The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-09-05
WHAT ONE ACRE WILL YIELD.
The Limit Probably Reached by Land In
Nevs Works. Iirst Ward

An acre Of land is 4.s40 square yards, OF
AZ ECO square feet. 1t is the ordinary meas
ure NJ ground among farmers and surveyors,
but the earning capacity Of acres varies
considerably. About the simplest use. in
volving the least skill and labor, 10 which
an acre Of land may be put il 10 the grow
ing Of trees upon IT, This requires no
capital. but patience, and yields on the
average g y per acre year. Then there
are the fruits Of husbandry and farming,
gained through toll and cultivation, and
greatest Of course in the rolling prairies or
VIRGIN lovlands Of the west and northwest.
But taking farming lands nearer home
in New York state. these are found TO be
the net returns per acre. Rye, SsJO oats
al: wheat. sl5; barley sl7; corn, SIS; peas,
So. sweet potatoes, 60; spinach, $50; wa
termelons. ssh grapes, ti22; curants, Sl20;
cabbage. elS3: beets, $50; peaches, $50;
strawberries. $50, tomatoes, Sl65; musk
melons. SIS: asparagus, Sls3, and celery
s2l4 The odaptabiity Of the land for such
products varies. and the value Of an acre
CORRESPONDS with such variance. The per
ishabIe crops are subject to great damage
and require usually more cultivation and
greater care.
Taking 10 feet rs the average width Of a
railroad bed. 4,3JG feet Of track would COM
prise stretched ont I'm a straight line, an
acre Of land This is more than four ffths
If mile of railroad. The portion Of the
PENNSYLVANIA road between New York and
PHILADELPHIA is generally acknowledged
among railroad men TO have the largest
gross earnings Of any in theworld, with the
two exceptions Of the New York elevated
and the London underground. But taking,
"a fairer fox the purpose, the whole Penn
sylvauia system, il Is found that the annual
cross receipts amount to about 100000
for the 800 miles Of track operated. or
this total s37,5OO,OO) is net receipts. In
other words. this railroad system earns
$1,000 mile net. or Si2.500 an acre, and
the latter figure may De given az the high
est earning capacity Of an acreof land given
over to railroad transportation. This is a
high figure Ii rs greater than the gains
from either forestry or husbandry, but 1t
shrinks into uuimportauce compared with
the revenue yielded bY an acre Of New York
city real estate.
The area Of New u rk city, including the
two wards beyond the Harlem river, Is
nearly q. 600 acres. That tranquil stream
divides ,errtorially the town into two al
most equal parts, there being 1856 acres
south and 1851 acres north Of il. The
most valuable part Of the city OF New York
is the First ward, lying south Of Liberty
street and Maiden lane and covering l04
acres. The assessed value Of It's real estate
is $s9O0000O. When TO this is added the
value of land exempt from taxation, which
is s2GO0OOJl. and allowance Is made for the
difference between assessed and the actual
values. it appears that the real estate OF
this territory is worth not less than $780,
100000. or AZ tbe rate Of 100000 an acre,
which is probably larger than the value Of
any other piece Of real estate in the United
States. AT 3 per cent on the amount OF
capital represented the annual revenue
from real estate in the First ward Of the
CITY Of New York Is $4,000 a year per acre.
That IS the highest point and these, then,
are the figures; Forest land, sos an acre;
farming land, $50 20 $50; railroad bed,
$4,000, New York real estate, business sec
tion. $4,000 New York sun.