9 2 



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 81. 10s. 

 per acre ; and 64, 766 acres of uncultivated land of an 

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

 farms were valued at 659,21 1 /. 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. 3d. 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 

 Estate. 



Same without 

 Improvements 



Personal 

 Property. 



Cattaraugus - - - - 

 Chautauqua - 



Westchester - 



Total .... 



£ 



145*314 

 223,653 



410,555 

 732,520 



1,512.042 



£ 

 54,268 

 103,092 

 145,421 

 289,342 



£ 

 24,597 

 24,510 

 59,222 

 97,397 



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 w T orth 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 ; 



