Show Farms Farm's F rm's History 1 Recites Misuse Its It's Story of Thousands of Similar Experiences in ini i I Past Century 0 FULTON MO If If a farm could talk it often could tell many a story of good times and bad happy own own- owners owners owners ers and unhappy ones prosperity desolation abandonment and ruin This is the story of a acre farm near Fulton which now is back in the hands of the same govern- govern government government government ment which turned it over to pioneer homesteaders in 1832 It is a story which multiplied by thousands of similar cases of prosperity to ruin in a century becomes nationally significant The Boswells of this farm are local government conservationists who have traced out its history A little over a century ago the farm tarm known as the Adcock place was covered with timber It passed from government to private owner owner- ownership ownership ownership ship in five tracts from 1832 to 1853 and was homesteaded by real Mid Mid- Midwestern Midwestern Midwestern western pioneers The tracts finally came together in 1891 under own own- ownership ownership ownership of W. W D. D Adcock says the Associated Press Prices Advance Adcock sold the farm in 1903 for and it was sold again in 1904 to John C. C Hansen for At that time only 50 acres had been cleared but Hansen cleared another acres before 1909 when he sold it for to John C C. Douglas Douglas just married and striking striking striking ing out on his own built a solid four- four room house and farmed the place well specializing in livestock The had the farm paid for forin forin forin in 1919 when after two children had been born on the farm they sold it for and moved to town The new owner resold it the following year for to Grove Selby Land prices then were at a peak just following the First World war They were too high and soon be be- began began began gan causing trouble The farm was put in the hands of tenants who cropped it very heavily and soon the land showed the abuse Yields dropped Soil began washing away The owner was killed in an accident and in 1931 the farm found Itself on the courthouse steps in the hands of the sheriff who sold it for 2000 This fate is well known to too many Midwestern farmers who paid too much for land around 1920 Crowning Blow Sometime between 1932 and 1939 J. J C. C Smith bought the farm for plus some court costs and taxes In 1937 the place was aban aban- abandoned abandoned the land grew up in weeds and the gullies washed deeper and deeper as life-giving life top-soil top The buildings were vacant and improvements fell into an aban aban- aban abandoned and dilapidated state another er picture well known to the Mid Mid- west In 1939 came the crowning blow the the farm was listed as sub mar ginal meaning it was impossible without rehabilitation to sustain farming operations profitably there The government bought it for 1260 less than 10 per cent of what it was sold for 19 years earlier The land was wrapped up into the th Cedar Creek forest and pasture project of the Soil Conservation service which has been struggling for six years to reclaim the soil Some progress has been made and gk uj 20 20 r acre e already aired a dy has ha been in i n tITe me- Operations but the development is slow Fertilizer lime and soil build build- building building building ing crops and grass have been used extensively and the land now is be be- being being being ing rented at 2 an acre annually for grazing purposes Farmers who know the land are watching the operations with some skepticism |