FOREST TAXATION IN THE UNITED STATES 111 
locality and basing it primarily on local sales, many valuation factors such as 
accessibility to general markets, climatic conditions, and development of the 
community were eliminated from consideration, thus making it possible to use a 
relatively small number of sales with confidence. 
The constants in the valuation formula used to meacure the effect of the 
different valuation factors were determined by inspection. This was accom- 
plished by successively grouping the properties on the basis of the different factors, 
so as to find out how each factor appeared to affect the selling price. Most of 
the sales involving farm land included buildings, making it necessary to allocate 
to buildings a part of the purchase price. This was done by using the building 
value estimated by the formula method previously described, except in the rare 
cases when definite allocations of the price had been made for buildings by the 
parties concerned. In such cases these allocations were used. An element of 
judgment, based in part on comparison with similar towns, was usually necessary 
to evaluate certain factors not sufficiently covered in the available sales. A 
preliminary formula thus obtained from a consideration of all the sales and related 
information was then tested by applying it to all the properties which were included 
in these sales. Comparison between values computed by this formula and the 
actual selling prices usually pointed to certain improvements in the formula. 
The constants were adjusted accordingly, and the process was repeated until the 
formula would fit the greatest number of the reliable seiling prices. The small 
number of sales available in the northern Minnesota townships chosen made this 
inspection method of determining the valuation formulas more satisfactory than 
the standard statistical method. 
WISCONSIN 
Jt is unnecessary to repeat the detailed procedure used in Wisconsin, where 
the field studies were made the year following that of the Minnesota work and in 
general followed the methods just described. The experience gained in Min- 
nesota proved useful, and more time was available for fieldwork, so that a more 
thorough examination of the selected towns was possible. Not only were the 
roads traversed, but at least one foot traverse was made through every section. 
The route being usually along the quarter line directly bisecting the section. 
In the towns of Henrietta and Three Lakes, where the survey lines could not be 
readily followed on account of lakes and hills, the assessors were employed to 
assist in making locations. 
The property classes used in Wisconsin were not quite so well adapted to the 
purposes of the forest-taxation study as those recognized in the Minnesota work, 
as they were based primarily on ownership and do not permit definite segregation 
of timber and cut-over properties. Their choice was determined by the desire to 
make the data collected in Wisconsin comparable with certain other data eol- 
lected in the previous year for a general economic study in Lincoln County, Wis., 
and to facilitate cooperation with the State College of Agriculture, which was in 
a position to offer valuable assistance and which was interested in using the results 
of both the later study and of the Lincoln County investigation for purposes 
somewhat different than those contemplated by the forest-tax study. 
Major buildings were recorded on field schedules much as in Minnesota, and 
the number and condition of outbuildings were also noted. The unit values for 
buildings of different types used in Minnesota were modified to fit Wisconsin 
conditions. In the course of the fieldwork, whenever a building had just been 
constructed, an endeavor was made to ascertain the cost from the owner or from 
someone else having knowledge of the facts; and wherever a property had been 
purchased, the owner was asked to divide the purchase price between buildings 
and land. With all this information, the unit values per cubic foot were com- 
puted for different types and conditions of buildings, and these unit values were 
applied to obtain a total value of the buildings on the property, much as was done 
in Minnesota. The unit values adopted in Wisconsin were slightly higher on the 
whole than those used in Minnesota... For a frame farmhouse in average condi- 
tion, the unit value per cubic foot was taken as 9.2 cents in Wisconsin, as com- 
pared with 7.8 cents in Minnesota. 
New HAMPSHIRE 
It has already been explained that the appraisals in Fremont and Richmond 
were made individually by expert appraisers. In Fremont the two men worked 
together, so that the results there represented the combined judgment of both. 
