SMALL FARMS FOR POOR MEN. 397 



children to a much greater extent than if working out as a 

 laborer. 



There is still another side to this question, and that is the ad- 

 vantage to the community in having honest, industrious neighbors, 

 ready to help in the many emergencies which arise on the farm. 

 The farmer is often obliged to keep a hired man, thus adding to 

 the work and burden of his wife, often when she is already 

 overtaxed, which he could dispense with had he a neighbor 

 on whose services he could rely when extra help was needed. 

 The man with one or two acres of land could work out the 

 larger part of his time; but with from five to ten acres he 

 could employ the most or all of his time at home. 



How to get a Home. If a laboring man must wait till 

 he has saved money to pay for his land, he will stand a poor 

 chance of ever owning it. His best plan is to buy on long 

 time, and apply the money which would be paid out for rent 

 toward paying for the place. Fortunately, in most of our 

 States building associations have been organized to meet such 

 cases as this, and wherever one is accessible it makes it an easy 

 matter for a man with any enterprise to secure a home. 



These building associations issue stock to be paid in small 

 weekly installments. In all that I am familiar with, the shares 

 of stock are two hundred dollars and the weekly installments 

 twenty-five cents a share. This gives eight hundred. weeks or 

 over fifteen years in which to pay up his stock. Any one can 

 own stock in the association ; but no one can borrow out money 

 except a member of the association who owns real estate, and 

 the loan is secured by first mortgage. Any member who has 

 not borrowed can withdraw his money and have his stock can- 

 celed at any time, but must wait till the end of the year or 

 lose his dividends, which are declared annually. If the stock- 

 holder has the money to spare, and wishes to save the trouble 

 of weekly payments, he may pay monthly, semi-annually, or an- 

 nually in advance, and when he pays six months or more in ad- 

 vance, he is allowed interest at the rate of six per cent on the 

 money so paid. A fine of five cents per share of stock is im- 

 posed each week in default of payment of dues. At the end of 



