Charlevoix county herald., 1909-09-04
People Of Western Michigan Are
Coming TO Realize Oppor-
tunities About Them.
WESTERN MICHIGAN DEVELOP.
MENT BUREAU LAYS OUT Ed
UCATioNAL CAMPAIGN.

AS's SohSSihAhS iduu anu ldTIllu6,
there will be held a national Land
and Irrigation Exposition at the Col
tseum in Chicago, for two weeks fol.
lowing November 20 next.
The original intention was to de-
vote this exposition to a demonstra-
ton of the capabilities of costly west
ern irrigated land, but the demand for
space by other sections obliged the
originators to make it truly national
in scope.
The Western Michigan Development
bureau was fortunate in securing 1900
feet Of floor space. 1t is the inten.
tion of the bureau, which embraces
the Western Michigan counties Of
'Charlevoix, Antrim, Grand Traverse,
Leelanau, Benzie, Manistee, Wexford,
Mason, Lake, Oceana, Newaygo, EN-
nett and Muskegon, to display at the
CoSseum the varied products of the
farms and orchards of this section.
The exhibit will cost $4,000, but
there is no doubt that it will prove
wonderfully advantageous in inform.
ing the country of the remarkable
characteristics of Western Michigan,
the land of opportunity"
Agriculture is the most important
| OF all industries. No land adapted to
raising such grand crops as Western
| Michigan can ever fail to be pros.
porous. The extent of land now avail
able for settlement is but drop in
| the bucket compared with what ex-
! listed In this country only a few years
ago. A few years more and there
| will be no more cheap land.
Not only is the land of Western
| Michigan still comparatively cheap,
but this section offers opportunities
| for profitable agriculture not equal
ed elsewhere in the world.
It's central locality, close to the
| great central consuming market Of
! the nation puts it in a cls s above
the western irrigated land. In Mich
gan irrigation is unnecessary. Our
| land Is beautifully watered by lakes
and never failing streams. The rain
| fall Is abundant and certain through
the growing season. Our soil Is such
that an excess Of rain is never harm
full. 1t is perfectly adapted in chem
| ical constituents to the climate, and
the present fine crops of potatoes,
| corn, rye, peas, root crops, clover
and so forth were clearly foretold In
the grand forests which once covered
this section. ~
The protection afforded by Lake
Michigan Is the clue to Western Mich
igans climate, which Is the most
equable between the Rocky and AL
legheny mountains. All winter long
the lake tempers the blasts of west
and northwest winds so that Michi-
gan averages % degrees warmer than
Wisconsin and the northwest.
In the spring the lake holds back
fruit buds and vegetation until dan
ger from early frosts is past.
| Through the summer the great lake
tempers the breezes so that the air
| is moderate In temperature and heav-
! lily laden with moisture to refresh
vegetation. 1t prevents tornadoes as
well, they being unknown in the
twelve counties named.
The light soil of Western Michigan
responds quickly to the suns genial
rays so that by midsummer crops are
as far advanced as those elsewhere
that started earlier. The soil is al
ways fit to be worked, and is cult
waited at a small part of the expense
of working heavy land.
This light land is undertake with
water everywhere, and it holds mois-
| ture so that when rains are infre-
quent, rare occurrence, 1t still en-
courages growth and fruition when
clay lands are baked.
This section is in no remote, unciv-
ilized land. Here are railroads and
villages and schools and markets. 1t
| Is vertically "the land of opportunity"
for the man who wants a chance to
earn competence and more, to rear
family and make place for him.
self in thriving community.
At the rate our land Is being taken
I'D now by settlers 1t Is easy to fore
see the time in few years when our
land will be worth from three to five
times what it now sells for. These
facts need only to be presented to
homeseekers to be appreciated, and
will stimulate the food of immi-
| grafton, so that thousands of produc-
tive farms will be started in this fav-
ored section and prosperity will re-
suit as the reward for the efforts
now being put forth.
More farms mean more villages
and interurban railroads and lower
rate of taxation. More farms mean
more customers for our stores and
shops and factories. More farms
mean more money released in our
communities &. harvest time. More
farms mean more money banked in
our savings banks, higher value
for present farms, more canning fac
tories. more work for factory people,
an enhanced prosperity in every d.
rection and a higher plane of living.
To give Western Michigan the ad-
vantages which nature intended her
people to enjoy Is in short the object
of the Western Michigan Develop
ment Bureau. The Bureau Is com
posed of representative business men
and farmers in the thirteen counties.
II extends to all the people Of all the
thirteen counties an invitation to join
hands In a great democratic member.
ship for mutual advantage and to
help build here a great and pros
porous commonwealth that will make
Western Michigan known the world