HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
S
Home and Farm Magazine Section Editorial Page
Suggestions From Our Associate Editors, Allowing For an Interchange of Views, Written by Men of Experience on Topics With
Which They Are Fully Acquainted Hints Along Lines of Progressive Farm Thought
HOW AND WHEN TO BOKEOW.
FIVE rules designed to convince
farmers that there is no magic
about credit are set down in
farmers' bulletin 593, "How to Use
Farm Credit," which the depart
ment has just published. Unless
tho farmer who is thinking of bor
rowing money fully understands
these rules and is willing to be
guided by them, the government's
advice to him is don't. .
AS IT IS, THERE ARE PROB
ABLY ALMOST AS MANY
FARMERS IN THIS COUNTRY
WHO ARE SUFFERING FROM
TOO MUCH AS FROM TOO LIT
TLE CREDIT.
Of these rules the three most im
portant are:
1. Make sure that the purposo
for which the borrowed money is to
be used will produce a return great
er than needed to pay tho debt.
2. Tho length of "time tho debt
is to run should have a close rela
tion to tho productive life of the
improvement for which the monoy
is borrowed.
3. 1'rovision should be mado in
long-time loans for the gradual re
duction of tho principal.
Tho first rule is, of course, the
key to the wise use of credit. Be
tween borrowing money to buy
equipment of some sort with which
to make more money there is all the
difference between folly and fore
Bight, extravagance and thrift.
IP THE MONEY IS BORROW
ED FOR A WISE PURPOSE IT
WILL PRODUCE ENOUOH TO
PAY BACK PRINCIPAL AND IN
TEREST AND LEAVE A FAIR
MARGIN OF PROFIT FOR THE
BORROWER INTO THE BAR
GAIN. If it is borrowed for a foolish
purposo it will produce nothing and
consequently there will be nothing
with which to repay tho loan.
From this point of view it matters
comparatively little whether the in
terest bo high or low. It is the re
payment of tho principal that is the
chief difficulty.
Rules 2 and 3 deal with tho most
satisfactory ways of repayment.
Underneath them both is tho same
principlo: The loan must be re
paid with the money it earns it
Bclf. For example, if the money is used
to buy a machine that will last 10
years, tho machine must earn
enough in that time to pay for it
self or it never will. Tho loan,
therefore, should be entirely repaid
before tho 10 years are up or the
farmer will lose money on tho trans
action, 'paying out interest ior no
benefit in return.
On tho other hand, if too early a
date is set for repayment, tho ma
chine will not have had sufficient
Opportunity to make the requisito
monoy, and tho borrower may have
difficulty in raising it elsowhoro.
Rule 3 provides for some form of
amortization, the system by which
the principal is repaid in install
, monts so that the amount of the
loan is continually diminishing and
ia consequence the interest charges
also. Such a system is quite feas
ible when the loan is really produc
tive, when it returns to the borrow
er a definite revenue each year.
Tables showing the paymento re
quired to pay off principal and in
terest in varying periods of time
are appended to the bulletin and
aro recommended to the serious con
sideration of every one who contem
plates borrowing money.
The bulletin also advises the
farmer to secure the lowest possible
interest. At first sight this soems
too obvious to bo worth mentioning.
Of courso, the interest should be as
small as possible. Everybody
knows that except the lender. But
if the other rules are observed, if
the borrowor manages his financial
affairs soundly, he will be surprised
to find how much easier it is to ob
tain favornblo terms.
THE RIOnT KIND OF LEND
ER DOES NOT WANT TO FORE
CLOSE MORTGAGES; HH
WANTS HIS MONEY BACK
WITH A FAIR PROFIT, LIKE
ANY OTnER MERCHANT. FOB
MONEY THAT IS BORROWED
WISELY, FOR MONEY THAT 13
SURE TO BE REPAID, HE
CHARGES LOW INTEREST.
This, in fact, is why the govern
ment has published these rules for
borrowers. It is not so much a
matter of driving a shrewd bargain
as it is of observing a few funda
mental principles which alone can
make credit a blessing and not
curse.
SEND FOB COL. GOETHALS.
Thorough investigation by gov
ernment engineers shows that
there is a water supply in the
semi-arid and the arid regions of
the west sufficient to irrigate ap
proximately 30,000,000 acres, or
enough land to furnish homes for
5,000,000 people, which is a big item
in these days of land scarcity.
Tho government is spending more
than $1,000,000 a month in reclama
tion work, and still it can not sup
ply land fast enough to meet the
demand.
Tho cost of a singlo battleship in
vested in an irrigation work will
supply 4000 families with perma
nent homos on the land, and every
dollar will in time be returned to the
federal treasury with interest.
We have Bpcnt $500,000,000 to
construct tho 1'anama canal.
A loan of a liko sum invested in
irrigation would mako homes of four
acres each for 250,000 families and
insure the future prosperity of 1,
250,000 people without taking a dol
lar permanently from the govern
ment treasury.
On the basis of the present annual
returns from government irrigated
lands, the products of this new area
each year would have a value of
$250,000,000, equal to one-half the
total investment.
An appropriation of $100,000,000
should bo mado immediately avail
able for this work.
Under tho wise and comprehens
ive plans of Secretary Lane, it is
certain that with such a sum avail
able the several western states
would co-operate by appropriating a
like sum for the prompt construc
tion of irrigation projects.
There aro 30,000,000 acres of des
ert that can be reclaimed and there
are 1,000,000 fainilios that want to
put this land in crop.
What are we going to do about itf
In ordor to preserve the economic
and social balance of this country,
wo must during the next decade, Jo
voto ronro attention to its Sgticul
tural development.
The pendulum of population must
be swung sharply forward, and the
massing of people in centers already
congested must cease.
During the laBt 30 years the drift
has been steadily cityward. In 1880
70 per cent of the population was ru- .
ral; in 1910 it was only 54 per cent
In all but two states the urban pop
ulation is now increasing faster
than the rural.
It is up to Uncle Sam to get busy.
So should western congressmen,
regardless oi politics.
Let a national loan of $100,000,
000 be made to develop the interior
of the United States.
Colonel Goethals built the canal,
and oversaw the expenditures of al
most $500,000,000.
There is no doubt that President
Wilson and Secretary Lane would
be given the $100,000,000 to spend
on irrigation of public lands, if they
put Goethals in charge of the ex
penditure. Goethals has made good.
Raise this $100,000,000 and let
Goethals spend it.
VALUE OF FARM MANURE.
IF PROPERLY cared for, the
manure from one cow is worth
about 50 cents a week.
It doesn't pay to toss it outside
the barn door and let the rain wash
the valuable part of it away, docs
itt
WHAT DADDY WAS UP
AGAINST,
fill OOKING back over my boy
fta hood days," said an Atchi-
son man recently, "I
would not exchange them for those
my own boy is experiencing. I was
poor as a church mouse, while my
boy has an average good homo, but
he is missing so many good, whole
some pleasures I had but did not
appreciate.
"I was raised out in the country
where no person ordered mo out of
their way or off their promises.
There were fields and woods, creeks
to wado in, barns to play in,
orchards with no 'keep out' sign
displayed.
"My son wears sandals in sum
mer. I couldn't afford footwear
for summer and went barefoot. My
boy has shoes than can be put on
easy in winter and overshoes. I
reveled in cowhide boots.
"My boy has overcoats, sweaters
and the warmest underwear. I
knew nothing about a sweater,
bought my first overcoat after I
was 20 years old and wore canton
flannel, home-made underclothes.
My boy has a coaster wagon, roller
and ice skates and often rides in
an automobile. But he does not
have a dog, he never broke a calf
to lead, never has made or repaired
a wagon of any sort, doesn't know
what it is to roam the country
over.
"I would not give the pleasure
I had with my dog, which I broke
to pull, a lamb I hitched up with
the dog, a calf I broke to lead and
finally to work in shafts until it
was a year old, the work of mak
ing carts for the dog to haul, re
pairing his harness, and dozens of
other amusements which never cost
a cent, for tho coaster wagon, the
roller and ico skates, the movies,
the automobile and train rides
which are the pastime and pleasures
of my boy.
"Boys of today have their work,
pleasure and pastime laid out for
them. Boys of my day had to cre
ate their own. I am sure I enjoyed
life more than do the boys of to
day." .
HE EATS LIKE A KINO.
FROM the Rhymes of a Retired
Harvester, in the Atchison
Globe:
"Tho days are long and heated
where toils the harvest hand, and
ere the job's completed, ho '11 swear
to beat the band.
"For wheat beards try to punc
ture his weather-beaten skin and
at another juncture, the sweat beeB
rub it in. And when he seeks his
slumber late in the stilly night,
mosquitoes in large number drive
Morpheus to flight.
"When comes the first gray
dawning of one more sultry day,
he's out where there's no awning
to keep the sun away. Out there
until the finish, ho, juggles golden
grain lest output might diminish,
or get caught in the rain.
"The work is hard and dreary;
the pay is not so great, for working
till you're weary from early morn
till late.
"But here '8 a consolation for
those who go that way to feed a
hungry nation and garner what
they may:
"His appetite's a wonder and
something hard to beat, and yet
he'll find, by thunder, they have
enough to cat."
WHEN GIRLS LEAVE HOME.
ELIZABETH S. M'ATEE, gener
al secretary of the Young Wo
men's Christian Association, of
Cincinnati, has written a letter of
advice to girls.
"My first advice to every coun
try girl is, don't come to the city
unless it is absolutely necessary,"
Bays Miss McAtee.
"At tho present timo there are
so many ways in which a woman
can earn a livelihood in the country
ways which require intelligence
and brains and which are exceeding
ly remunerative.
"On the other hand out large
cities are crowded with boys and
girls working for a few dollars
week so few indeed, that they da
not supply the necessities of life.
"If, in spite of advice, a girl is- '
sists on trying life in the city, ska 1
should have money enough to de
fray her first month's expenses and '
pay her way home.
"She should know where Bhe if i
going when she reaches the eity.
"The Y. W. C. A. is always ready
to have strangers met at the sta
tion and direct them to s?e place
"Above all girls traveling alone
should not make acquaintances on
the train or at the station and
should ask information only of of
ficials in uniform.
"The time is not far distant
when the National Travelers' Aid
Society will have a repreaentatrva
at every railroad station, traetic
station and steamboat landing.
"Every girl coming to a Btranga
city should bring with her a letter ,
from her pastor or some other per-,
sot of good standing in the eon-
munity from which she eomea. "
The main thing is:" Before lc;
ing home, think twice or thrice. ' J
. ,
A GOOD IDEA.
IF the rchool children of Portland
and other points in Oregon and
Washington attend the Colum
bia River Interstate Fair, to ba
held at Vancouver, Wash, Septem
ber 7-12, in as great numbers as
there are free tickets for tiuaa,
special cars will have to be put oar
the run between Portland and Van
couver. To the school children of Port
land 32,000 free tickets have beam
distributed, and some of the chil
dren who have gardens there will
enter the produce in competition at
the fair this fall. To children ia
other places outside of Portland 18y
000 tickets have been given to
them, good for September 11.
This is a good idea.
Any fair that interests the school
children will bo a success. '
WHAT BIG CROPS MEAH.
CROPS are big all over Ua
States.
This means that lots of money
will be paid harvest hands.
That the thresherman will ba
paid.
That the farmers can pay their
bills.
The banks will get their princi
pal and interest on farmers' notes
That the warehouses will be folk
That the railroads will have lots
of cars to haul.
All along the lino big crops spell
prosperity.
It's about time for the pesa
mists to get to work.
If they were busy doing trr
thing they wouldn't have tuna to
howL
i
HEW TO THE LINE.
RURAL organizations should ha
to the line.
Keep alive and doing.
Make your power felt in yasa
community. .
Pull together.
Work for better schools, better
roads, be. tor marketing.
Drop personal rivalries and jeal
ousies, church prejudices and politi
cal differences.
If you have no farmers' clubs in
your vieinity, organize one.
Work with your noighbors for tne
good of all.
TO ADVERTISERS.
Advertisers in this locality who
wish to fully cover all sections of
Oregon and Washington and a por
tion of Idaho will apply to local pub
lishers for rates.
General advertisers may address
O. L. Burton, Advertising Manager,
411 Panama Building, Portland,
Oregon, for rates and information
Tho publishers will accept busi
ness from no advertiser whose relia
bility can be questioned.