The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-08-04
GOOD ROADS.

The following clipping from 1.-THE
Furrow" was sent to the Pioneer by
one of its readers. The article is
goodoone and should be read care
fully by every rural resident in this
district as we'll as every citizen of
Bemidji The article follows:
The closer your land is to good
town, the more money it takes to
buy it. We all know that. About
the first thing the owner tries to do
when you dicker for a piece of land,
is to Justify the high price you are
asking by pointing out how close
the land is to town and the good
roads leading to it. He knows this
is the most appealing argument he
can put up.
Land close to town and adjoining
good roads is not only desirable be-
cause crops can be marketed with the
least Ttrouble and expense, but there
are other social and economical ad-
vantagesr ashwell.
Consider the cold matter of what
town is worth}to the people owning
land in theovicinity, measured from
a dollars and cents standpoint. Mr..
o. R.nJohnson of the Missouri Agri-
cultural oStation made careful in.
vestigation of $50 farms, and he
proved by actual figures what a lot
of us have known in a general way
for a long time.
For instance, in the locality inves-
tigated, the 70 farms within two
miles of town had an average value
of $3.50 per- acre as compared with
$70.20i2per acre for the 1873 farms
from 1.-TWO to four miles from town;
$60:909 per acre for the 1926 farms
four to six miles from town; $500
forethe q 132 farms six to eight miles
fronratown,s and $500 for the 149
farmsu over eight miles from town.
Mr. Johnson says that the most
rapid decrease in value occurred in
then first six miles; after which the
difference of mile or two from town
made less~relativer difference
Inlanother instance, he points out
hat~42:farms valued at $ LOO. or more
per- acre, had an, average value of
about two and one-halfr miles, to mar
ket; So i'm the $50 group had nearly
three miles, and the 275 in the $50
group. five miles. to haul, f., while 246
in the $40 group, averaged, six and
one-fourth> miles to town.
These figures are startling. Listen
to this
In one locality investigated a farm
of 160 acfesrstwor and one-half> miles
from, town had a market value. cof !
$16,000,r while the same. kind nof a |
farm located six,andv one-fourth- miles
from town was worth only $6,400.
And still, if you told the man who
owned the first farm that his home
town was actually 3worthQin dollars |
and cents to him, personally; $780,
O00,F heHwoulda probably spendaa good
dealofs time trying to show you that
he would be better off without the
town at all. We have gotten so in
the habit of lambasting our home
town; most Of the time for some petty /
political reason, and that we fire.
quently refuse to see the truth when
it is placed before us in actual fig
ures.
Just the same, when we get off by
ourselves, overcome our jealousies
and temporarily forget about the
town man that we have it in for, then
we really have'@to admit that the
home town is far and away the most
valuable asset to every man, woman
and child in the community.
This leads us step further. Once
we commence asking questions, we no
sooner have one of them answered
than we ask another. Our first ques-
ton was, "What's the good of the !
home town." and we answered it by
saying that, among other things, it
really donated $4,000 to one man
and like amounts, proportionately,
to every other man owning land in
the community.
And now we ask the second ques
ton, What makes real, live, valu- F:
able town % We might dodge the
question by answering, Lots Of
things" but, really, if we are honest,
we will get close to the truth by say
ing, .The merchants" because with |:
out the merchants there would be no !:
town. It is just as Impossible toI:
have town without merchants as