Fergus County Democrat., 1916-07-13
ASSESSMENT Of
FERGUS COUNTY
ASSESSOR CARL RiDDick'S BOOKS
SHOW AN INCREASE IN TOTAL
OF MILLION DOLLARS.
LARGE INCREASE IN ACREAGE

The 1916 assessment of Fergus cOun-
ty has Just been completed and, /
through the courtesy OF County Asses.
sor Carl Riddick in lending every as
sjstance. we are able to present de.
tailed review this morning instead OF
giving the round figures now and the
details later.
TO begin with, the assessment shows
an increase over last years total or
a little more than $1,0O0,0OO. This
Years total assessed valuation, exclu, |
sive of the railroad valuation, stands
at $19,O49,645. The railroad assess
ment, to be fixed by the state board
board of equalization, is expected tol
be approximately $3,O00,OOO, which
would bring the total up to $22,O49.645,
as compared with $20,976,335 for 1916
and $19,561 ,9OS in 1914. This would
make the actual increase for this year
over 1915 $1,O73,31O, so that it is safe
to figure a gain OF a round million.
The incorporated Towns.
The assessed valuation of Lewis
town is s3,352,S19. Last year it was
! So ,O07 ,O79, and in 1914 it was $2,9l5,-
O34.
$177,241; OF Stanford, $1G2,746, and of
Denton, $l76,704.
A review OF the assessment roll Just
completed shows 1850 acres of
decided land in Fergus county, as
sessed at $9,45S.754. Through the sale
Of state land since the 1915 assess
ment, and through patents issued by
the U. S. land office, there are ll4,SS7
more acres assessed this year than
last
There are no striking differences to
be found in comparing this years as
sessment roll with that OF last year
The 1916 assessment was made on the
same basis as that for 1915, the only
changes being those resulting from a
more careful scanning and classified
ton Of the land over the county.
Among the classes of property show
ing an increase in value this year are
stocks and bonds. bank stock. notes
aid mortgages, law Libraries and office
fixtures with some increase in the
stocks of merchandise.
The valuation of farm improvements S
is greatly reduced and there are 21.6O0
more horses and cattle on the assess
ment roll
Cattle and Sheep.
The new assessment roll shows that
the largest cattle outfits are cutting
down the size of their herds and that
small cattlemen are on the increase.
Last March, after a winter which, in
the days OF the open range, would have
put many cattlemen out Of business
and after a fall when trainload after
trainload cf fat cattle had been shipped
to the central markets for beef, 5,657
more cattle were found in the count.
than were here the year before. The
horses, too. evidently have not all been
sold to the warning nations, for last
March LAB more horses were found
than in the perceding spring.
| The year 1915 appeared to be low
5 ehb period for sheep in Fergus county
, Many of the sheepmen had sold all, ol
G large parts, of their flocks, and there
$ were LETT but 98,2l2 sheep when tn,
. 1916 assessment was taken. This wa
1 but half the number in the county tn,
. year before. The assessment this yea
n shows u slight gain over 1915. the to
: tai being l05,l
n Farm land is assessed 10 per cen
d lower on the average the county owe
than II was last year, and last year
l. WAS 10 per cent lower than the yea
IS before. In 1914 the land in Fergu
e county was assessed at an average G
Is $s.22 per acre. In 1915 the averag
ic valuation was $4.70. This year tn
average value is $433 This is
cents per acre higher than the averag
he state over.
, improvements on the farms of tn
., county were reduced last year an
/. are assessed still lower this year III
ia same being true as to town lots
r. small towns.
" Other items showing reduced asses
1r ments are household goods. farm
machinery, threshing and plow outfit
ard wagons and harness.