Chap. IX.

VALUATIONS OF PROPERTY.

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cracks and opens, and has a tendency to form into large and hard lumps when ploughed inwet weather.

Friable , where it is loose and open, as sandy, gravelly, and moory lands.

Strong , where a considerable portion of clay abounds, and there is a tendency to formclods or lumps.

Deep , where the soil exceeds 10 inches in depth.

Shallow , where the depth is less than 8 inches.

Dry., where the soil is friable and the subsoil porous.

Wet , where the soil or subsoil is tenacious, or where springs are numerous.

Sharp , where there is a moderate proportion of gravel.

Fine or soft, where there is no gravel, but chiefly composed of fine sand or light earthwithout gravel.

CM , where the soil rests on a tenacious clay subsoil, and has a tendency when in pastureto produce rushes and other aquatic plants.

Sandy or gravelly , when either abound.

Slaty y where that substratum is intermixed with the soil.

Worn , where the soil has been long under cultivation without either rest or manure.

Poor , where the land is of a bad quality.

Hungry , where there is a considerable proportion of gravel or coarse sand resting on agravelly subsoil : on such lands manure does not produce the usual effect.

Colours of soils should also be noticed, as well as the inclination of the various lands :all these qualities, however, for the purposes of valuation may be classed under five heads,as. A, prime land, rich loamy earth; 13, medium; C, poor clayey, shallow or stony arable;D, cultivated moors; and E, natural pastures, &c. : and each of these letters may againhe subdivided into No. 1, % and 3; so that A 1 down to E 3 may comprise every qualityfound upon an estate or within a district, and a value proportioned accordingly.

The valuator should also be aware that in mountain districts the farmers usuallydivide their pasture lands into two qualities, called inside and outside grazing, to which issometimes added another called the remote. The quality and quantity of the herbage mustbe ascertained, as well as the usual price paid in the neighbourhood for grazing.

Valuation of Houses. —The value of a house depends partly upon what it would reason-ably let for by the year, and upon the state of repair in which it may l>c found : alldwelling-houses with the outbuildings dependant on them are valued as one building;but, as in the country houses are seldom let separate from the land, and there is somelittle difficulty in coming at a fair letting value, it is advisable to establish a table which,when the dimensions of the buildings are ascertained, may indicate the value: this oughtto be well considered, and the state of the repairs noticed before any building is classedin it. New buildings, those that are neither new nor old, and old buildings, have a differentvalue; and the table must be so made as to meet these three denominations: after thenumber of cube feet in each building is ascertained, its value maybe estimated by referenceto the price per cube foot determined upon, which price must depend upon circumstances,and upon the judgment of the valuators. The table of value should embrace every classand variety of dwelling-house, as well as the different denominations of offices and out-buildings. To ascertain the cubical content of a building, measure its length, breadth,and height, multiply them together, and enter the product into the field-book for futurecalculation : it is, however, as well to note what the valuator supposes such a house orpremises would let for by the year in any ordinary situation, as a check to his estimate:large houses in the country ought not to be so calculated, as it rarely happens that theylet for any thing like their value; the smaller the tenement the more probability there isof a tenant, and of obtaining a return for the outlay or cost of the building.

Houses or mansions belonging to an estate are of little worth when the lands are takenfrom them ; and in making an estimate of such property, there are numerous considerationsbefore a just value can be put upon them : where houses are situated in a tow n, it is onlynecessary for the valuator to note dotvn the variety of situations, as the leading streets,squares, &c. ; then those in the next and succeeding degrees; supposing he commenceswith the main or chief street, and continues his survey till he has comprised all the largerhouses, and the smaller tenements in the courts and alleys, he must proceed with the yards,warehouses, manufactories, wharves, and other establishments, taking care to class themall under their various and respective heads: the cubical dimensions of the buildings beingascertained, and the area of the premises, a just classification as to locality and value isthen required. When the tenant has a lease obliging him to keep the premises in repair,certain allowances are to be made; and in all smaller tenements let by the w r eek or year,some allowance must be made for loss of rent, and for greater wear and tear.

In large cities, towns, villages, and hamlets, the value of property, particularly houses,varies : after the valuator has satisfied himself upon the terms at which the various classesof houses or tenements are let, he will have no difficulty in arriving at a close approximation;in all these cases considerable knowledge and judgment are required, and these kind of