Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-12-04
THOUSANDSLEAVE
C|T|ESF0RF FARMS
EandWard Trend Reaching
Large Proportions as
JobIess Return.
BY the Associated Press.

by the Associated Press.
DES MONIES, Iowa, December a.
Unnumbered thousands of those to
whom cities . few years ago sang a
sirens song now are turning for sane
tuary to farms.
Conditions (mostly, but not entirely,
economic) are said by several close OBJ
servers in the Middle West to have
caused distinct reversal Of a city
ward trend visible In the past two or
three decades.
1t Is not precisely back-to-the-farm
movement, for many city jewellers, not
especially familiar with agricultural
methods, are moving to two and three
acre plots to raise their own garden
Also involved in this landward move
ment are retired farmers who had sold
their properties, only to be forced to
take them back from buyers who could
not meet payments. and unemployed in
cities are returning to live with relatives
In the country.
Join Farm Colonies.
There are reports from some railroad
passenger agents that many persons are
joining semi-religious agricultural colo
MES in many parts of the country, al
though officials of other railroads have
noted but little farmward movement
on their lines.
Complete figures have not been COM
puted, but one estimate, given at the
Tenth Annual Catholic Rural Life Con-
ference recently in Dubuque, Iowa, was
that Of the Federal Agriculture Depart
ment, which said upwards of $4,000
more city jewellers in 1881 moved to the
land than from 1t.
Carl N. Kennedy, assistant Iowa
secretary Of agriculture, declared there
can be no question that the landward
trend is very pronounced and seems to
be increasing.
He says, however, that he sees little
change in the size of farms. There
can be no material increase, there
fore" he added, 'in the number of
farmers-it seems that the principal
landward movement in the Middle West
Is to acreages."
Kennedy mentioned two possible ef-
fects Of the movement-that there may
be q slightly decreased demand for
farm products and that farmers will
find 1t easier to obtain help. Whether
these will be beneficial. he said, could
not yet be accurately determined.
Welfare Burden Eased.
Rev. John Lafarge, associate, editor
Of America, In a speech at the Du.
buque conference, quoted one railroad
executive as saying there lately has
been an increase of 20 per cent In pur-
chases of small farm units.
He said: THE tendency Of the land
ward movement, as 1t has 80 far mani
tested itself, has been to provide
maintenance for human beings who
would otherwise have been burden
on society, rather than to invade the
organized, strictly commercial agricul-
tural production. The trouble Is not SC
much with the surplus as with the
quality Of production. ."
Those who are returning to the
farms they left a decade, or even two
or. three years ago, are finding condi-
tons changed, observers agree. Prices
Of produce have tumbled to almost I'M
precedented levels, with many economic
problems.
But on the credit side, they say
there has been growth of what w. H
Stacy, extension rural sociologist In
Iowa State College, calls homemade
happiness fairly uniform trend
shows q new community social life
among the farm people Of the Nation.