THE COUNTRY HOME 145 



life satisfying and efficient. There are many farmers in Illinois 

 today who can build such homes as soon as they make up their minds 

 that they want them. To those I would say that I believe there is no 

 other way that they can buy as much satisfaction with their money 

 as in building an up-to-date, permanent farm home. There are very 

 many others who want such homes, but have not the means to get 

 them, and it is their case that I wish to present in this paper. 



Take first the case of the tenant farmer. In some of our richest 

 corn-belt counties seventy per cent of the farms are operated by 

 tenants. Now there are some tenant farms where the home very 

 closely approaches the ideal, but they are rare. In the majority of 

 cases the owner is interested only in taking as much as he can from 

 the farm every year. He has never realized or considered the im- 

 portance of preserving the fertility of the soil. His business has been 

 to mine that fertility just as rapidly as possible. Likely he lives in a 

 distant city, perhaps in another state. Possibly all the business is 

 handled through a third party acting as agent. In any case there is 

 little or no thought given to the matter of making the place attractive 

 or homelike. The only improvements made are those that are con- 

 sidered necessary to make the farm workable and to insure the land- 

 lord his rent from year to year. What is the result ? A farmstead 

 consisting of a little cluster of cheaply constructed and unattractive 

 buildings, set very likely on the bleakest, most desolate part of the 

 farm, with very few trees for shade and comfort and no grassy lawn 

 for children to play in. No good live stock; because the landlord 

 won't build barns to house them, and won't allow land sown to clover 

 or other hay or pasture crops to feed them. Constantly diminishing 

 yields, because the landlord can't see far enough ahead to provide for 

 maintaining the fertility of his soil. Can you imagine children grow- 

 ing up in such surroundings with the desire in their hearts to be 

 farmers? Is it any wonder that they flock to the cities as soon as 

 they are free to shift for themselves? 



WHAT is THE REMEDY? 



What is the remedy? A step in the right direction will be taken 

 when landlords stop renting from year to year on a single year lease, 

 and adopt the long term lease, making provision for live stock and 

 soil fertility requirements. This will make life seem more worth 

 while to the tenants, will make them better farmers, better home- 

 makers, better citizens. Some landlords argue that they cannot get 



