St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1921-06-11
A Question Answered By
Comparison With High
Priced Lands of West
HOW TO CLEAR
LANDS OF STUMPS
Style Of Farming That Has
Increased Value of Pro-
ducts Per Acre.
(By A. e. Br:ggs)

The question whether cost Of clear
ing the land plus the cost OF drain
age makes the first cost Of the land
Sprohibitive for farming purposes
should be already sufficiently an
sWered. | behave there is no ques-
tion that these lands have a poten-
tial productive value cons derably
exceeding any probable costs for
clearing and drainage. The actual
cost OF these Improvement depends
an many conditions such as whether
the land is swamp and requires pump
and levee or upland or hill which
can be drained by Improvement or
natural drainage, whether surface or
open drains or tiles are used, the
amount of 'brush on the lands, the
kinds Of trees, The quantity and size
of stumps, etc., which are so variant
in nature as to make any estimate OF
little value, excepting that maze
with reference to a particular tract
of land and specified method OF
draining and clearing under corsid-
Grafton, The best way to get at
these facts without guess work is to
have engineering surveys and estl-
mates made as provided for in the
drainage law. But we may satisfy
ourselves that a very ordinary type
of farming can pay dividends on the
cost that will compare favOraDly
with other businesses.
A net return Of IS per acre would
be IS per cent on S33; $40 is Is per
cent of $66; SIS is Is per cent CT
800; $25 is Is per cent OF $'l66.
Iowa farms averaged a gross return
Of nearly $25 per acre in 1910, and
d In that year the average value OF AL
farm land in the state was over $780,
the total investment per farm (ln-
cluding stock, tools and improve
ments) was about $106 per acre
Any of our lands with crops in ro~
tation of velvet beans, sweet pota-
toes, winter oats, cowpeas, peanuts,
sorghum, ETC., and well stocked with
.attle, hogs and Sheep should make
q net return Of better than $25 per
acre. AS drainage insures against
failure of crops, a much less net re-
turn per acre would make land
values considerably in excess OF the
cost of the land with celaring, drain
ing and other improvements. In the
corn belt the value Of the land per
acre is generally four or five times
greater than the gross annual pro-
duce per acre. This is largely eX-
planned by the fact that the corn belt
lands practice diversified farming.
In Iowa the value of the livestock
produced each year is slightly more
than the value of all crops produc-
ed, and this indicates the rational
type of farming widely advertised ny
the Southern government farm eS-
tension forces rs "safe farming.
In all my articles heretofore 1
have made estimates and suggestions
almost altogether concerning gen
eral farming, particularly in It's
phases of crop and stock raising.
But if trucking and orcharding were
also developed, or sohuld become the
main business of agriculture in the
parish, the produce would be muca
more valuable and the prices of land
accordingly higher. Ordinary farm
land with drainage and cleared}
should be worth 500 or $3.50 or
more per acre. Truck and orchard
Continued on page 81 $1,000