Published by 
Weekly, On-' Dollar Per Year 
The Rural Publishing Co. 
I iiC 
Po;.t;jaicl 
333 W. 30th Street 
New York 
. TA' _ 
Single Copies. Five Cents 
The Business Farmer’s Paper 
Voi. l.XWII. M:\V YORK, SIIRTK.M IW'.i; 11. RMS. Xo. 1400. 
New Families on Old Farms 
The Pioneer Spirit Needed 
IIK RONKI.Y HILI.S.—‘Why 1imv(> llie ..Id 
Ainoidean lainilies left ihc^o I'iirmsV” I asked 
llic farm a.scnt' %vas .sliovvin^j m(' sonu' of his 
rccout sales to Finns and Swedes in 'I'io.ira f’onnty, 
•Xew York. ‘‘Jnst lonosorneness," lu' replied. ‘‘Onr 
American women will nor stay on llu'se hills, and. if 
we ciiiinot find ihoso wlio will, tlie farms will l.e 
des(>rto(i.’’ '\^'e ha.l .in>t t.een lookin.t; over Matty 
Jlerrala'.s farm of 4 (m) acres, and niiu* children, jind. 
haddn.ir at tin' <hildren. from thrta; to HO yt'ars .d' 
tiicn thinkiiitr of the size of the avc'r.a.ire Anmr- 
icjtn family of this (.'.■noratioii, we .s.aw why so many 
faians are lonesome. 
.\X nrMlCRAXT'.s STORY.—Afatty’s story is 
worth kiiowin.LT. for he is one <d‘ the ]iioneers of ;i 
new ('ra. Xh>t nniny yo.irs ai'o h<' loft Finl.-ind. .and 
his wUV S^\•(Mleil. to Mild tlieir \\a.\ into th(“ Itla.'lv 
Hills of Sotith Oak.da. Marty worked in the mines 
tiiid saved his money. lie j.referred to work tihove 
k'ronnd, howt'ver, and wlieii lu* htid moiie.v (Mion.trh 
ahe.ad he iiciinired a iioinestead claim .and embarked 
in Inarse tind catile-raisin,ir. Mrs. llt'iaaila helped, 
ami could tell .on (>f .'ome thrilling" ridt's as she and 
her pony took their part in the her.lin.e-. 'The.v pros 
jieiaat .and becamt' owners of black soil that, .asMatty 
s.a.vs. “w'onhl raisi* .anythin.Lr.” hut wlitn’e. as he als.. 
>a.\s, “yon c.an't sell anything: after yini have raistal 
it.” They wert* to mil.-- fr..m a doct.ir. 4'hen tliey 
read .about the che.ap fa tans in X»'w Y.>rU' State; 
f.aians with imirkets. sch....!s. ..•iHircht's. ami neijrhhors 
i.tairhy, and a doct.ir within reach if you maaled 
him. Matty e.aint* Jla.-t to investi.irate. tind in one 
of the narrow valleys tainnin^ hack from the Sus.iue- 
hanna River, 12 milef. from the county .se.at :ind 
tihouf half that from other smaller villa.ite.s, he found 
some of tho.se cheap farms; ‘•imitroved” faiaris that 
could i.c pnrchasc.l al from Sl.l r.. $2.'. por acr(>. 
ilatty saw the irosslhilities in these firms if one Inid 
sufficient workin'r Cii]>ital. a working famil.v, .‘in.i flie 
].i.)iu‘er spirit. He had ttll tlie.se, iind, before returii- 
in.ir to Hakota, lie lu'came the owntn- of 120 aeri's, 
with .some fair hnildiiig.s, on Hh' hill just out of the 
narrow valh'.v. Then the family cairn' ami worked 
tin' farm until Matty could dispose of his AVestern 
jirojierfy and join them for an iiil-to."other jntll on 
the Ih-istern hills. 
.V FAAIIIA' OF AYORKEU8.—4'liere were nine 
childrmi; four hoys fast growiiifr into manhood and 
sevi'ral "ills wlio could rival thc'ir brtdliers at .some 
kiiuis of work. O’lio fatlier ami mother had nt'ver 
known anythiiiLC hut hard work, and never e.viH'Cted 
to. Hero was a force that could c.mqnor a wildi'r- 
iicss. let aloiK' an ‘'imi.rovt'd firm." And lu'iv w.-is 
a f:.niily all iinlliii" t.iyctlier fir a comnioii ]inriiosc. 
not siinitly hidin" tlio time' until th.'y .•onhl sejiaratc. 
i:ieh on.' to his own y.i.al. .V inie pioncr family. 
Out' luindri'd and twenty aert's couidiTI keep such a 
f-imily busy lon.ir, tind an adjoiniiii" farm wa.s tiddcd 
to tlie first. Tlicn. just hcut'atlt tlicm on liic valley 
roati. a farm witli ti small timber trtici. ;ind willi 
Jarjic hnildin.ixs tliat had been occn)iied by icmmts 
until tlnw liad .mitten a irood stttrt toward ruin, came 
upon tlu' market. Alatty didn't wjint tlu' timber. Iml 
lie did w.aiit tiu' hnildin",s and tlie nu'adows. so. at 
lln,' anclioa .s.ile. willi sotiie liimlier hu.M'rs in the 
b;ick"ronnd. lie hec.-iim' the ]iiirch:is«'r. .\ smaller 
] lac'c next to it had >onK‘ i;ood meadows and iiastnia'. 
and ;in tndiffi'ri'iit owner, and with tlie ;ic.piisiriiin 
of tills the Ht'rrala family hecame tlie lar.irc land 
owners of tin' xalh'.v. Tlu' Ifi.ir lions.' on tin' valle.v 
roa.il h('' line tlu' hoiiii' :ind workiii" center, whih' 
tlie t'lniit.v I'l^msi's on the (.tlier farms art' iirohalily 
leadiii" the passiu" .--ti'antter to lament tlu' existence 
of .so many aliaiidoned farms in tlie Kui])ire State. 
A HFSA’ F.VItAr. -AAMu'ii I visited tiu' farm, five 
.tt'.-irs after the first jiiirelne-e. Iliin.ics wt'i'c lnimmiii" 
H was a "ood Imy da.^■ and four mt'ii, two It'ams, 
jiud .several yonii" woint'u were takin.e; atlvantake ef 
it. ,\ vt'f.v small lioy was not workiii.e:. tind Ids 
liaxen-liaired sister of tliret' wtis payin.e: iii'i- wa\ 
witli smih"-. .\s the ti'ani was drivt'u upon Hi.' 
lloor witli a load of liay. one of the hoys iiileht'.l 
it to tlio h:iy-ro|.<' and Ids sisit'r of 14 liandh'd the 
Iitiist s w ith lilt' skill of a man in iiiilo.idimi:. It w,is 
a case <)f man.v hands makiii.y li."hl work, .lolin, w ho 
Is but just under draft a.m'. was t'vi.lt'iit l,\ forein.in 
of tlio junior workiii.ti force, and h.' stopiieil his t.'am 
loiiy' ('iioiiiih io .show me .‘ihout tht' plact'. A lar.ire 
kerosene-Imrnin," tractor stood in tlu' yard, .lolin 
bavin," just ovcrlianlcd it to r('pliic(' two small pin¬ 
ions; pinions, by tlu' way. for whi.-li lit' had been 
(onuK'lled Io pa>' S." t'ach. When In' hon.yht the 
tractor tlu'.v Avere -^2 c'.-icli. This Ir.-ictor liad done 
most of the ]'h)win," and liarrowin." for thri'c sea¬ 
sons, and .lolin was clni. Idinu' lo think liow !ie w.as 
goiipt; lo surprise tht' nativi's tliis ye.ar iiy liitcldii" 
it to :i roaper and idiuh'r. Fvideiitl.v somethin," of 
a •iiecli.nnie. .roliii had tlial tractor broken sinsrU' 
;.nd doiil.lt'. 
AfAt’HIXF.RA: AND lAlRROVKAIliXTS.—In a 
iK'arhy h;irn Avas tlie .seiiarator of the rlirashin.u' 
outfit tlmt John Avould ttike on tlie road wlu'U their 
oAvu tlirashiii.e; was d.jiie. In aiiotlu'r phui' wc' cjime 
iiiion tlie sil:t,"e cutter used in fillin.a' llu'ir 1 IxR.d- 
foot silo, and tin* feed .urindt'r wlii.'h niadi' liu'm 
iiidept'iident of tin' miller. A Avood saw. too. iielped 
to make tlu' tracloi- pay its way wIk'ii not in the 
lu'ld. .''^harin.tr tli.' tioor willi tlie latU'i’ was a .'ix 
cylindi'r Ciir. and even Jolin couldn't lu'li> sliowinu: a 
little more enlluisiasni over its len,"tli of wlu'e! base 
and speed on the road Ilian in tin' pi.issihilitit's of a 
tractoi' on ii hill fiirni in Xew A'ork. Tlie stone walls 
of the hi.i; ii;isemeiit, Avhich were f;il!in" in Avheu the 
lU'rrala famil.v took possession, Imd been ivphice.l 
A JiCSli)l{/ Xpe?/ oit (t Fniil Farm in W'cslcrn JVcir Yorlc. Many Ihnuls \fnl-c Lit/hi W’orl: irilh the Peach Jlarve-':!. Fiii. 
