EASTERN FARMS HELD HIGHER. 
END OF “ABANBOMKD FARMS ” IN SIGHT. 
How Conditions are Changing. 
A IOUGH STORY.—Information received through 
the office of the State Board of Agriculture, and through 
one of the best informed sources of Maine, is to the 
effect that eastern farms are rising in value, and 
that the era of abandoned farms is drawing to a 
close. In a small degree, in Massachusetts, the efforts 
of the State as a whole to secure the repopulation of the 
abandoned places has been a cause of the change. The 
State has made repeated appropriations in order to 
permit the State Board of Agriculture to advertise the 
abandoned farms. The fact that such farms are on the 
market has become known all over the world, judging 
from the correspondence of the Board. Though it is 
three years since the Board suspended its publication 
of the pamphlet catalogue of abandoned farms, because 
there seemed no need of further effort in that direction, 
yet scarcely a day passes that a letter is not received 
from some quarter of the globe asking for information. 
To-day’s letter was from Greece, evidently from some 
Englishman who wished to follow up in¬ 
formation received from an English paper. 
A copy of the article he referred to is in 
the office of the Board, and a more 
grotesque fabrication could hardly be 
imagined, for it represents a traveler 
somewhere two hours’ ride by rail from 
Boston going up to a fine farmhouse, find¬ 
ing it abandoned and open, and his going 
in and helping himself to a comfortable 
bed and staying for the night in first-class 
surroundings, with everything open to the 
visitor, and finding next day from a neigh¬ 
bor that this was one of the abandoned 
farms of Massachusetts, of which so much 
has been heard. The impression given 
was that a fine farm, with good house, 
barns, crops, well stocked with animals, 
was deserted suddenly by the owner and 
left open to the public. That particular 
article has been referred to repeatedly in 
letters to the Board, not only from Greece, 
but from Newfoundland, New Brunswick 
and elsewhere. But only a Munchausen 
could write such a letter, and only very 
poorly informed men could believe it. 
Still, the impression having been support- “SH 
eci by the course of the State that farm 
lands are to be had for very low prices, it remains in the 
minds of the public years after the occasion has ceased 
to exist. 
CAUSES OF CHANGE.—Modern conditions have 
changed the situation greatly since the beginning of 
organized effort to do something to save the rural dis¬ 
tricts from growing up to forest. It is 15 years since 
a board of trade in Berkshire County began action to 
save the small farms. This was followed by the action 
of the State three or four years afterward. During 
the interval since then there have been in operation 
the following powerful causes to change the situation: 
The construction of a partial system of State highways, 
with the apparent certainty that the system will be car¬ 
ried much further; the construction of trolley lines into 
many rural districts, the influx of foreign immigrant 
farmers, and the development of market gardening and 
intensive farming. The condition in Massachusetts has 
changed greatly during the 15 years, and now it is the 
opinion of well-informed officials that Massachusetts, 
perhaps all New England, is about to enter upon an era 
of agricultural development which will enable the sec¬ 
tion to raise a far larger proportion of its food supplies 
than during the last generation, and will bring back 
the population to the hill towns once more. 
WEST FILLED UP,—In fairness there might be 
added a fifth factor to the four named above, and that 
is the changed conditions in the West. The cattle 
ranges are being broken up into farms. The opportunity 
of fattening cattle in the East with profit is being heard 
of more and more in the last year or two, and those who 
remember how the stalls of farmers were filled during 
the \\ inter with fattening stock are speculating whether 
the return of that condition is not at hand. It has not 
been a lack of fertility in some of the abandoned farms 
which has led to their abandonment as much as it has 
been their distance from neighbors and the failure of 
their occupants to adapt themselves to modern im¬ 
proved machinery. In many cases fertile soils await 
the enterprising farmer. Now, after many years, these 
soils have rested and doubtless would prove profitable 
for the intelligent and energetic cultivator. Coming to 
details, it is said at the office of the Board that all 
through the suburbs of Boston there has been a steady 
and considerable increase in the price of farms. The 
town of Concord, 20 miles out, is named as an illustra¬ 
tion, and a place is held for $5,000 which could have 
been bought 10 years ago for $1,000. Of course that is 
exceptional, but there has been a steady upward move¬ 
ARING THE MILK.” FIRST PRIZE PICTURE. Fig. 365. 
ment. I he place has many market gardens. Cultiva¬ 
tion of vegetables for the Boston market is carried on 
by many, and the town is near enough for owners of 
land to drive in with their own teams without sending 
by cars. All through the nearer towns the business is 
followed with increasing extent of acreage and profit. 
I he same truth is obtaining in less degree in the vicinity 
of other large places, and the profits of land-working 
are good and reliable as far as crops can be made 
reliable. 
MODERN CONVENIENCES.— Trolley car service 
has made a difference in all the neighborhoods of large 
cities. Business men who have city offices or stores or 
shops will very likely have large country establishments 
also. One of the largest publishers in Boston is also 
as well known as the proprietor of one of the largest 
dairies in the State. He has big farms in Barre, where 
he sends his stock which is not in a milk-producing 
condition, and by brisk business methods, he carries on 
both kinds of business as successfully as if he gave himself 
exclusively to one alone. Of course he employs a large 
number of men in each establishment, and can stand 
a tremendous amount of work himself. When it is 
added that he is also city alderman and takes much in¬ 
terest in public questions, it is evident that he leads a 
busy life, The use of automobiles has favored the 
occupation of country places by men who do business 
in the cities. All through the suburbs of Boston every 
year shows new and magnificent houses erected on old 
farms, with great grounds, and effecting great changes 
in local appearances. Private carriages also take many 
of these suburban residents to local trains. It is becom¬ 
ing more and more stylish for wealthy men to live far 
from neighbors during a part or the whole of the year, 
imitating the English style of large estates. Some of 
these owners carry on their farms and have great pride 
in keeping up the finest of appearances. 
KEEPING UP THE RACE.—Prof. E. H. Forbush, 
who is widely informed upon the subject, speaking 
especially of the overflow of New York people into 
Berkshire County and their occupancy of many farms, 
says that the city people are beginning to realize that 
if families are not to run out the children must be brought 
up in the country, where they can have plenty of out¬ 
door life. Perhaps they can stand it for a generation or 
two, he says, to live in the city, but in the long run, if 
the family is not to dwindle it must get back to the 
country. Tt is a realization of this truth which makes 
so many rich people spend more and more of their time 
upon their farms. They do not train 
their sons to be farmers, but the children 
get the life of the farm and a better 
physical stock in consequence. The sons 
enter city life, and the foreign immigrants 
frequently do the hard farm work, but the 
effect of the whole is to improve the 
quality of the city family and to keep up 
the tone of the rural community. The 
last State census was taken in 1895, and 
the State officials say that material 
changes have occurred in the status of 
farms and in the movement of population 
since then. 1 hey are awaiting with un¬ 
usual interest the taking of the regular 
State census in 1905, confident that it will 
confirm by figures the impressions which 
they have gathered from close contact 
with the people all over the State since 
the last enumeration of population and 
of farm products. The New England 
farm is on the up grade again, and new 
machinery and methods have made farm 
life less onerous than formerly. 
R. L. B. 
R- N.-Y.—In other eastern States that 
have been less advertised than Massachu¬ 
setts very cheap farms may still be had. 
In sections of New York State farms in good condition 
have recently been sold for less than the cost of buildings. 
SEED FROM BLIGHTED MELONS. 
Would it be safe to select seed from melons that have 
blighted? reader. 
I would not take any chances with seed from blighted 
melons. They might be good and then they might not. 
My buying such seed would depend upon the difficulty 
of getting the same kind from sound fruits. Seeds 
that have been associated with bad fruits may not have 
the disease in them, but the germs may be clinging to 
the surface. The whole plant may be sick with the 
disease when the fruits are blighted, and such seed 
is more or less weakened thereby. byron d. halsted. 
1 would very much prefer seed from properly ripened 
melons rather than from blighted melons. I would 
choose this seed for physiological reasons, in that I 
would expect it to be heavier, more thoroughly ripened 
and of better vitality. So far as disease is concerned 
there might not be any difference between the two lots, 
There would be no danger of the downy mildew 
(Plasmopara Cubensis) blight being carried in this wayj 
but there is a possible chance that in some cases the 
bacterial wilt and anthtacnose Could be carried by seed 
from blighted melons. c, p, cunton, 
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 12, 1904. 
$1 PER YEAR. 
