Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1932-09-01

quit the Farmer-Labor party with the
job only started. Farming tactics are
good in politics.
A certain farm was owned by nom
residents. 1t had been in the hands
of several renters and had deterior-
ated so in eight or nine years that
no one could live on it and pay taxes,
let alone little extra for rent. The
owners, in despair sold it to farmer
with a grown son, for a fifth of its
value. 1t seemed that two ablebodied
men should be able to get a good
living from farm that had once
been the most productive in the coun-
ty. For obvious reasons no names
are given.
The farmer moved on. He found
excellent land covered with thistles,
quack and briers; large area of once
plowed land with piles of stone all
over it and more stone scattered;
enough and well built buildings for
extensive farming and dairying but
every building was in shocking
state, the foundation all undermined
with the corners sunken at one or the
other end; fine barn with sway roof;
silo with damaged slaves; a dwelling
house with plaster half fallen, and
baseboards and window trim torn off
or cut by jackknives, while mice and
bedbugs made merry all day and night
within its many spacious rooms.
Now, the farmer moved on in the
spring in time to start planting but
before he could house his stock or
his family properly he had to hire
help. The place was all fenced, but
all the posts were rotted out and
down. He started with the barns and
fencing first. Everywhere he turned
his hand he was forced to do extra
work to repair the waste and destruc-
ton of the shiftless gang who had
been before him. The spring was
we'll into summer before he got part
of the land planted. With the at
tention needed by growing crops, and
trying to make hay in brush grown
meadows the farmer could not spare
the time for fixing his fences except
in the most necessary places; he had
no time to roll the stones off the
fields or remove the rock piles; his
poor cows came home at eve with
their udders torn from the briers:
when he dug his potatoes there were
quack grass roots running through
the tubers.
And in the house, the wife who had
several small children besides the
grown son had all the usual house.
keeping and dairying chores to 10
and filthy, vermin-infested house to
repair The neighbors had told her
that there was chance to room and
board hunters at this place every fall
and her hopes had risen high--she
would earn enough to make the De-
cember payment on the farm. But,
alas, there were the dirty rooms to
be reckoned. with and the falling plas-
ter, and the worn lettering floors, and
the teeming inhabitants of the walls
and cellar.
Do you blame this farmer for hiring
a few extra men? Do you blame him
that at the end of his first summer
things were only slightly better than
when he arrived. BUT, THEY WERE
BETTER, some of the dirt and neg
lect had been overcome. And he is
not QUITTING, he is going ON with
hope and enthusiasm, each year will
find the quack patches smaller, and
the fences stronger; each year the
meadows will be a bit cleaner and
the stones will be gradually removed
from the pillow land. And in the
house, the wife may not board and
room hunters and berry pickers for
year or two but that too will come.
For they remember that Rome was
not built in day, and that years Of
neglect takes many days of hard and
patient labor to overcome. Moreover,
they are not CUTTERS. Apply this
to the Farmer-Labor movement and
give Governor Olson time to show re-
suits.
A FARM-LABORITE WIFE.