The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1919-04-11
LAND value FIXED
Depends Altogether on Power ct
Giving Wealth.
That 10 Why the Fertile Acres Of West.
ern Canada, With Adjacent Mar
kets, Are So Attractive
to Settlers.

Throughout every portion of the
| Western Empire lands that are capable
| Of producing are in great demand.
agricultural wealth, land prices have
Increased within the past three or
four years to degree that ten years
ago would not have been thought to
be possible. Land that sought buyers
at 500 an acre five years ago Ia
changing hands at $500 an acre. The
secret of this does not lie altogether
In the higher prices Of farm products,
for the expense of production has In
creased proportionately. The better
methods Of farming have had good
deal to do with 1t, and the knowledge
that demands for farm products will
be sufficiently great for a good many
years to come to insure q continuation
of the high prices that prevail at
present. Then, again, improved ma
chinery, the tractor and other means
of economic power will tend to lessen
the cost.
Governing land values, too, are cli-
mates, soil, moisture, settlement rail-
IoduS, ludIhcLo, III
matter how much the other factors en-
ter into 1T, the land is merely of
speculative value.
1t is not more than third Of a
century since ninety per cent Of
the land in Western Canada, now oc-
cupied and titled, and producing
enough in one year to give a profit
of from twenty-five to thirty dollars
per acre. was unoccupied or used as
grazing land, and worth very little.
These lands today are valuable, and
aresbeing sought by settlers who real
ize their present and future value.
There is no portion of the world that
Is attracting the same attention. The
soil may have improved In the past
centuries with the fertilizing given 1T
by nature; the climate has not
changed, and the moisture may be
the same. These are three
of the essentials of good land. What
they lacked third of a century ago
was markets. fourth essential.
These they have now. Thus provided,
1t is not to be wondered at that these
millions Of acres with their great
wealth, which have so long been await
ing the awakening touch of mankind,
are now to be found adding to the
available wealth Of the world. With
the advent of railroads, throwing their
great trunks Of steel across the con-
tinent and over the surface of these
plains, spreading out their
.entacles to remoter parts, the world
1t large has begun to realize that here
was country possessing all the nat
lral advantages claimed by older COM
that land here just as good
u better, acre for acre, as their own
Gould be had for almost the asking.
With the realization Of the fore
,oing facts came the people, who
'ound that railway had preceded
hem and markets already existed for,
that they might care to
.aise. These markets have greatly
expanded and, are capable of still
,reater expansion. and assure to the
lgriculturist the prevailing prices Of
he world. An assured market means
ldied value to every acre of land In
Western Canada, and the near future
will see lands that are now selling
t exceptionally low prices begin to
In value, just as they have In
Eastern Canada and the United StateA