The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-03-17
Time TO Draw ATTENTION
TO FERTILE SOIL OF U. P.
Public is Attracted to West When
There is Plenty of Good
Land at Home.
SETTLERS HELP COMMUNITY


Ia pay sufficient attention 10 inducing
farmers to settle on the large tracts
of unoccupied agricultural lands in
northern Michigan? II has been DEM
onstrated again and again that the
upper peninsula is peculiarly adapted
to the raising of hay, potatoes and all
kinds OF vegetables. apples and other
fruits, in fact, this country contains
some Of the most fertile land i'm the
United states and should be a most
attractive field OF endeavor for pro-
gressive farmers. Yet comparatively
few living outside the boundaries of
northern Michigan know that any
thing except snowballs and icebergs
can be raised here.
Every settler and farmer is money
i'm the pockets of the city and the
railroad nearest him." declared man
who knows something of the agricul-
tural possibilities Of the upper penin-
sula yesterday Railroad men who
have given the development of farm
ing lands careful study declare that a
farmer is worth a minimum Of 800
the locality i'm which he may elect to
settle. A thousand settlers are worth
800 900: ten thousand, 100000 Set
tiers are worth more TO the railroads
than long haul freight. The battle for
freight has 10 be renewed with almost
every shipment. but once a settler Is
located, he attends TO the rest. His
business flows to the railroad year
after year.
1T has taken the railroads a long
time to get around to this section Of
the country. other land was cheaper
and more attractive and more ready |
for the settler The attention OF rail-
road men was drawn TO other sections, |
and our own people let them believe |
there was nothing here to develop |
With the whole country between Chi |
cago and the Pacific coast clamoring |
for better service, it is not surprising |
that the railroad men neglected a Sec
ton where the people themselves were
skeptical and Indifferent. At last the |
residents Of upper Michigan and the |
land agents OF the railroads are wax
ing up, and from now on it is ex-
pected that the railroads will be lead
ing agencies in developing the re-
sources Of this region. once their at
tention was really drawn to this To-
cality, the railroad men have taken up
the advertising Of the. northwest with
Characteristic vlgor.
Valuable to Railroads.
mot only do they now realize. as
they have always realized, that the
settlers are valuable TO railroads, but
they realize that settlers in this neck
of the woods are particularly valuable
Ordinarily, a farmer on land is reck-
oned worth 500 a year In this sec
ton, devoted to small farming almost
exclusively, as it must be, the farmer
should be reckoned much higher in
traffic and commercial value. The
small farmer is several times as liberal
a factor in railroad earnings as is the
one who occupies broader acres. In
tensive farming is intensive all the
way through. and it runs into inten- s
slve freights
t2tNAAflAlNiAN III NlllH 6tfl4bl tOuulH |
for more than it does i'm the west.
out there the railroads are pretty well ,
satisfied If they find one family on !
every square mile. In this region the ,
farms are smaller and the people live ,
closer together. Instead of one to the
square mile. there are here on the :
average eight TO the square mile. ,
Eighty acres is considered a good siz- ,
ed farm in this locality, whereas the r
ranchman considers a whole section ;
rather small II
Instead OF being a region that Of I
fers little for the railroads except iron !
ore and timber. this country is a fatter /
field for railroad exploitation than the
wheat country or the corn belt, or any {
Of the ranch sections. Railroad men
are now getting to be among the most
boosters Of the agricultur-
al resources Of the upper peninsula.
Some of the local residents may have
to brace up n bit in order TO keep up
m NUI INN CINInru YTsurcuun