TTOMR AND F ARAT M AGAZINE SECT TON
Home and Farm Magazine Section Editorial Page
Suggestions From Our Associate Editors, Allowing For an Interchange of Views, W ritten by Men of Experience on Topics W ith
Which They Are Fully Acquainted—Hints Along Lines of Progressive Farm Thought.
HOW AND W HEN TO BORROW.
IV E rules designed to convince
farm ers th a t th ere is no m agic
about c red it are set down in
fa r m e rs ’ bu lletin 593, “ How to Use
F a rm C re d it,’’ which the d e p a rt
m ent has ju s t published. U nless
th e farm er who is th in k in g of bor
row ing money fully u n derstands
these rules and is w illing to bo
guided by them , th e g o v ern m en t's
advice to him is— d o n ’t.
AS IT IS, T H E R E ARE PR O B
A B LY
ALM OST
AS
M A NY
FA R M E R S IN T H IS COUNTRY
W HO ARE S U F F E R IN G FROM
TOO MUCH AS FROM TOO L IT
T L E CRED IT.
O f these rules the threo most im
p o rta n t are:
1. Mako suro th a t the purpose
fo r which the borrow ed money is to
be used will produce a retu rn g re a t
e r than needed to pay tho debt.
2. The length of tim e tho debt
is to run should have a close re la
tio n to the productive life of the
im provem ent for which the money
is borrowed.
3. Provision should be made in
long tim e Ioans fo r tho gradual re
duction of the principal.
The first rule is, of course, the
ksy to the wise use of credit. Be
tw een borrow ing money to buy
equipm ent o f some sort w ith w hich
to m ake more money there is all the
d ifferen ce betw een folly and fo re
sig h t, ex trav ag an ce and th rift.
I F T H E MONEY IS BORROW
E D FO R A W ISE PU R PO SE IT
W IL L PRODUCE ENOUGH TO
PA Y BACK P R IN C IP A L AND IN
T E R E S T AND LEA V E A F A IR
M A R G IN OF P R O F IT FOR T H E
BORROW ER IN TO T H E B A R
G AIN .
I f it is borrow ed for a foolish
purpose it will produce n othing and
consequently th ere will be nothing
w ith which to rep ay tho loan.
From this point of view it m atters
com parativ ely little w hether the in
te re st be high or low. I t is th e r e
paym ent of th e principal th a t is the
ch ief d ifficu lty .
Rules 2 and 3 deal w ith th e most
sa tisfa c to ry w ays of repaym ent.
U nderneath them both is the same
p rinciple: The loan must be re
paid w ith the money it earn s i t
self.
F o r exam ple, if the money is used
to buy a m achine th a t will la st 10
years, th e m achine must
earn
enough in th a t tim e to p a y for it
self or it never will. The loan,
th erefo re, should be en tirely repaid
before tho 10 y ears are up o r th e
fa rm e r will lose money on th e tr a n s
action, paying ou t in terest io r no
b e n e fit in return.
On the o th er hand, if too early a
d a te is set for repaym ent, th e m a
chine will not have had su fficien t
o p p o rtu n ity to m ake the requisite
m oney, and tho borrow er may have
d iffic u lty in raisin g it elsewhere.
R ule 3 provides fo r some form of
am ortizatio n , th e system by whieh
th e principal is repaid in in s ta ll
m en ts so th a t th e am ount o f th e
loan is contin u ally dim inishing and
in consequence th e in terest charges
also. Such a system is quite fe a s
ible when the loan is really produc
tiv e, when it re tu rn s to the borrow
er a d e fin ite revenue each year.
T ables show ing th e paym ents re
quired to pay o ff principal and in
te re s t in v ary in g periods of tim e
a re appended to the bulletin and
are recommended to th e serious con
sid eratio n o f ev ery one who contem
p la te s borrow ing money.
T he bulletin aleo advises th e
fa rm e r to secure th e low est possible
in te re st. A t firs t sig h t th is seems
too obvious to be w orth m entioning.
O f course, th e in te re st should be as
sm all
as
possible.
E verybody
know s th a t—except th e lender. B ut
i f the other rules are observed, if
th e borrow er m anages his fin an cial
a ff a irs soundly, he will be surprised
to find how much easier it is to ob
ta in favorab le term s.
F
t
A
«
THE RIGHT KIND OF LEND
ER DOES NOT WANT TO FORK-
CLOSE
MORTGAGES;
HU
W A NTS
H IS
MONEY
BACK
W IT H A F A IR P R O F IT , L IK E
ANY O TH ER M ERCHANT. FOB
MONEY T H A T IS BORROWED
W ISE L Y , FO R MONEY TH A T IS
SU R E
TO
BE
R E PA ID , H E
CHARGES LOW IN T ER E ST.
This, in fact, is why th e g overn
m ent has published these rules for
borrow ers. I t is not so much a
m a tte r of d riv in g a shrewd b argain
as it is of observing a few fu n d a
m ental principles which alone can
m ake cred it a blessing and not a
curse.
--------- $ ---------
SE N D FOB COL. GOETHALS.
horough investig atio n by gov
ernm ent engineers shows th a t
th ere is a w ater supply in th e
semi arid and tho arid regions o f
th e west su ffic ie n t to irrig a te a p
proxim ately 30,000,000 acres, or
enough land to fu rn ish homes for
5,000,000 people, which is a big item
in these days of land scarcity.
The governm ent is spending more
th an $1,000,000 a m onth in reclam a
tion work, and still it can not sup
ply land fa s t enough to meet the
demand.
The cost o f a single b attlesh ip in
vested in -an irrig atio n work will
supply 4000 fam ilies w ith p erm a
nent homes on th e land, and every
do llar will in tim e be returned to the
fed eral treasu ry w ith interest.
We have sp en t $500,000,000- to
co n stru ct th e P an am a canal.
A loan of a lik e sum invested in
irrig atio n would m ake homes o f four
acres each fo r 250,000 fam ilies and
insure the fu tu re pro sp erity of 1,-
250,000 people w ith o u t tak in g a dol
la r perm an en tly from the g overn
m ent treasu ry .
On the basis o f the p resen t'n n n u al
retu rn s from governm ent irrig ated
lands, the products of this new area
each y ear would have a value of
$250,000,000, equal to one h a lf th e
to ta l investm ent.
An app ro p riatio n o f $100,000,000
should be niado im m ediately av a il
able for th is work.
U nder tho wise and com prehens
ive plans o f S ecretary Lane, it is
certain th a t w ith such a sum a v a il
able the several w estern sta te s
would co operate by ap p ro p riatin g a
like sum for the prom pt co n stru c
tion of irrig atio n projects.
T here are 30,000,000 acres of des
e rt th a t can be reclaim ed and th ere
are 1,000,000 fam ilies th a t w ant to
p u t th is land in crop.
W hat are we going to do ab o u t i t i
In order to preserve th e economic
and social balance of th is country,
we m ust during the next decane, Jo-
vote more atte n tio n to its ‘’JH eul-
tu ral developm ent.
The pendulnm o f population must
be sw ung sharply forw ard, and the
m assing of people in centers already
congested m ust ecase.
D uring the last 30 y ears the d rift
has been stead ily cityw ard. In 1880
70 p er cent of th e population was ru-
ral; in 1910 it was only 54 per c e n t
In all bu t tw o gtatee th e urban pop
u lation is now in creasing faster
th an th e rural.
I t is up to Uncle Sam to get busy.
So should w estern congressmen,
regardless oi politics.
L et a national loan o f $100,000,-
000 be m ade to develop th e in terio r
o f th e U nited S tates.
Colonel G oethals b u ilt the canal,
and oversaw the expenditures of a l
most $500,000,000.
T here is no doubt th a t P resident
W ilson and S ecretary Im ne would
be given the $100,000,000 to spend
on irrig atio n of public lands, if they
p u t G oethals in ch arg e o f the ex
penditure.
G oethals has made good.
R aise th is $100,000,000 and let
G oethals spend i t
T
------- ♦-------
VALUE OF FARM MANURE.
~ F P R O PE R LY eared for, the
m anure from one cow is worth
abont 50 cents a week.
I t doesn t pay to Lies it outside
th e barn door and let th e rain wash
th e valuable p a rt of it aw ay, does
ttt
I
W HAT DADDY W AS U P
AGAINST.
S I j OOKING back over my boy-
O_i hood days, ’ ’ said an A tchi
son man
recently,
“ I
would not exchange them fo r those
my own boy is experiencing. I was
poor as a church mouse, while my
boy has an average good home, b u t
he is m issing so m any good, w hole
some pleasures I had b n t did not
appreciate.
“ I w as raised out in the country
w here no person ordered me out of
th e ir w ay or o ff th e ir prem ises.
T here were fields and woods, creeks
to w ade in, b arn s to p lay in,
orchards w ith no ‘ keep o u t’ sign
displayed.
“ My son w ears sandals in sum
mer. I co u ld n ’t a ffo rd footw ear
fo r sum m er and w ent barefoot. My
boy has shoes th an can bo p u t on
easy in w in ter and overshoes. I
reveled in cowhide boots.
“ M y boy has overcoats, sw eaters
and th e w arm est underw ear. I
knew nothing about a sw eater,
bought my firs t o vercoat a fte r I
w as 20 y ears old and wore canton
flannel, home made underclothes.
M y boy has a coaster w agon, roller
and ice sk ates and o ften rides in
an autom obile. B ut he does not
have a dog, he never broke a calf
to lead, never has made or repaired
a wagon of any sort, d o e sn 't know
w h at it is to roam tho country
over.
“ I wonld not give the pleasure
I had w ith my dog, w hich I broke
to pull, a lam b I hitched up w ith
th e dog, a calf I broke to lead and
f i r ally to work in sh a fts until it
w as a y ear old, th e w ork of mak-
- ing c a rts for th e dog to b sul, re
p airin g his harness, and dozens of
o th er am usem ents w hich never cost
a cent, fo r th e ro a s te r w agon, the
roller and ice skates, th e movies,
th e autom obile and tra in rides
w hich a re th e pastim e and pleasures
o f my boy.
“ Boys o f to d ay have th eir w ork,
pleasure and p astim e laid ont for
them . Boys o f my day had to cre
a te th e ir own. I am sure 1 enjoyed
life more th an do th e boys of to
d a y .’’
i.. i+---------—
H E EA TS L IK E A K INO .
ROM th e Rhymes of a R etired
H arv ester, in th e A tchison
Globe:
“ T he day s are long and heated
w here toils th e h arv est hand, and
ere th e j o b ’s com pleted, h e 'll sw ear
to b eat th e band.
“ F o r w heat beards tr y to pune-
tn re his w eath er beaten skin and
a t an o th er ju n ctu re, th e sw eat bees
rub it in. And when he seeks his
slum ber la te in the stilly night,
m osquitoes in larg e num ber drive
M orpheus to flig h t.
“ W hen comes th e firs t gray
daw ning o f one more su ltry day,
h e ’s ont whpre th e r e ’s no aw ning
to keep th e sun away. O nt there
until th e finish, he, juggles golden
grain lest o u tp u t m ight dim inish,
or get caught in th e rain.
“ The w ork is hard and dreary ;
the pay is not so g reat, fo r w orking
till y o n 're w eary from early morn
till late.
“ B ut h e re ’s a consolation for
those who go th a t w ay to feed a
hungry n ation and g a m e r w hat
th ey m ay:
“ H is a p p e tite ’s a w onder and
som ething hard to b eat, and yet
h o ’ll fin d , by thunder, they have
enough to e a t.’ ’
______
W H EN G IR L S L EA V E HOME.
L JZ A B IH H 8. M ’A TEE. g-ner-
__ al secretary of th e Young Wo
m e n 's C hristian A ssociation, of
C incinnati, has w ritten a le tte r of
advice to girls.
“ My firs t advice to every coun
try girl is, d o n ’t come to the city
unless it is absolutely n ecessary,’’
says Miss M cAtee.
“ A t th e present tim e there are
eo m any w ays in which a woman
can earn a livelihood in th e country
— w ays which require intelligence
and brains and which are exceeding
ly rem unerative.
F
E
“ On th e other hand our largo
cities are crowded w ith boys and
girls w orking for a few dollars a
week—so few indeed, th a t th ey do
not supply the necessities o f life.
“ If, in spite of advice, a girl ia-
sista on try in g life in the city, she
should have money enough to de
fray her firs t m o n th ’s expenses and
pay her w ay home.
“ She should know w here she ■■
going when sho reaches the city .
“ Tho Y. W. C. A. is alw ays ready
to have stran g ers met a t th e utae
tion and d irect them to ssfe places.
“ Above all girls trav elin g alone
should not m ake acquaintances os
the tra in or a t th e statio n and
should ask inform ation only of of
ficials in uniform .
“ The tim e is not fa r d is ta n t
when the N ational T ra v e le rs’ A id
Society will have a rep resen tativ e
a t every railroad statio n , tra c tio a
station and steam boat landing.
“ E very girl coming to a stran g e
city should bring w ith her a le tte r
from her pastor or some o th er per- ,
son of good stan d in g in the com
m unity from which she com es.’’
|
The m ain th in g is: B efore loam
ing home, th in k tw ice or thrice.
J
____
A GOOD IDEA.
F the school children of P o rtla n d
and o th er points in Oregon and
W ashington a tte n d th e ‘ eluna-
bia R iver In te rsta te P air, to be
held a t V ancouver, Wash., Septem
ber 7-12, in as g re a t num bers as
there are free tick ets fo r them ,
special ears will have to be p u t on
th e run betw een P o rtlan d and V an
couver.
To the school children o f P o r t
land 32,000 free tick ets have been
d istrib u ted , and some of the ch il
dren who have gardens th ere will
e n te r the produce in com petition at
the fa ir th is fall. To children »
o th er places outside of P ortland 18/-
000 tic k e ts have been given to
them , good fo r S eptem ber IL
T his is a good idea.
A ny fa ir th a t in te re sts th e school
children w ill be a nuccoaa.
I
WTIAT BIG CROPS M EA N .
HOPS are big all over the
C
Staten.
T his m eans th a t lots o f m oney
w ill be {mid h arv est bands.
T h a t th e th resh er man will be
paid.
T h a t the farm ers can p ay th e ir
bills.
The ban k s will get th e ir prinek.
pal and in te re st on fa rm e rs ’ note*.
T h at the w arehouses will be folk
T h a t the railroads will have lota
o f cars to haul.
All along th e line big e.rope n«ejl
prosperity.
I t ’s ab o u t tim e fo r th e p e e s»
m ists to g e t to work.
If th ey w ere busy doing com »
th in g th ey w o u ld n ’t have titna te
howl.
H EW TO T H E LINK.
URAL o rganizations should hew
to the line.
K eep alive and doing.
M ake your pow er fe lt in yoar
comm unity.
P ull together.
Work for b e tte r schools, b ettm
roads, b c .te r m arketing.
Drop personal rivalries and je a l
ousies, church prejudices and p o liti
cal difference*.
I t you have no fa rm e rs ’ clubs in
your v icinity, organize one.
Work w ith your neighbors for the
good of all.
R
TO ADVBRTT3ERS.
A dvertisers In th is locality who
wish to fully cover all sections of
Oregon and W ashington and a por
tion of Idaho w ill sp p 'y to local pub
lishers for rates.
G eneral ad v ertisers may addram
C. L. B urton, A dvertising M anager,
411 P anam a Building, P ortland,
Oregon, fo r rates and in fo rn is tio x
The publishers will accept bust
n ets from no ad v ertiser whose relia
b ility can be questioned.