News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1921-05-11

prepared by the United States Depart
70 ment of Agriculture)
Thomas kashrent greeted his land
lord, John Acreowner, in the Kashrent
kitchen. The visitor took the chair
proffered and filled his pipe.
Thomas" said he, when their pipes
were well alight, 81 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, "Fd be pref
ty poor judge of human nature if I
didn't know that you're feeling little
blue over that cash-rent contract you
sigsyed with me last fall. You realize
that there are changed conditions,
since we made out that lease, that
will make 1t 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 1t doesn't alter the
fact that our contract, as it stands
is hard on you"
Farmer Hard Hit.
"Prices certainly dropped" agreed
Kashrent, with a regretful sigh. "They
slumped before l had chance to haul
what I 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
basis, but I'm going to propose some.
thing that is the next thing to it, I'm
going to try to show you that I appre-
clate a good, honest tenant. In case
grain is up again by fall you may be
able to pay the agreed cash and stin
make a fair profit. Besides, my own
expenditures are more or less fixed |
and I 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 l
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 basis such that the tenant pays
so many bales, or so many pounds of
cotton, for the use of the land for
year. The amount of the rent is close
ly related, or should be, 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 a crop that isn't out of
the ground yet, you see. If you agree
to pay me so many bushels of grain
instead of a 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
10 you think of the ideaW
81 believe we can come to an agree
nent, Mr.. Acreowner-one that will
De just to both of us. If the terms
ire right you'll stand a chance of get
ing little more than your original
'ent to compensate for taking share
n the risk that / must carry alone
low. That's fair. How can we figure
t out?"
Lets suppose that it takes 300
bushels of grain to pay the cash rent
lnder average conditions. Now sup
,ose we add 10 per cent to cover my
'isk of a further drop in prices. We
an hit an average by going over the
ecords for a few years back and fig
ring from them just how many bush
is had to be sold each year to bring
n the amount of the rent in cash.
Here are some figures | worked out
asst evening-they show the average
portion of the corn crop that was
eeded to pay the cash rent over 10