Ladysmith news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-12
CAUGHT FROM The CURRENT.
GATHERED HIT AND MIS-
HERE AND THERE 80,

L HERE AMI II1ENG
spoke my piece last week about the
fellow who stands on the street corner
telling how hard it is for the farmers
to clear lands in Rusk county.
Since then I had a talk with man
who came to this county with nothing
but a team and enough sscash to make
one-fourth payment on so acres of
land. He joined with neighbors in the
erecting Of log houses and thus secur-
ed shelter. But he was Industrious
and today has q fine clearing, absolute
ly clear. He says he doesn't work any
harder than he used to do then he
simply making a living" now he is
making home. Then he was a ten
ant now he is home owner.
The other day this mans wife came
to town. She brought some butter
that brought Soc per pound and eggs at
35c. She took home enough provisions
to last until she comes again. That is
the idea, the way to get ahead. Keep
ing everlastingly at it is necessary, no
matter what the vocation, and | would
rather keep@everlastingly at it clear
ing up a farm than working in mill
or factory for living.
The wage Garner usually lives and
dies a wage Garner. That is the rule,
there are exceptions and several thou
sand of those exceptions ought to come
to Rusk county and make room in the
woods for those grassblades that grow
SO freely when they have half chance,
Last weeks News told about the
scarcity of butter in the country. 1t
is marvellous that the country seems
unable to supply the demand for but
ter, and here let me tell you something.
It is this, that the time is not far dis
tant when our great grass producing
lands will be worth more than those
you left because the price was too high.
The above paragraph is written in
good faith and you can take it for what
it is worth. Everyone who has thought
twice on the subject, even once good
and earnest, knows that high price
lands are dairy lands. When you get
to $40 per acre you are In dairy lands.
Call it stock-raising lands if you will,
it is only mincing of words. And who
will say that Rusk county soil that pro-
duces, and will always produce, more
grass and hay than other lands, will not
be worth more? That would be rank
nonsense.
Let's figure little. Those who
have investigated know that our lands
will produce at least a ton of hay per
acre more than the $500 lands of south
ern Wisconsin or Illinois or Iowa. Hay
is now way up, but say at SO. 90 per ton,
Now, we are getting to the point.
Land capitalizes on a basis of what it
will produce above the cost of produc-
ton. This is true in all the older sec
lions and will be true here. They call
this net income ''rental value" No
matter what you call it. it is the basis
Of valuation. The usual rate is 6 per
cent. That is, if the rental value is
$500, the land is valued at $500, be-
cause $500 is 6 per cent. interest on
500. But our extra ton of hay is an
extra Sc, and other things being equal,
would make the land worth an extra
hundred dollars. That is the logic, of
the situation. You can discount that
extra 800 all you want to-but you
can't get away from the principle in
volved.
The objector will object the knock
er will knock and the street corner
fellow will talk-but the fact remains
that we have corner on the dairying
proposition. We are in the triangle of
the lake and we will have rains timber
or not-and rains make grass and grass
makes milk -and, there you are.
I'll stake my reputation as prophet
on the foregoing every day in the week,
and I admire the pluck of the fellow
who goes out IN this grand soil and
makes home as much as | detest the
shal1ownes and uselessness Of the street
corner knocker. THE STROLLER