Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-08-26

L SitcS.
We now come TO the junior member
of this combination, our college friend,
Mr.. Stewart Strong, who seems to
have BEEN as well cared for as his col
league, Mr.. Sites. AS the owner of
over mile of land undertake with
high grade limestone formation, part
OF which he refused $125 an acre a
few years since, and the same lime
stone formation adjacent recently sold
for from $3.50 to $1,000 per acre, and of
land which fronts more than mile
On the Winchester turnpike, where
land is readily sold from 500 to $3.50
per acre, he secured an assessment of
from $35 to $55 per acre only. This
land is improved with acres of orchard
and with acres of asparagus, the lat
ter of which is said to yield about 5000
TO $500 per acre annually. Upon this
land is located Inwood Park. right at
Inwood Station, with switch on the
farm, and contains the largest and
most valuable piece Of timber land in
West Virginia, between the Maryland
and Virginia state lines, on the G. V.
r. r. He Jared equally as we'll in
Martinsburg. where his infant children
own a piece OF land right I'M the CON-
mercial district, adjoining the ], w.
Bishop warehouse, across the street
from the G. A. Miller Grocery Com
pany, facing North Queen street and
the Baltimore AID Ohio freight sta
ton, which he assessed at $4,000. for
which he asks $1,000, and he caused
similar lot belonging to the Bishop
property to be assessed at $1,000 Mr..
Strong seems to have Jared as we'll
as his partner. MIR. Sites.
We now come to the manager of
this triumvirate, who directs when the
other two are in doubt the postmaster
of Martinsburg, Mr.. r. c. Henshaw.
We feel it is incumbent upon US to re-
| lowed. Postmaster Henshaw is the
one man in the county who has always
| publicly proclaimed that his and all
other property should be assessed at
! its true and actual value. He is the
only man in Berkeley county who has
advocated assessing orchards at the
most they will bring under the most
| favorable circumstances-when the
trees are hanging full of apples. We
desire simply to call your attention to
difference between his public decla-
rations and the obtained results Take
E,-;-, Drohard Af
his favorite properties, which is as
sessed for him at $50 per acre for
about 80 acres, and for which the COM
pany is asking $25. 000 This land was
purchased for $50 to SIPS per acre at
different times in the last six years
and from which bare acre lots are
now being sold at from $3.50 to $500
each.
Across the road from this orchard is
the w. B. Cushwa farm, purchased by
ward incorporated as the Cushwa Or
chard Co. Lots from this property are
bringing from $3.50 to 5000 per acre. 1t
| is assessed at $50 per acre. Next take
I the Showers farm, lying within mile
of the city limits of Martinsburg. part
tiles, in looking for a suitable site for
an experiment farm, regarded this as
the best obtainable. A portion of the
farm is bringing in $40 per acre from
the state for that purpose. The rough
est and least desirable of this land is
hn
Legg farm, along the O. e. o. cut off,
| is assessed for him at $35 per acre.
This has a valuable young orchard on
1 il and the adjoining farm sold at 500
per acre, and is asking the B. & O..
$500 per acre for such of the remain
der as it needs. Adjacent to this rs the
Taibler farm, from which he sold the
young orchard at 5000 per acre. This
is also assessed for him at s37 per
acre. We now come to the North
Mountain Orchard Company, in which
Mr.. Henshaw Is the controlling factor,
owning over 300 acres of orchard and
other land, the asking price OF which
! is $4,000. This is assessed for him
at $40 per acre, or less than $1,000
less than 16 per cent. of its asking
price. We submit that Mr. Henshaw's
modesty did not prevent him from Sc
curing the largest portion of the
melon and still maintaining the digni-
ty becoming the heavy weight mem
/ Der of the triumvirate.
Fer comparison we now cite you a
few of the assessments of orchards
owned by those who were not favorites
of the majority members of the Board
of Equalization and Mr.. Henshaw,
building not being considered in this
/ latter report.
Jas. w Campbell, $40 per acre for
orchard.
ID. G. Miller. 1907 per acre for or
ohard
! McKown Orchard Co., 1922 per acre
for orchard.