Chap IX.

VALUATIONS OF PROPERTY.

891

CHAP. IX.

VALUATIONS OF PROPERTY.

In forming a valuation of either land or houses great attention should be paid to theirlocality, as well as to their quality. Land is not uniform in this particular, as itconsists of several varieties; and it is necessary, when surveying an estate, so toapportion it, that land of the same description and value be classed under the samehead or denomination: where the soil, however, differs materially in the same en-closure, this is not very easily to be done; but in all cases, it must be noticed what arethe proportions of the good to the bad, and valued accordingly. Not only the nature anddepth of the soil, but the quality of the subsoil should be thoroughly examined by digginginto it, and the description fully entered in a book prepared for the purpose; for if thevaluator is governed by the appearance of the crops, and forms his opinion of the valueof the land by the quality and quantity of produce, he will often err, by putting a high priceon light or bad land highly manured; which is unjust, inasmuch as this value is onlytemporary, and dependant upon the skill and capital bestowed upon it.

Pasture Lands in their value depend on the quality of the herbage; and on them, aswell as on all tillage lands, the nature of the prevalent indigenous plants should be noticed,as they almost always indicate a particular quality of soil and subsoil, and are oftenmuch better tests of the quality than by digging at the surface, or sinking holes. Woodsand plantations should be estimated according to the agricultural value of the landon which they grow', without reference to the timber and uncultivated lands : in valuing land,it is always better at the commencement to put the price which it is worth under ordinarycircumstances, and afterwards to add or diminish according to those which are local, andwhich are dependant upon elevation, steepness, exposure to injurious winds; different varietiesor patches of soil, ill-shaped fields, bad fences, and the state of the roads, &c., &c. Climatein a great degree depends upon elevation; in mountainous districts, not only must adeduction be made for height, but also for situation, whether upon interior or exterior de-clivities, the climate being much more moist in the bosom of the mountain, and more liableto frost and snow than on the exterior at the same elevation. When lands are so steepand hilly that they inconvenience the farmer in ploughing, manuring, &c., a deduction offrom one to four shillings per acre should be made: and where it is too steep to plough,and must be cultivated by the spade, it may be valued as under pasture: considerationsshould also be made when large stones or rocks produce difficulties in the way of the plough.The character of the prevailing winds should be well ascertained, as they affect the crops ;if the land varies in quality, they will not ripen at one and the same time, and for suchsituations a proper reduction should be made : land in an ordinary situation, w'ithin 3 or4 miles of a market town, with good roads, and not particularly sheltered or exposed, orremarkably level or hilly, and whose greatest elevation does not exceed 300 feet abovethe level of the sea, the chief matters which are required to be taken under considerationare the means of obtaining manure or limestone, which adds to or diminishes the value.The neighbourhood of large and populous cities also affects the value of land, and thedistance must always be noticed, as well as the local advantages or disadvantages obtained ;the distance from market, and the difficulty of access, materially lessens value, and oughtalways to be taken into account.

The soils are usually classed as either clay, sandy, or calcareous, or compounds of one orall, except where composed of peat or the primitive earths, which contain saline compoundsand the oxide of iron ; such always retain water.

Argillaceous Earth forms the basis of clay, and is usually combined with siliceous sand,as in potter’s and pipe-clay, where the proportions of sand are 60 per cent. : clay used forbrick-making is not only combined with siliceous but also with calcareous earth, thesiliceous most abounding; the colour of this kind of clay is either yellow, blue, brown orred, which it derives from an oxide of iron.

Siliceous Earth is found pure in the flint and in transparent siliceous sand; the coloursof the varieties are dependant upon the different proportions of oxide of iron.

Calcareous Earth or Lime is sometimes in the form of limestone, where pure lime iscombined with carbonic acid in nearly equal proportions, or in a state combined withsulphuric acid, when it is called gypsum. Calcareous earth may always be detected bypouring a few drops of oil of vitriol or diluted muriatic acid on a small portion, and