The avant courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1871-1872, 1871-09-27
value Of TIllable Lands.

Value of TIllable Lands. s3o
Gem Rosecrans, in a long letter to the Alt
Californian. discussed this question as al
fected bv railroads. going into mathenati
cal calculation TO exhibit his conclusions
Omitting the abstruse calculations of tn
General, we give his propositions and til
conclusions arrived at. Says the General.
Whoever has reflected on it knows that
large element OF our National wealth is TIL
! increased and increasing value of our tillabl
lands due to their being opened up by mean
of transportation to immigration and cult
vation. Tai
i The absolute value of tillable lands depend
| upon many things; such as the variety, quan
| tity, quality and certainty of the crops it cal
produce; the cors of productions; the liatur:
aud extent Of the market and the cost D
Transporting the crops to it; the sanitary
condition, taxation, legal business and so
cial facilities of the locality, etc, etc. Hence
the exact value Of such land. independent o
improvements. would vary for every locality
and almost for every acre..
But, as the main elements Of value arr
pretty nearly the same for each particular re-
gioii. let us.see If we can't sobtain mathema
fical expressions that will serve to calculate
ayerageZvalues and compare them, under diff
ferent circumstances OF getting their pro-
duce To market. 4 s
ag Here we leave the General TO work out his
figures. and q NE TO his cef.alusions.
asd BY comp;iri, e the value OF an acre, in the
tables. it will be seen that the effect of rail
roadis 70 diminish the distance by common
road, Or at least. ten-fold. And while the
cost by rail is the same at all seasons. trans.
portationIby wagon is only as low as has
been assumed for that portion OF the yeai
when the roads are good.
Hence it follow that when the diminution
of ten-fold in the common road distance
caused by the railroad, is really ali under-es
innate, without taking into account the addi.
tional values given by the ease, activity and
energy which railroad and telegraphic COM
munication always tend to iilfnse into busi-
ness.
But by the tables place ten miles apart by
common F0aus are rs wife aSuiluef dS Oile
hundred miles apart by rail.
The railroad then moves land 100 miles
away from market mp to within teninliles oi
it; and 1000 miles away to within 100 miles
of it.9i srfe af 81
From the foregoing we can compute the
extent and value, at the assumed averages,
OF the influence Of putting in operation Of a
railroad upon tillage lands.
10 illustrate: Suppose line OF railroad
built from a great general market at the edge
Of a vast plain where every acre is tillage
land. at the averages used in calculating the
tables. Let the road be extended 600 miles
through this plain, 10 where the lands pro-
duce barley pays cost of producing and
hauling.
From table one. we see that the average,
right and left as you leave the line Of rail,
decrea es 81 80 per mile. SO that at 60 miles
away, at the market end, il ceases TO pay as
an investment. Hence at that point. where
the value on the railroad is SIS per acre. the
value at 30 miles away is nought, and at 10
miles away it is $37 80 per acre.
S \ HASs etiSHs le Viz dN Ci dSC piiCC w VAiiSH
an acre Of land will be brought in all the area
influenced at any distance from it.
The area il supposed to be 10000 square
miles, which at an average Of $37 90 per
acre, or $4,000 per square mile, would be
worth 1864, ,00O. 600. s.s
Had the land been worth on an aver
age 81 80 per acre, before the construction,
the whole would have been worth $l72, ,8O0.-
OG0, which. deducted from the above, gives
S671 10000 net increase caused by the rail-
road.
Had the land been worth only 81 30 per
acre before the building of the road, the net
increase would be $7s6, 400, 900,
The case we have supposed illustrates the
principle upon which we should proceed to
calculate the absolute beneficial effects of the
construction of line Of railroad through
any given portion Of the country. knowing
the actual area and quantity Of tillabie land
within its influence
1t can leave no doubt on tile mind OF the
statesman on land owner that such con-
strHction must be worth very much more
than its entire cost to the taxable value Of
lands III the country. Hence il Would be
largely profitable to the country, were y
necessary te build them where there IS scope
enough Of tillable land affected, even II they
had to be given away to whoever would
maintain and operate them.
WELL uT-At d recedt wedding in Rhine
beck, rs the clergyman reached the part of
the cermony II now pronounce you''--a fish
pe,ldler III the street shouted out .sbnll heads!
bull heatls!' 10 the amusement Of some and
the constern4tion Of Others present on the
oscasios.