The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., December 16, 1911, TENANTS' AND RENTERS' SPECIAL., Image 1

About The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920

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TENANTS’ AND RENTERS' SPECIAL.
GRES 51 YE
i WSmd
mi famm Gazette
A Farm and Home Weekly for
^ Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, and T ennessee.
P. F. Title Rest’d, U.S. 1 -
__ _Patent Office. J_ FOUNDED, 1895 BY DR. TAIT BUTLER AT STARKV1LLE. MISS
Volume XVI, No. 50.SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1911._ Weekly : $1 a Year.
WHAT I WOULD AIM AT IF I WERE A TENANT FARMER.
By J. F. DUGGAR, Alabama Field Editor.
I HAVE chosen to speak of what 1 would aim at rather than of
what I would do, because 1 realize that we must all fall short of
the full accomplishment of any well laid plan. The best that any
of us can do is to aim high and then come as near our aim as possible,
even thousili we realize in advance
that we may not be able to live
fully up to our plans and ideals.
If I were a tenant-farmer, then,
my first thought would be to
choose my landlord very carefully.
I should desire one whose word
is as good as his bond, or even
better, and then should make sure
that the bond or contract was in
written and explicit form, so as to
avoid any possible misunderstand
ing on either side.
I should give much thought to
the kind of contract which I
should propose to the landlord, at
the same time realizing that there
would be difficulties in getting it
adopted because of the landlord's
doubts of my being different from
the average tenant with whom he
may have had some unsatisfactory
experiences. In a rent note I
_1.1 _— .... ii.i
tenant should have the privilege of removing any fencing wire, metal
roofing, or other detachable property that he may have purchased. 1
should certainly expect for this contract to provide for the tenant to he
paid by the landlord at the expiration of the lease for any permanent
improvements which may have been authorized by the landlord, and
to have the general nature of such improvements suited in the origi
nal contract or in supplementary contracts. Most reasonable land
lords would agree to such conditions, and if convinced of the tenant’s
good faith, the exceptional landlord should also be willing to encour
age diversified farming on his land to the extent of agreeing to com
pensate the tenant for any growing winter crops, such as oats, wheat,
etc., which may have been sown but not harvested at the termination
of the contract, the landlord recouping himself by charging such
amounts to the succeeding tenant. Of course, it is only the excep
tional tenant in this country who leaves such a desirable condition
behind him, though this custom is common in England, where such
compensation as proposed above is a matter of law, the determina
tion of the value of such unharvested crops being usually made by
arbitration.
In the next place I should desire a long lease. If a long lease
could not be secured, the tenant should have the privilege of an annual
renewal for at least three or five years, subject only to the provision
that the tenant should present to the landlord, if required, by No
vember of each year, reasonable proof of his ability to conduct fann
ing operations during the ensuing year. Tenants often fail to realize
"by land-owners are sometimes averse to entering into long leases.
Tbe reason is usually because the owner realizes that in case of a
crop failure he may have the land thrown back on him too late for
him to secure a satisfactory substitute. Under such conditions the pro
visions of a rent contract would not effectively bind tbe man without
property.1 If tins condition can be removed by the provision mentioned
above, most progressive landlords would prefer long lenses as tending
tn inti'wvK# tlio (tMi.'int iti lin i Itl i n«r
up the property.
If I were a tenant living under
conditions Hint promised to he de
sirable for permanent residence, 1
should try to have the rent con
tract give me an option to buy a
part or the whole of the rented
land at a fixed date anti price.
However, I should not expect most
landlords to l>e willing to enter in
to such a contract and I should
not insist upon such provision.
In any case, I should live with
the purpose of owning in time a
home and as much surrounding
land as my circumstances would
justify. Still, it is better business
for one to buy 40 acres and to
rent flu* rest ho needs, reserving
enough capital to farm the owned
and rented land effectively, titan
to burden himself by purchasing
more laiui man lie is able to work
properly. It is sometimes more profitable to rent than to own land. I
should endeavor while a tenant to convince the property owner by my
method of farming that I was quite as much interested as lie in the im
provement of the property, and that my faithfulness and honor were at
least equal to his. And finally, 1 would identify myself with every
movement tor the improvement of the community through better roads,
schools, churches, and other social and economic environments. ■
FEATURES^OF^ THIS ISSUE.
CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS AND LEGENDS—Tales From Other Lands It)
CONGRESS MAKES A RAD BEGINNING—The Pension Graft. ... El
FEEDS FOR THE YOUNG PIGS— Why Some Nitrogenous Con
centrates Must Re Fed. 14
HOW TO HAVE GRAPES AT HOME—A Short Article That Muv
Re Worth Dollars to You. jp
LAW AS TO RENTERS AND CROPPERS—The Difference Between
a Tenant and a Cropper. 5
LONGER LEASES NECESSARY—The Land Can Not Re Built Up
Under One-Year Leases. ;j
NOW Ls THE TIME TO BUY LAND—Chances for the Man With
Little Money Will Never Re More Favorable . 4
OUR DOMESTIC SCIENCE COURSE—The First Set of Questions
and Answers . 2:1
RADICAL CHANGES NEEDED—We All Need to Learn to Love the
Soil More . p
RENTERS NEED NO I I1E POOR — A System of Farming by
Which Tenants Become Independent. 2
THREE THINGS W E CAN AGREE UPON — More Home Owners,
Longer Leases, Written Contracts . j j
WHAT OUR READERS THINK OF THE TENANT SYSTEM_An
Uncommonly Interesting Lot of Short Letters. p
ENCOURAGE THE TENANT TO KEEP GOOD STOCK.
If proper provision is made for the keeping of good livestock, both tenant and the land
lord can make money, and the land will get better. This picture shows a concrete feeding
floor for hogs.