Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-05-27 | Page 6 | Farm Loan Values

partitive gain in the price of crops and livestock in that year and in 19 1 S. Figures are submitted to show that from 1914 to 1915 farm land value, not including that of buildings, increased 11 per cent, while the price of crops and livestock lost 3 per cent. In t lie following fol-lowing year land value went up 23 per cent above 1914, and the price of crops and livestock alsw advanced, but only by 12 per cent. A reversal of the relativity rela-tivity of these movements appeared in 1917, when land value gained only 3S per cent on 1914 and crops and livestock live-stock gained 74 per cent. The divergence diver-gence increased in 1918, since the gain above 1914 was 50 per cent for land value and 97 per cent for crops and livestock. live-stock. In a bulletin published by the government govern-ment on this subject, it is pointed out that land value is supposed to be largely large-ly related to the net profit of farming; and, in fact, it is often somewhat affected af-fected even by single years of high or scant profit. Yet the value of farm land advanced in 1915, although the price of crops and livestock declined, in comparison with 1914, and gained relatively much more than the price did in 1916. On the other hand, its relative rela-tive gain in 1917 and 1918 was far from equaling that of price. There has been much disparity, first on one side and then on the other, between the two movements of land valuo and product price. In accounting for the conditions ruling rul-ing in recent years, the department of agriculture offers the suggestion that perhaps a scarcity of farm labor weakened weak-ened the demand for farms in the last two years. Perhaps, also, the net .profit of farming, because of extraordinarily high cost of production was not as great' as the high prico of products would indicate in-dicate superficially. Whatever the cause, the inquiry referred re-ferred to seems to have proved that, compared with price increases, the value of farm land has not kept pace. FARM LOAN VALUES. A recent investigatipu conducted by the bureau of crop estimates of the department de-partment of agriculture, discloses the fact that farm land value has not advanced ad-vanced in the, samo degree that has tho composite price of crops and livestock. live-stock. It is shown that, although farm land value alono gained in the relative advance in 1010, it lost its lead in 1!)17, and, moreover, fell far behind the com-