92 Local Taxation on American Farms. 



The counties covered by the investigation were the counties 

 of Cattaraugus and Chautauqua — which are almost purely 

 agricultural, though somewhat affected by vicinity to oil 

 regions — the county of Putnam, and the upper part of 

 Westchester County, which, while mainly agricultural, are 

 largely affected by the vicinity of New York City, and the 

 summer residences of many wealthy people. The 1,114 

 farms embraced in the enquiry covered an area of 76,474 

 acres of cultivated land of the value of 653,233/., or 8/. lO^-. 

 per acre; and 64.,y66 acres of uncultivated land of an 

 average value ot 3/. 2s. 6d. per acre. The buildings on the 

 farms were valued at 659,211 /. Thus the total value of the 

 entire real estate in the farms was put at 1,512,042/. After 

 consulting with the farm owners the experts^ calculated the 

 unimproved value of the farms to be 592,123/,, while the 

 personal farm property was estimated at 205,726/. The 

 farms are assessed for purposes of taxation at a value of 

 963,944/., viz., 920,652/. for real property, and 43,292/. personal 

 property. The total amount of the local taxes paid upon 

 them and the personal property connected therewith is 

 8,887/., or IS. 3^. per acre. 



Condensed into the smallest space, the following are the 

 results of the investigation of farm values in these 

 counties : — 



County. 



Value of Real 



Same without 



Personal 



Estate. 



Improvements 



Property. 





£ 



£ 



£ 



Cattaraugus - - - - 



145.314 



54,268 



24,597 



Chautauqua - - - - 



223,653 



103,092 



24,510 





410,555 



145,421 



59,222 



Westchester ... - 



732,520 



289,342 



97,397 



Total .... 



1,512 0^2 



592.123 



205,726 



From this table it will be seen that if farms (the real 

 estate) were assessed only at their unimproved value — that 

 is to say, at what they would be worth without any build- 

 ings, fences, drains, or cultivation — their assessed valuation 

 would bear the following relation to the value of all real 

 estate of these farms, viz., 37-3 per cent, in Cattaraugus; 

 46*1 per cent, in Chautauqua; 35-4 per cent, in Putnam ; 



