How A.B. Jones Went from Tenant Farmer Working with His Father to Landowner, Sept. 15, 1925

Landowner

By A.B. Jones, Brunswick County, Va., in the Progressive Farmer

When I was married 16 years ago I had nothing and lived in the house with my father the first year and worked half shares. That fall I moved to another farm just a few miles away. I happened to get with an extra good man and stayed with him for seven years. Part of this time I worked half shares, and the rest of the years I have a fourth and worked my own team.

Eight years ago I bought a small farm—just 60 acres. I had only enough money to pay half cash. The place had been rented out for years and was in bad shape and had not been improved any. Some of my neighbors told me I would never be able to pay the rest of the money, but my wife and I moved in and went to work. We had three little children at that time. I had gotten hold of a very good mule by that time and a one-horse wagon and buggy. Our first crop was small, but we did the best we could, and the next was better. After we made four crops we had finished paying for the 60 acres, and then bought another tract of 30 acres adjoining it. Two years ago we finished playing for the second tract. We haven’t any fine home, but have a five-room house and hope to have a better one after a while. I have a pair of mules, double wagon, two milk cows, farm implements, a fine flock of Barred Rock chickens, and a Ford—and am practically out of debt of any kind.

I have never had a store account. My father was a good man, but he got me disgusted with store accounts when I was a boy. My wife and I made it a rule to raise our own meat each year and a little to sell. My wife raises chicken to eat and some to sell. We raise our own vegetables and have plenty of milk and butter. I set out an orchard the first year I moved here and now we have plenty of fruit and a nice strawberry patch with plenty to sell and give our neighbors.

As soon as I moved here, I started sowing cowpeas and crimson clover and bought all the fertilizer each year I felt I was able to pay for. I saved all the manure from my stalls and hens. Now I raise plenty of corn and feed for my stock and poultry, potatoes, beans, peas, and some wheat. Then we make all the cotton and peanuts we can for market.

We have six children now, with a good school near us, and four of the children in school there. We are proud of our children, our home, our school and church, and proud of our good neighbors. The Progressive Farmers has been a great deal of help to us for the past 10 years.

I hope what I have written may help some other tenant try to become a landowner.

From the editorial page of The Concord Daily Tribune, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 1925 newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1925-09-15/ed-1/seq-4/