The New York herald., 1921-06-26
FARMERS GETTING
ALL HELP NEEDED
Continued from First Page.

The Il. A Strout Farm Agency's re-
ports indicate that thousands of the men
and boys who deserted the farm during
imitation for the $40. SIS and $50 day
to be had in Akron, Detroit. Indian
apolis Chicago. Lawrence. Brockton,
Fall River, the ship yards, the steel
mills. the spinning mills and the what
not factories are clamoring to get back
to three meals a day and sure bed.
They are leaving the pawnshops full of
their magnificent raiment; their auto
mobiles (bought for so much in cash and
so much more now and them have been
left lining the curbs with For Sale"
signs adorning them.
1t is wholly impossible to get figures
showing anything like the precise or
even approximate number of the men
warping back to the fields
After all, the unusual feature of the
! situation is not supplied by the man who
deserted the farm for the Industrial
centre. 1t was to be expected that he
would turn again to the field when the
city became stagnant.
1t Is that the between the millstones
man. the so-called white collar worker.
is buying the erstwhile vacant, unoccu-
pied or abandoned farm. The sales slips
of the StrDut agency show an unprece-
| dented number of first payments of less
than $1,000. And these small first pay
ments are being made principally by men
with families who are willing to post
| every penny they own to get bit of land
with few houses on it that they might
dodge further conflict with the inexor-
able economic and industrial laws that
make life in the factory town toddle
top gamble.
Within the year the Strout agency
has received 100000 Inquiries from men
and women to whom the idea of buying a
farm appeals as a solution Of their prob
lem of existence.
More than 10000 of these letters were
written by men who wanted to know
what they could get for $500. 5000, 500.
SS00-always less than $1,000. And al
ways they say. like the rubber worker
in Akron, the sum they mention is all
they have or all they can get. These
letters are so much alike that the Ak
ron mans subjoined is sufficient 1t
reads:
MY DEAR SIRs:
II have been out of work since No
vember 1920. I cannot find a job any
where and / have wife and four chill
dren and only s475 left in the bank. Our
rent and food is eating this up fast
have read one of your papers. which
says that we can always have three
square meals day. the comfortable
shelter of our own roof and employment
every day in the year on a farm.
know you speak the truth and my wife
the same. because We both came from
farms and have never been so happy
since we left. That was the best life in
the world and we want to go back. Can
we get q farm for S400?
"If you can do that for US we will
bless you to the end of our days. Please
write me soon. l am near the end OF
my rope. j. t. f.
In what we are pleased to refer to as
normal times the farm agencies received
65 per cent. of their inquiries anent the
price, quality. size and so on of farm
land that CHANGED to be on the market
from the rural districts.
To-day just about rs per cent. of all
such inquiries come from the cities-the
big ones generally.
Moreover If you read the sales lists
you find the Anglo-Saxon name predomi-
mating. The Sav. the Teuton, the Morse
and the Latin appear to follow in the
order named although II is entirely
possible that a more comprehensive in
spection of sales lists might change this
succession. Relatively, however. that is
of small Importance. 1t is noticeable
that the Jew is not found in the lists.
Likewise the number of Irish names is
far less than might be expected.
But the familiar names-Jones Halli-
day White. Wilson, Brown Middleton.
Lorimer, Jenkins, Henry. Lukens. Clark.
Baldwin, Black and so on and on-are
surprisingly numerous.
They're the white collar boys whose
fathers left the old farm and who were
born in the cities" explained one of the
farm agency managers.
It's the small farm that Is selling of
course. The turn back started last Sep
tember The big Western farm either is
not for sale or costs too much for the
deserted OF the city. Therefore it is the
smaller Eastern farm that sells.
AS for farm labor 1t used to be that
the college undergraduate was looked to
by the apprehensive farmer. and in most
cases the farmer had contracted for this
undergraduate labor long before college
closed or the crops were ready.
But this year it's somewhat differ
ent." explained the farm agency man.
ager The ex-service man is getting
the call and the preference And he has
| responded in great numbers. Here in the
| city you don't get the proper perspective
on the situation. Go out to the big
Western farm States and ask questions
soldiers and sailors pitching hay and
housing grain-and liking it,"
And the reports from the farm re-
ceivee by the agencies have 1t that no
meaner untruth than the crop failure
propaganda ever existed. The Kansas
crops are ten days in advance of the cor
responding crops Of 1920. Kansas expects
TO produce $50, 900. 900 bushels of wheat
this year. That dwarfs last years out
put It's the best crop since 1915. The
| North Dakota farmer, being neither a
fanatic nor other variety of freak but
| just a farmer Is ahead of his schedule
despite the political propaganda he is
fed. II Is worth while to pause long
enough to say that even Arthur Townley
has discovered that his North Dakota
farmer Is an agriculturist first and
politician later on-which fact fetches
little grist to the Townley mill.
In a small section of Iowa incessant
rains have injured the corn, but for the
most part the corn Is so heavy and
abundant that the farmer is bewailing
the possibility of seeing It break stalks
and rest on the ground before maturity.
Minnesota reports have II that records
are about 20 be broken. The Red River
Valley. between North Dakota and Min
fg fo al or I,,Ia ia