86 HOW TO GET A FARM, 



tliis : The farm will be poor, for no good ones are to be 

 let. The young man must do all the work, pay all the 

 taxes, repair miles of old tumble-down fences, and make a 

 certain amount of new repair and fix up the old house 

 and barns, build his own sheds, hog-pens, &c. ; cut, in the 

 aggregate, about ten acres of brush around stumps, in fence 

 corners, &c., then put in all his spare time to picking up 

 stone and rubbish, and drawing them from the meadows. 



&quot; Then he must find his own team, tools, and stock (if 

 he has any), keep it on his own half of the hay and grain, 

 and pasture for the owner of the farm an equal amount of 

 stock. He must then give one-half of all the produce of 

 the farm, and will be allowed to stay but one year ; and 

 why ? because the farm is now in shape, and the owner can 

 afford to work it himself, or rent it to some one that will 

 agree to pay twice the rent he will ever be able to. Would 

 it not be a good way for a young man to rent a good farm, of 

 a good man, in a good locality (where he can make it an 

 object for himself and landlord also), with the privilege of 

 buying, and the rent, in case of purchase, to apply on the 

 purchase-money ? At least that is the opinion of one who 

 intends to try it when a favorable opportunity occurs.&quot; 



So far the &quot;West had taken no part in this discus 

 sion, though evidently watching its progress, but 

 now she claims a hearing, as will appear from the 

 following remarks of Mr. J. B. Porterfield, of Cham 

 paign, 111. His representations are in striking con 

 trast with the discouragements suggested by Mr. 

 Benson : 



&quot;We have been some amused at the correspondence 

 which has been published in your paper since the inquiry 

 was made as to the best way for a poor man to get a farm. 



