Acreowner-One that will |
be just to both of us. If the terms |
are right you'll stand a chance of get |
ting little more than your original !
rent to compensate for taking a share
in the risk that / must carry alone
now. That's fair. How can we figure |
II out?''
Lets suppose that it takes 300 |
bushels of grain TO pay the cash rent
under average conditions. Now sup
pose we add 10 per cent to cover my
risk of further drop in prices. We |
can hit an average by going over the |
records for a few years back and fig
uring from them just how many bush
els had to be sold each year to bring
In the amount of the rent In cash.
Here are some figures l worked out |
last evening-they show the average
portion of the corn crop that was
needed to pay the cash rent over 10
year period"
He handed his tenant a sheet Of
figures that looked much like this:
Bushels |
of corn II |
Price at Cash took to
Year. which rent per pay the
the corn acre in cash rent
asold. . corn. on an