Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-01-12
What MAKES
FARM VALUES

same as those that make the business
of the community worth while. The
following extracts from "The Dulle-
tin" show how necessary community
interest and cooperation is to the sue
cess of any town:
Possibly some might question the
statement if we were to make the bold
assertion that business in the aver
age town is effected to very marked
degree by the real estate valuation in
the town and community.
But as matter of fact the elements
that contribute to make real estate
valuable are essentially the same that
make business in general worth while
from a financial point of view.
For instance-go out there in your
own town, regardless of where you
may be located, and make inquiry con-
corning the farm located five or ten
miles from town, other things being
equal, can be purchased for much less
money than similar farm adjoining the
town But why? That is the question
that the merchant should ask-why
should an acre of farm land one mile
from town be worth more than SIM
Iilar acre seven miles from the same
town? One acre will produce as much
wheat, corn, oats, potatoes or other
marketable product as the other. But
/ it should be remembered just here that
distance has smething to do with the
products marketability-a it should
not be forgotten that the town has
much to do with the problem of mar
keting the product Of the land.
A farmer living in western COM
money On a bill of clothing purchased
coney on a bill of clothing purchased
/! in city distant from his home town.
This man had been to the city primar~
lily to attend the funeral of a relative,
but while there on the sad mission he
, took advantage of the opportunity of
saving money on certain clothing need
ed to replenish his wardrobe
| Now of course, the clothing mer-
chant in his town would say that the
farmer did not know that he was saw
/ ing money because he was not critic,
he was not judge of merchandise.
But granting that the goods purchased
was of the same brand as that hand
/ led by the local dealer there is still a
question as to whether he really saved
money in the long run-for when he
purchased goods in the city he took
business from his home town and the
value of his own property, the land
owned was effected He should know
that the value of his property depends
upon the value of other property in the
community; he should consider that
the value of not only his land but the
products he has to market is effected
by the success of the merchant in his
! town.
In town in New York speaker at
a great "get-together" meeting of the
people of the community, from the
country as we'll as from the town. had
urged all to support home business and
home institutions. He explained the
! economics of community cooperation
and showed how the churches, schools
and business were very largely de
pendent upon one another. Later some
one asked why he had not informed the
people that they might save money by
selling the things they had to sell On
the home market and then going to
some of the larger cities of the state
to buy the things they were compelled
to buy. Immediately the speaker
countered the question by asking some
thing about farm valuation in that
county. He was informed that farm
land was at that time worth about $50
to S160 per acre.
When he asked why one farm should
be valued at $3.50 per acre while anoth
er could be bought for $50 per acre it
was explained to him that the farther
the farm was located from town the
less 1t was. Then he at once asked
the people to consider the proposition
OF every one buying all the commodi-
ties possible as far away from home as
possible. He asked them to think of
buying all their groceries, shoes, hard
ware, furniture, ETC., in the city two
hundred miles away. Then he asked
what would happen to the business at
home, and of course he did not have
to argue that in such a case the local
business would soon debut with it
would necessarily go every institution
OF the town that depended upon peo-
pie Tor support. Then he asked what
would happen to the farmer whose
land was valued at $3.50 per acre be-
cause it happened to be near the town.
1t is said by scientists that thinking
is one Of the hardest things for one to
do. Possibly that is why SO compare
lively few really think about the fund
amental problem of working together
in developing business in the home