The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-11-21
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC J. HAsKIN. Director.
Washington, ID. C.
DATA ON FARM VALUE


putting up the money is resulting in
the gradual compilation of a series of
reports on the soil and other condi-
tions of American 1arms. One of Ben
jamin Franklin's wise sayings was:
If you would know the value of mon
ey, go out and try to borrow some"
Dr. Frankin'S insight into this great
economic fact was clear, as will be
learned by any inve stigator who in
quires concerning the patience with
which money lenders, whether Tndi-
vidual, corporate or governmental,
study the character of security Of
lfercd.
This care to protect investments is
responsible for the studies now being
made which will place in the hands OF
the federal farm loan board at Wash
ington the most detailed information
concerning the farm lands of this
country which probably ever has been
made concerning any region in the
world.
Under the farm loan act farmers
may borrow money from federal
land banks and from joint stock land
banks on the security of their faNms-
The law takes particular care to safe
guard these loans An elaborate or
ganization is maintained by the dozen
federal land banks and the score of
Joint stock land banks scattered over
the country 10 determine the precise
character of the land offered as Sc
curity for desired loans. The founda-
ton of the federal farm loan system
rests on some four thousand national
loan associations. Under the law
these voluntary associations Of farm
ers may obtain loans for their men,
bers, all of whom must be farmers
thru this governmental system.
When an application for loan Is
passed on by the farm loan associa-
ton. it goes to the nearest federal
land bank and that institution SENDS
out an appraiser who is selected from
persons residing in the neighborhood
from which the application for the
loan comes. He must be man Ia
miliar with land values. The farm OF
fered as security is carefully examined
to determine it's value and the 1nIor-
nation filed with the federal. land
hank and. finally forwarded to the
farm loan board at Washington
The country is so vast that the ex-
animation is gradual put IL proceeos'
steadily. Applications for loans con
stantly are coming in and practlcalIy
every county in the United States now
has at least one of these loans. rms
means that the farm loan organlza-
ton has a report on at least one farm
in every county in the country IN
many counties reports are on Tile con-
corning almost every farm
How Reports Are Made.
The reports show what kinds of
soils are found on the farm involved.
They show whether the land is
adaptable to grain, pasture, fruit
growing truck-gardening or other
a AGRICULTURAL uses Frequently the ex-
pOrt appraiser will be able to learn
more about the land in the course OF
his inspection than the lneXpert
farmer who has lived there ali ms
life A farmer may think his land is
excellent for a number of purposes
and the appraiser will discover 1t has
been overworked without fertilization
and that its uctiveneSS is about
at an end. In such a case, the loan
will be low. On the other
hand. the expert may find farm on
which the farmer has n relatively low
opinion and on the security of when
he asks little. 1t may develop that the
farmer has been planting the wrong
kind of crops to suit the land and that
If some other produce were put In the
same soil would bring greater yields |
animation and bring into the files of
the federal farm loan system a wealth |
Of information which ultimately will |
cover most of the country, If not every |
farm.
When that is accomplished, 1t will |
be possible, by consulting these rec !
Ords. to discover just what a farm in /
almost any county in the country IS
good for, what it will raise, whether /
1t is watered or arid. what the trans |
portation facilities are, the climate, |
the condition of the roads and various 4
other pertinent data.
While this information is being /
gathered for the purpose of lending, /
it will have the tendency to become |
accepted as a basis of sale value and /
therefore, consultation of these rec
0rds can establish the price of almost
any farm in the country.
May Hasten Detailed Survey.
The value of such information is so
cd Of Gl1 Inn
{ is considered quite likely that some
steps may be taken to hasten this
detailed survey. Under the present
system, the reports are made only in
connection with loan applications and
while these are coming in rapidly, in
dependent additional Investigations
made directly by government agents
would bring much closer the date
when the whole body of farm lands
viii be reported upon.
These reports will have to be kept
lp to date by additional notations
rom time to time because changes are
constantly taking place in the nature
# soils and in other matters closely
the value of farm lands. The
ack of proper fertilization will ex-
laust the producing properties of
oil and the farm that once was pro-
luctive may become practically sterile.
An excellent example of this is fur
lished by the run down tobacco lands
# certain sections in southern states.
Once. the most fertile lands in the
world, they were worked year in and
ear out, without fertilization and
Without rotation of crops or following,
With the result that the soil became
Exhausted. Hundreds of thousands of
ores of such land may be found in
many southern states, grown up in
weeds of a coarse variety and in scrub
line, which will live on almost any
oil
Experts of the bureau of soils of
he department of agriculture say
here is not much which can be done
o retrieve these old lands. but the
ureau has made great strides in the
asst few years in instructing the farm
= to ont eel