FOREST TAXATION IN THE UNITED STATES 141 
are within irrigation districts or adjoin streams. Since most of the 
assessors make little attempt to distinguish between the value of 
cut-over lands on account of location, quite frequently putting all 
such land down at one flat rate or at very slightly differing rates, it 
is obvious that the assessment ratios of the more valuable cut-over 
lands are lower than those of the less valuable. Since it is chiefly 
the more valuable in which sales are made, an average assessment 
ratio based on sales is less than the average ratio for all cut-over 
properties. 
NORTH CAROLINA 
In the three counties selected for study in North Carolina it was 
again necessary to rely chiefly on the deed records as the original 
source of information as to sales. The process of verifying sales and 
identifying assessments with properties sold was made especially 
dificult by the lack of any rectangular survey system, lands being 
described by metes and bounds. Owing to the small number of 
usable sales which could be obtained, those in which the considera- 
tions were not verified were ultimately included with the verified 
sales, after ascertaining that the assessment ratios of the two classes, 
when compared by the different groupings, exhibited no marked 
differences. Altogether 425 transactions were used in the 3 counties 
of Beaufort, Chatham, and Macon, with an aggregate value based on 
considerations of over $660,000 and a total area of nearly 21,000 acres. 
It was found impracticable to separate forest properties in these 
North Carolina counties into merchantable timber and cut-over 
classes, as the timber is largely second growth in all stages. Proper- 
ties of 10 acres or more in area, not primarily of recreational or busi- 
ness value, having some cleared land or improvements, but not enough 
to be classified as farms, were originally distinguished as a separate 
class. However, the small number of sales made it undesirable to 
retain these properties in this separate class, and, since they partake 
more of the forest-property character than any other, they were 
combined with that class. For classification as farm or pasture, 
there were required a minimum of 3 acres of cleared plow or pasture 
land, with more than 25 percent of the total assessed value in cleared 
land and improvements. Pasture lands apart from farms were 
found in Macon County only. 
So far as can be ascertained from the available sample, the results 
of which are summarized in table 50, there is no strongly character- 
istic distinction in the assessment ratio of forest property in North 
Carolina. In comparison with farm property, forest property appears 
to be treated a little less favorably in Beaufort County, and about the 
samein Chatham and Macon. The very high ratio for ‘‘other”’ prop- 
erty in Beaufort County may be accidental, as the sample is small. 
TaBLE 50.—Assessment ratios based on sales, by property classes, 1925-80; selected 
counties, North Carolina } 
Forest and 
County transi- Farm and 
tional pasture 
All 
Other classes 
Percent Percent Percent | Percent 
96 84 152 90 
ESO AUif OT Gia a a eV te a ah als a heal 
Chatham sh eee eee a sen Ee ae ne pear ee ey als he 74 79 69 77 
TG CVG 0) TT SEN RIN Bs Re) i ek ER PY 8 0 Oa aS ore le Rice Be Pe I | 81 82 | 56 69 
1 Source of data: Refer to table 29. 
