Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1910-08-04

Now and then we hear the cry Of
the pessimest that prices for western
lands are being raised beyond their .
real value and that sooner or later
there will be a drop that will bring
iisasterous results
To anyone at all familiar with the
situation such a proposition is simply
ridiculous and no heed is given it,
Occasionally a "tenierfoot" investor
becomes nervous over it and decides
to wait awhile
The truth is that western develop
ment has made such rapid strides
and conditions have changed so great
in the past quarter century that II
is difficult for any but the most inn
aginative minds to keep pace with
the movement and realize fully what
IL means as affecting land values
AS to the irrigation sections the
primary expenditure Of vast sums Of
private capital and government ap-
propriations and the demonstrated
/ productiveness of the soils them
selves is sufficient basis for the pre-
diction that it is simply question Of
/ better methods of intensified man
agement to raise the real value Of
these lands far leyond present prices
oven IN districts where the highest
/ Development has been attained From
the present rate of progress toward
no, bnsine, s-liSe farming ana Il
larger percentage of trained and
scientific farmers. taking advantage
of all possible natural conditions.
and from the wonderful achieve
ments of the trained pioneers in this
direction. il is not far to cry to the
day when a thousand TO fifteen hum
dred dollars per acre will be COM
mon price for lands that are now
selling for one hundred TO two hum
dred dollars per acre and even less.
And it, is safe to predict that good
returns will be obtained from these
lands al even higher prices than
those mentioned. as yields of various
crops even today In special cases
show results as large as FIVE hundred
to one thousand dollars per acre and
surprising increasing frequency.
with the much larger area of land
above the ditch, or tracts not capable
Of being irrigated while the ratio of
progress has been somewhat slower,
even to those who are familiar with
Farming Congress and the rapidly in
creasing army of adherents to the
doctrine and practice of scientific
soil culture and the conservation of
natural moisture, the development
that is taking place is almost unbe-
lieveable
During the current year II is con-
servatively estimated that several
81
productive farming lands of the
western states which will be handled
under the socalled dry farming
; methods. The experimental stage OF
this class of farming has been passed
so far as establishing certain genera
principals although much remains rC
be worked out with regards to detail
} and special conditions That vasl
D areas Of western land not suscepti.
Bile Of irrigation from various cause.
5 and which have been hitherto consid
b cred unavailable except in a limite.
p way for grazing purposes, will b'
made productive and capable of sup
porting large populations is now be
yond question. and the crops beinl
raised upon many of these lands Il
sufficient to indicate that their rea
y
8 ent prices asked for them
0 In both cases IL is largely a matte
of the advancement of knowledge
and the putting into practice of bet
d ter farming methods Under the OLE
9 conditions this advancement Nigh
have been slow but under the presen
3 trend Of affairs it is being greatly ac
CELEBRATED and concrete results ar
sing rapidity.
3 II might be argued that vast a
0 the great west is. If this development
progresses it will take so long q
o spread over the entire territory tina
# Will be many years before Ian
prices are greatly affected To thi
is opposed the fact of our rapid i'm
9 crease i'm population, the wonderful
; growth of land hunger the genera
better conditions and uplift in max
3 ing farm life more attractive an
greater than an the fact that con
sumption of all farm products ha
nearly Overtaken the production an
6 the demand is growing in a create
3 ratio than the supply. To this ma
be added the further fact. that, grea
] In area as the west undoubtedly is
still has limits, while the influence
that are increasing actual value q
land are practically unlimited in thei
o scope
80. We are not making any more acre
. of land and the demand for what W
have. as we'll as for its usefulness.
d enhancing beyond the widest dream
of the most advanced economists Of
ID decade ago. Land prices will folio
3 land values and there is little fea
- that western land prices will eve
recede in the minds Of those VIII
IS have given the matter serious stud'
= The fact is rather that prices wi
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