Evening star., 1924-08-31
BY EDWARD r. ROBERTS.
MILLION American farm
should be abandoned.

4 MILLION American farms
n should be abandoned.
II That is one long step to-
Il ward the solution of the farm
problem which is advocated
by Guy Huston. president of the Guy
Huston Company, a farmers banker.
who Is at least as we'll qualified to
discuss the troubles OF the agricul-
turist as any man in the United
States.
Mr. Huston's father and grand
father before him were both farmers
and farm bankers, and he himself Is
director or executive of joint stock
land banks in Chicago, Kansas City,
Minnesota, Texas, Iowa and New
York. The banks with which MIR. HUI
ston is associated have outstanding
farm loans totaling $3.50, ,00o. 900. rath-
er weighty evidence to qualify him as
an expert in farm matters. More
over he Is q highly successful farmer
on his own account. owning and cul-
tivating 5000 OF the best acres Of
farm land in Illinois.
Knows No Panaeea.
Personally Mr.. Huston has little in
common with either the traditional
banker or traditional farmer. There
is nothing either pompous or countri-
fed about him. He frankly admits
that he knows Of no panacea for the
farmers troubles any more than for
the troubles Of the merchant, the
manufacturer or any other section of
the human race.
When I asked him for his solution
OF the farm problem, he promptly ad-
mitted that he had none.
What is more" he said. II do not
know of anybody else who has. The
farmer is just like any one else' and
has Just about the same number of
troubles. l have no panacea to offer,
but 1 do know how one of the biggest
problems could be solved"
How is that?'
by the abandonment of about a
million farms that are now being cul
tivated. There are about 6.500,000
farms in the United States and there
are at least million of them that
God never intended a plow to be put
into. AS a matter of fact that is
very conservative estimate. / would
be willing to go almost SO far as TO
say that one farm out of every four
in America should be turned back
into grazing land or put to some
other use than trying to raise crops
on it."
That is rather stiff blow for the
people who are advocating the back
to-the-farm' movement
Hopeless Farmers.
II cannot help that" said Mr.. HUI
ston. THE land I am talking about
was never intended for crop raising
and will never be fit for 1t. Year
after year the men who are engaged
in tilling this land toll and scratch
for a living, spend their money for
expensive fertilizers and break their
hearts because each year ends with
nothing to show for their labor. ] do
not say that all the talk we hear
about the hard lot of the farmer
comes from these men. but undoubt-
edly very large part of it does.
What would be the effect on the
country's food supply if these million
or more farmers should be withdrawn
from Production" l asked.
Very little. The land l am talking
about contributes practically nothing
but a living to the men who cultivate
it and their families, and leaves them
discontented and discouraged in the
bargain. They would be far happier
and the country would be better off
If they would abandon their hopeless
task and move into town to work in
the factory or shop"
Where are these million or so
hopeless farms locatedc" I asked.
There are poor farms and poor
lands in almost every section of the
country" replied Mr.. Huston, but