VALUATION OF LAND

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18461, 26 July 1923, Page 10

VALUATION OF LAND

LESSON FOR NEW. ZEALAND. SYSTEM IN CALIFORNIA. SOIL SURVEY ADVOCATED. [ B y TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Wednesday. . New Zealand lias a lesson to learn from California in the methods of land valuation. That is tho opinion of Professor Shaw, professor of soil technology within the chair of agriculture at California University. He was in Australia for the Pan-Pacific Congress when he received news of the death of his mother and is now returning home.. ; Y ■ • The system of valuation of land is entirely different in California from what it is in New Zealand, and, in the opinion of Professor Shaw, the California!! system is I superior. "Wo have a careful soil survey [ of the tracts subdivided, making a map 1 on which we show in different colours the i different kinds of soil," he said. "On i the Durham tract, 60 miles . north of | Sacramento, wo had 15 different kinds of ; soil. We gave . values to; those soils that ! ranged from a maximum of £50 an acre j down to a minimum of £3 an acre. We laid [ out our subdivision with that soil map as I a basis, endeavouring to give each man a } sufficient area of land to ensure him a i good living income. The areas ranged from a minimum of 20 acres to a maximum of about 160 acres. Irregular, Shape of Farms. Y , : "It is, of course, all irrigated land. The shape of the farm depended on topography. It was laid out. not in squares, but irregularly in shape so* that the whole j farm could be irrigated from on© ditch. That enables the settler to economise time in the operations of cutting his alfalfa (or, lucerne as you call it here), and allows him i to work in with the time water ia available for the block. Then we determined the amount of each kind of soil on- an individual block, and calculated from' that basis the total cost of the block. " Out of 90 farms at Durham we hafi 55 different valuations on the' per acre basis. At Delhi we had much more uniform soil. - There were but seven varieties," and out of 300 farms we had less than 40 valuations. : . > , v " " The map with the description of the soils' is hung wherever settlers go for information, and they can buy land just as they buy by examining the quality and the prices: "Whether it is tight clay or loose sand a faithful description is given. We do not say it is lucerne land or wheat land. _ . •• ; . " It depends on the fanner what he will make of it. A good farmer will pat his land down in lucerne where an indifferent farmer will fail. Change of market conditions, may change the nature of the crop and you-might, find that land that was sold as lucerne land is ,put : to growing successful wheat ; crops.; ; , Thefarmer takes up his land on a- soil basis, and it 18 iit " Ira to demonstrate to what use it will be best put, let it be wheat, fodder, dairying, or fruit." Y • i ; " Selling Land with Crop Label. ' The visitor offered a suggestion in re- | gard to the valuation of land in New [ Zealand. He had observed, he said, while 1 I he was in Australia lhat ; there were cases , of revaluation that had cost the State I !!Z%lf otl , nds ; m 8 was due to | the fact that the land was sold to the set- i tier as ~ luce ™°, land, ; and the settler; partly through poor methods, failed to I | grow lucerne. . He [saw a dozen tracts in ! trie same neighbourhood that crew verv 1 good lucerne, but the settlers took the 1 State to Court, c and. the Judge, who he i said was a just Judge but not a soil exrfS B a y" heavy? damages in the form of New & or remissions. That was in New South Wales quite; recently. That i could surely have .' been obviated by nob selhng the ; land with a crop label on it. r.t I beheve that a systematic soil survey } of the lands of New, Zealand would be an exceedingly good investment, both for the feSßfaw a "V- 9 " ppl "'".. raM Pr °- hut Tt w V lsa , bIK and slow i°b, K2 7 been earned', out in the United States, -u pan ' ' Denmark, Germany and, out° r frnS 0 tl Va - r5 in . sflia - You can work - , f v r exenenc a system that Startfnr tith > ? iCab]o to - 3ocal conditions, starting .with.-a reconnaisance type" of soil survey, with a carefully detailed survey j hen you resume any new blocks of land I ' Not Chemical Analysis. I Tt ?. ot st, ggest a chemical analysis. 1 It is relativdy,,valueless and requires an exceedingly detailed study, but it is with. the physical features of the soil 'JStr culariy the gub-soil with which your swl vey would be concerned ' y an argument between thern On» !f "them found., distinct line through wr^® 0 " !?• a e°»a Soad. of th, hid E S I, ° ?rer " were two ' JUtlnot version IS & t>!«>■„ were two distinct types of soil t£ere and on consulting the map without the' help cf any departmental advice.- he was able to convince his neighbour that His deduction v,a!J quite logical and correct."