380 



THE IKRIGATION AGE. 



The Department of Agriculture Collects Data Show- 

 ing That Land Values Increase in Actual 

 Value After Road Improvements. 



GOOD COUNTRY ROADS PAY FOR THEM- STOCKMEN PARTICIPATE IN MANAGE- 

 SELVES. MENT OF NATIONAL FORESTS 



During the past fiscal year, according to a report 

 of the U. S. torest service, 31 local organizations of 

 stockgrowers using national forest ranges have ap- 

 plied for and secured the official recognition of their 

 advisory boards by the forest service. This brings 

 the number of associations officially recognized by 

 the forest service to a total of 115. 



Through the medium of these advisory boards 

 several thousand stockmen who graze stock upon 

 the national forests now take an active part in dis- 

 cussing all problems of forest administration which 

 affect their interests. The result, states the forest 

 service report, has been the elimination of misunder- 

 standing regarding the requirements of the stock 

 interests and an improvement in methods of range 

 control which has won the endorsement and ap- 

 proval of the large majority of the persons who de- 

 pend upon the national forests for the pasturage 

 of their stock. 



Two of the stockmen's associations are national 

 in their scope and one is a state organization. The 

 remaining 112 are local organizations. The stock- 

 men have, it is said, been successful in securing ad- 

 visory boards composed of broadminded, unselfish 

 men of wide practical experience who have worked 

 for the best interests of their industry but at the same 

 time have given intelligent consideration to the need 

 for forest protection, and who therefore have di- 

 rected their recommendations along constructive 

 lines. 



The recent order of Secretary Houston extend- 

 ing official recognition to organizations of other 

 classes of forest users is said to have resulted mainly 

 from the large measure of success won by the co- 

 operation of the government with the stockmen. 



It has been discovered that the waste from 

 dogwood shuttle-blocks can profitably be made 

 into handles for steel knives and forks. 



Contrary to popular belief, forest fires seldom 

 travel more than 2 or 3 miles an hour. Even in 

 extreme cases it is questionable whether they burn 

 at a rate of more than 6 to 10 miles an hour. 



Uncle Sam's forest rangers require that perm- 

 anent camp sites within the forests shall be kept 

 in sanitary condition. The ubiquitous tin can must 

 be buried, and waste paper burned when a camp is 

 left. 



More than 3,000 small logging operators now 

 buy national forest timber; at least 25,000 persons, 

 settlers, miners, stockmen, and others, obtain tim- 

 ber from Uncle Sam's big woodlot for their own 

 use free of charge. 



The forests of Corsica, the little island upon 

 which Napoleon was born, are managed by the 

 French government. They produce lumber, fire- 

 wood, and turpentine, and all parts of the tree are 

 far more closely utilized than in America. 



The direct effect that changing bad roads into 

 good roads has upon land value and the general 

 economic welfare of a community is shown in sev- 

 eral concrete illustrations gathered by the U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture. The Department has 

 just issued a statement on the subject, based upon 

 a mass of information gathered by the Office of 

 Public Roads, which is making a special study of 

 the economic effect of road improvement in the 

 country. According to data gathered, where good 

 roads replace bad ones, the values of farm lands bor- 

 dering on the roads increase to such an extent that 

 the cost of road improvement is equalized, if not 

 exceeded. The general land values, as well as farm 

 values, show marked advances, following the im- 

 provement of roads. 



Among the illustrations cited by the Depart- 

 ment are the following : 



In Lee County, Virginia, a farmer owned 100 

 acres between Ben Hur and Jonesville, which he 

 offered to sell for $1,800. In 1908 this road was im- 

 proved, and, although the farmer fought the im- 

 provement, he has since refused $3,000 for his farm. 

 Along this same road a tract of 188 acres was sup- 

 posed to have been sold for $6,000. The purchaser 

 refused the contract, however, and the owner threat- 

 ened to sue him. After the road improvement, and 

 without any improvement upon the land, the same 

 farm was sold to the original purchaser for $9,000. 



In Jackson county, Alabama, the people voted a 

 bond issue of $250,000 for road improvement and 

 improved 24 per cent of the roads. The census 

 of 1900 gives the value of all farm lands in Jack- 

 son county at $4.90 per acre. The selling value at 

 that time was from $6 to $15 per acre. The census 

 of 1910 places the value of all farm lands in Jack- 

 son county at $9.79 per acre, and the selling price 

 is now from $15 to $25 per acre. Actual figures 

 of increased value following road improvement are 

 shown. 



As the roads in no way effect soil fertility or 

 quality of the farm, advances are due essentially 

 to the decrease in the cost of hauling produce to 

 market or shipping point. Farms are now regarded 

 as plants for the business of farming, and any re- 

 duction in their profits through unnecessarily heavy 

 costs for hauling on bad roads naturally reduces 

 their capitalization into values. With reduced costs 

 for hauling, profits are increased ; with the result 

 that the farm plant shows satisfactory earnings on 

 a higher capital value. 



The automobile also has begun to be an im- 

 portant factor in increasing rural values where good 

 roads are introduced. 



Immigration is particularly marked where road 

 conditions are favorable ; in fact, the figures of the 

 department seem to indicate that good roads indi- 

 rectly increase the demand for rural property ; and 

 the price on farm land. 



Send $1.00 for 1 year's subscription to the IRRIGA- 

 TION ACE and bound copy of THE PRIMER OF IRRIGA- 

 TION. If you desire a copy of The Primer of Hy- 

 draulics, add $2.50 to above price. 



