Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1909-07-17
SECRETARY HOFER OF
SALEM BOARD OF TRADE
DELIVERS ADDRESS TO PRUNE GROWERS
ASSOCIATION ON VALUE OF LANDS sa.

Having been asked by the prune
growers TO speak relative to the value
OF orchards In and around Salem, I
am glad to admit that this is a sub
feet which has interested me deeply
for a long time. ne Salem prune
district has grown " such magni-
tude and involves to 80 large an eX-
tent the prosperity OF our community
that it Is worth the most seriOus con
alteration. do not wish to assume
that every fruit grower is In the
business purely and solely for the
dollar, but as the business end OF IL
is measured by the dollar that is prob
ably the main standpoint from which
TO consider II. lE.
It IS needless to say TO you gentle
men that the prune orchards OF this
sectlon are selling &C too low a price.
In fact hey are not bringing quite
half what they are worth. l doubt,
however. whether even you gentlemen
are fully aware of the actual value
OF these orchards. II you were, you
would be conducting some of your
business operations along different
lines.
am not here TO crltioise you nor
your business methods, but to endeav-
or 20 point out to you that some
changes are necessary In order to
enable you to reap the largest pos
sfhle results from your undertakings.
After nearly twenty years struggling
with the prune problem YOU gentle
men have demonstrated that II is a
great success. lon are making
money on your product, and this Us
the result OF getting Il before the
people right. But you are not get
ting even fair prices for your orchards
when sales are made. These should
likewise be properly brought before
the business mind, IN order to secure
the results TO which you are entitled.
/ do not assume that you are all try
ing TO sell your orchards, I'm fact, |
know many OF them could not be
bought, but for all that. you want
them recognized at their true value.
There is only one way 20 accomplish
this, and that Is TO systematically edu-
cate the public mind To know what
that value Is. You have been sue
cessful in measure I'm doing this
with your prunes. You should be
equally successful In exploiting the
value OF your orchards.
As you all know. the value OF any
article Is largely mental PROPOSE
tion. II has been suggested that II
we should all agree upon set date
TO double the price of our lands and
then i've up TO Il, there would be
Just as many sales aud possibly n
greater demand for properties than
at existing prices. | do not wish 20
convey the impression that land val
ues are all n fiction, but they are
largely what we believe them TO be
and what we make them. We should |
think larger thoughts along these !
lines. perform greater actions, aud |
we will reap the larger profits.
While land values are largely the
oretical, there Is one satisfactory sys- |
tenn OF measuring the actual value OF
farm, and that Is by what IL Will I
produce. Let us measure the value /
OF our orchards by this standard and |
acc what figures We arrive at / am |
convinced from conversations with /
scores OF prune growers that any |
fairly good orchard commercially han
died will pay n profit OF $50 per acre
annually. ny commercially handled |
/ mean an orchard conducted by peo- !
pie who hire all the work done-by
so-called sidewalk farmers. Those OF
you who work your own orchards
make them pay 500 and more per
acre annually, but the only fair way
10 figure this is on the commercial
basis, hence | shall base my figures
on tnat theory. Al $50 per acre an
nual profit orchards viii pay 10 per
cent, or n good rate OF interest after
paying taxes and insurance on build
ings, II you have any. Capitalists are
everywhere ready to invest In bust
ness that insures good rate OF In