222 LAND VALUATION 



of flood than the actual height of the water that must be guarded 

 against. Frost drainage is an exceedingly important point. 

 Many mountain meadows could be made into wonderful garden 

 spots were it not for the cold air which pours into them. But 

 even granted that all other factors are favorable no land will be 

 permanently remunerative under tillage unless it has ready access 

 to markets. How near those markets must be and how smooth 

 the intervening roads depends upon the products to be marketed. 

 Cattle, for example, can be driven for distances and over roads 

 that would be prohibitive for apples. All in all the experience in 

 turning cutover land into farms has been so disappointing that 

 the burden of proof should always be upon the would-be farmer 

 to show that his use is the highest. In this connection it must 

 be remembered that the returns from tillage are not so great as 

 they are commonly painted by the real estate agent. Over a 

 period of 25 years or more there are very few farms that give a 

 net return of over 5 per cent. In fact the long time records of the 

 Department of Agriculture show that 3 per cent is the average 

 net income from farm land. The following figures are taken 

 from such long time averages and give the net returns for some of 

 the principal farm crops: 



Per acre per 



annum 



Com $7 Cotton 10 



Wheat 6 Potatoes 7 



Oats 4 Hay 4 



As further substantiating this Bulletin 645, 1914, shows that the 

 average gross farm value of the 13 principal crops of the United 

 States was $16 an acre. This figure also holds good for Germany 

 during the period from 1909 to 19 13, while the net income was 

 not quite $6 per acre.* 



If, however, there is a comparatively small percentage of the 

 land in forested areas fit for tillage the other agricultural use of 

 pasturage needs to be considered even more fully. Here again 

 there is an inherited prejudice to combat. Our ancestors de- 

 pended in such large measure upon grazing for their meat, milk 

 and hides that one naturally thinks of it as a remunerative way 



