The Calumet news., 1911-12-12
More Than Half Of States Area
Under Cultivation Says
Federal Bureau.
MUCH PROGRESS In TEN YEARS
Census Report Shows Amazing
Wealth in Agriculture
Hay and Forage Constitute the Most
Valuable Crops and Corn Fol-
lows Closely.

Washington, Dec. 12.-The census
bureau has issued a bulletin on agri-
culture in Michigan which is full of
facts ard figures of general interest.
II shows that Michigan, which ranks
eighth I'm population among the states,
is twenty-first i'm land area, and that
more than half the states area is i'm
farms, which are valued, with their
buildings. equipment and stock at ST.
0SS.S59 379
The average value of farm land per
acre for the state is $32.4S.
During the last decade the popula-
tlOn of the state increased 3Sg,191, or
161 per cent; the number of farms, g.
799, or is per cent: the land I'm farms.
1.37S,916 acres, or 10 per cent: while
the improved land i'm farms increased
l032,S2S acres, or S.S per cent. During
this period the average size OF farms
increased by more than five acres
Farm property. which includes land.
buildings, implements and machinery.
and live stock domestic animals.
poultry and bees), increased i'm value
during the decade 19OO-191O nearly
S40O,OO0,OO0, or 75.7 per cent. This
great increase is made up Of increases
of nearly $780,. 900 in the value OF
land. and of almost $127, ,00O, 900 i'm the
value of buildings. There is also an
increase of nearly $4,000, 600 i'm the
value of farm equipment. which in
cludes implements and machinery and
live stock. OF which nearly three
fourths represents the increase in the
value of live stock. and the remainder
the increase i'm the value of imple-
ments and machinery. In considering
the increase i'm the values in agricul-
ture the general increase i'm the prices
of all commodities I'm the last ten years
should be borne i'm mind.
Worth Over a Billion.
The total wealth Of the state in the
form of farm property is over billion
dollars. of which S2.S per cent is rep
resented by land and buildings. 1871
per cent by live stock and 4.6 per cent
by implements and machinery.
The average value of a Michigan
farm. including it's equipment, has
grown during the last decade from 49,. |
396 to $5.261. OF this $5.261. $4.354
represents the value of land and build |
ings, S666 that of live stock, and $241 |
that of implements and machinery.
The average value per farm has in
creased more i'm the last decade than
during the preceding half century
rb. faI ~ fu ft,p CaI
3. .699 during the last decade, or is per
cent; the number of farms operated by
owners and managers increased 3,233
or 10 per cent ;the number operated
by tenants increased 476. or Ia per
cent.
In 1910 the total number of farms
owned i'm whole or i'm part by the OPP
orators was 1890. OF this number
SIS, 705 were reported as free from mort
gage; 1851 were reported as mortgag-
ed. The number of mortgaged farms
constituted 4S.2 per cent of the total
number Of owned farms.
Debt Relatively Smaller.
The average debt of mortgagcd farms
increased i'm 90 years from $500 to ST.
lO7. or 244 per cent, while the aver
age value of such farms rose from
s2,74S to 1854, or 33 per cent Thus
the owners equity increased from ST.
S5S to $2,547. or 371 per cent As a
result of greater relative increase I'm
farm value than i'm farm debt, the
mortgage Indebtedness which was 32.f
per cent of the value of the mortgagcd
farms i'm 1890, has decreased to 30.2
per cent in that value i'm 1910.
More than one-third of all MichiganI
farms are between so and 80 acres in
size Nearly one-fourth comprise pol
and 80 acres and approximately AMI
other one-fourth comprise from 100 toI
la acres. Farms Of under 90 acres
represent only al per cent of the total
number and farms of 175 acres or more
represent only 81 per cent.
During the decade domestic animals
and bees combined increasedl
m value nearly $50. 600, 900, or 7f.3 per
cent. The different classes contribute
ID to this increase in widely Differing
degrees. The greatest absolute in
crease was I'm the value of horses and
colts, which class contributed more
han three nfths of the whole Increase
and made gain of 96 per cent. Cattle
show an increase in value of over $i2,-
lOO,O 900 or 49, per cent, which rep
-esents more than one-ifth of the to-
al gain for all live stock.
The total value OF swine increased,
over s5.000.000 and that OF poultry
nearly $4,000, 900. and each more than
doubled. while sheep and lambs in
,rease1 in value nearly s2,5O0,00O, or
ll.7 per cent.
The aggregate value OF horses and
,olts rs considerably greater than that
,r cattle and the two together repre-