New-York tribune., 1907-09-30
UPST4TE FARM VALUES.
ConUention Called by Syracuse
Chamber of Commerce Praised.

To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: In view Of the adverse criticisms INDUCED
IN by certain newspapers and an alleged farmers
club at Utica, whose membership consists largely
of well-to-do residents of that city and whose
agricultural activities do extend beyond 20x4O
garden plot in the Of their palatiaI homes,
regarding the convention conference called by
Syracuse's Chamber of Commerce for the Consid-
Grafton Of the very unsatisfactory conditions ex-
listing in the purely agricultural counties of the
state. including the tremendous shrtnkage in farm
values. the matter OF abandoned farms. the falling
off of population in the rural districts and kindred
subjects, a consideration Of the following facts
would not be aniss:
Taking Madison County. one OF the richest and
most fertile agricultural counties IN state, a
example. let US consider the subject Of farm
values. According 10 the figures appearing in the
Madison County Supervisors Journal the as
sessed valuation of real CincudIng villages)
in the thirteen purely agricultural tov-@s Of the
county (the territory within the old tow g Lenox.
recently divided and containing tnC a. r1age Of
Canastota and the city of Oneida. U-, >rrated on
several trunk railroad lines and t-:t.r r,portant
manufacturing centres. therefore ncf trcluded in
the following). was s1SS7S.213 in 1855 In 1905.
twenty years later. the assessed valuation Of
the real estate OF these thirteen is given
being s1l 9S3 Sta falling off Of 81 395.S97 Bear
in mind that the thirteen towns covered in the
foregoing contain the important villages Of Gaze
nova. Hamilton and Earlvle. in which places the
value of real estate has probably advanced
sderaby within the last twenty years
Taking the federal census authority
find that in 1850 the population of these tn
33.s6s and in 1900 IT was only ., - o.
a shrinkage of 6.592. nearly 25 per cent, thin
twenty years
Twenty years ago scarcely unoccupied farm
could be found throughout this county; present
be seen in every direction In many
instances these unoCcupied farms at present
racticay abandoned and none Of them bring their
owners "A net amount much In excess of taxes and
what is necessary for the maintenance of pasture
fences In the adjoining towns of Nelson, Smith
field, Fenner. Lebanon Georgetown and. in fact,
here in Eaton, situated a large number of
farms that abandoned. so far as occupying the
buildings and tilling the soil concerned. In
most instances the pastures may be used by a
farmer whose lands adjoin for the use of dry and
young stock the fertile part of the meadows
are over for what little fodder they will
nally cost from three to four times the present
valuation of the property. are vacant and
rapidly falling into decay and in many instances
are already a complete ruin. Almost without a
sreIe exception these farms occupied and
tt@:r acres titled twenty years or less ago. Many
ct these places at time fine old home
lads and the homes of several generations of in
elligent and thrifty farmers.
Some dozen fifteen years ago the farmers of
this section awoke to the fact that rapid decline