Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1882-10-14
No Better state for Farming than
Michigan.

Micn1kNn.
A correspondent of the Lansing Re-
publican, who has travelled in Colorado,
thus concludes:
"All is not gold that glitters." These
are some of the bright sides shown to-
day by the wide awake newspapers in
the newest state. That it has dark sides
there is no doubt. and one who suppOses
that he can dispose of his business, farm,
city or village lot in good old Michigan,
and with the proceeds go to Colorado
and make investments and become sud-
denly wealthy will be sOrely disappOint-
ed If ne tries the experiment. There
are very many poor men and women in
Denver and Colorado to-day, and the
struggle for bread and position is fully
as severe as in Michigan. There are
drawbacks there as elsewhere; there are
deep SHOWS in winter and long seasons
of drOuth in summer months, and there
thousands of acres of land beyond the
reach of water, and wholly unfit for any
thing but the cultivation of sage hens,
and the bad temper of "tender-fOOt" who
attempts to subdue them for a2ricultu-
raj purposes.
With all the boosted advantages of the
great west the Michigan farmer who ex-
poets to be benefited by pulling cup
stakes" will in about nine out of every
ten cases be sadly disappointed. There
are no handsOmer or more pro-
ductive farms i'm the union than can be
found in southern or central Michigan,
while for apples, peaches, pears, plums,
and all the smaller varieties of fruit the
peninsular states stands at the head.
Where a man has capital to go into eX-
tensive wheat raising on the prairie of
the far west he can undoubtedly coin
money, but the man who must content
himself with an so or 160-acre farm can
make q better living and enjoy more of
the comforts of life in Michigan than in
many of the famous Meccas to which the
hardy settlers are now turning their
footsteps, Lands in the northern cOun-
ties of the lower peninsula can still be
bought at reasonable figures, and when
placed under cultivation are found TO
equal in prOductiveness the celebrated
farms in the southern tiers of counties.
In our own county of Ingham are hun
dreds of cases where farmers have
carved out a competence for them
selves, and are now enjoying the fruits
of their labor. A few years ago many
of these valuable farming lands were
considered worthless. To illustrate,
Lansing man seven years ago bought
40 acres of land i'm the township of Del
hi for which he paid "a per acre. The
most of it was tamarack swamp. He
expended $500 for draining and clear
ing. For the past six years the profits
on his hay crop have been nearly SIS
per acre. On this same land he has
grown 30 bushels of wheat and 100 BUSH
els of corn to the acre.
Not far from this 40 acres is 600
acre farm, which five years ago was q
tangled mass of tamarack roots and
willows. A Lenawee county man bought
it with the expectation of placing it I'M
der cultivation. He paid So per acre for
400 acres, and a somewhat higher price
for the remainder. The settlers in that
vicinity had grave doubts about the san
ity of swamp" Abbott, as he was called
Miles Of drains were cut, and the wOrksOf
clearing commenced. Five years have
rolled away. Two hundred acres are
now seeded to tame grass. Glover, tim
Othy, red top and Hungarian grow in
great luxuriance, and within the next five
years OrmOnd Abbott will have one of
the most productive farms in Ingham
cOunty.These are but few instances where
men have taken advantage of the splendid
opportunities yet to be found in our own
beloved Michigan.
Therefore, before being carried away
by the wonder stories told by paid cor
respondents of land and mining sDecu-
latOrs, weigh we'll the advantages of
your present surroundings, and "lO0k
before you leap"