The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 205 



of these lands for farming purposes is up against. The original 

 price of the land is only a small part of his necessary expenses 

 in building a home. To grub and clear the land ready for the 

 plow without removing the stumps will cost him anywhere from 

 $7 to $10 an acre ; fencing, $5 or $6 an acre ; necessary buildings, 

 even of the most modest sort, from $5 to $10 an acre, and then, 

 if he iS' to have a real farm, the stumps must be removed so 

 that he can use improved machinery, and this entails an addi- 

 tional expense of anywhere from $10 to $25 an acre, depending 

 upon the character and number of the stumps to be removed. 

 And, as has been pointed out, one or two years' cultivation is 

 necessary before the land can be brought to a fairly productive 

 state. You can afford to sell these lands at a reasonable price. 

 They were purchased for the most part with the timber stand- 

 ing at from 75 cents to $3 or $4 an acre. They are carried on 

 the tax rolls of the various states today at from $1 to $2 an 

 acre. Personally I do not believe that any of the cut-over pine 

 land in its natural state is worth for agricultural purposes more 

 than $10 per acre, and the greater part of it is not worth that. 



Third — It must be sold on long time and easy terms with Sell on Long 

 practically no cash payment down or for the first two or three Time and 

 years. These lands will not, as a rule, attract the man with ^°*^ Terms. 

 money. They cannot compete with the prairie lands and im- 

 proved farm lands in that market. Your purchasers will be, as 

 in the past, people of small means who are hungering and thirst- 

 ing for homes, but have not sufficient capital to buy improved 

 farm lands. They must be sold on such terms that practically 

 their entire capital can be devoted to improving the land and 

 getting it into a productive state before much of a payment is 

 required of them. And then when you have got them on the 

 land you must be prepared to give them help financially and 

 otherwise. You should work out some system by which, if 

 necessary, you can loan them money for buildings, for fencing. 

 It may be necessary and advisable to loan them money to pur- 

 chase equipment, particularly a cow or two, a brood sow or two, 

 and other live stock, and for seed and fertilizer. Once a man is 

 located on your land you must do everything possible to see to 

 it that he succeeds, for each success will bring you many addi- 

 tional purchasers, but each failure will turn many prospective 

 purchasers away. You may "possibly find it advantageous to 

 clear up large quantities of land and get them ready for culti- 



