The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1915-09-09
From "Michigan-the Land of Plenty"

From "Michigan-the Land of Plenty"
HE following data has been
prepared with the view Of
furnishing information in
concise form relating to the
= agriculture of Michigan,
IE@l which is but one of five
IEI great industries in the state.
The data presented, except
where otherwise indicated, has been
procured from the report of the thir-
teenth census of the United States for
the years 1909 and 1910. Comparative
ly few people have access to the cen
sus reports, which contain a mass of
detailed data, that their common use
for reference by individual citizens is
not possible. The facts hereafter pre-
sented are for the purpose Of stimulat-
ing a more general and complete APP
probation of Michigan, particularly
her agricultural industry and the won
derful opportunities open for its de-
velopment.
Agriculture.
The agriculture Of Michigan is no
production and the unsurpassed va
riety of it's products. This industry
might we'll be divided into two groups,
viz, agriculture and horticulture. be-
cause OF the prominence of the latter.
The following ratings in agricultural
production for the year 1909 have
been computed from the thirteenth
census report, viz:
For the total number of animals on
farms Michigan occupied the follow
ing rating, viz: Horses fourteenth, all
cattle fifteenth, dairy cows tenth,
swine nineteenth, sheep eighth, poul-
try eleventh, and for colonies of bees
thirteenth. In making this compari-
son it should not be forgotten that
the state is pitted against many, the
chief business of which Is live stock
production, and that as later figures
will show, in most instances, the rat.
ing is raised when expressed in terms
OF production and values rather than
in numbers Of animals.
The following list includes Michi
gan's cereals and other field crops, in.
Guiding the rating of the state among
all others from the standpoint Of crop
valuations for 1909, viz: Corn fifteenth
wheat twelfth, oats ninth, barley elev
enth, rye first, buckwheat third, Dry
edible beans first. dry peas second
grass seeds sixth, flower and vegetable
seed sixth, hay and forage eighth, po
tatoes fourth (second in yield, vege
tables seventh, sugar beets third, chic
DRY first, and mint first. This long list
includes a wide range of products oil
high utilitarian value, presenting in
general high rating.
Agricultural Lands.
In addition to the very favorable
place Michigan occupies regarding hel
industries and agricultural products
there are still great opportunities fol
development, for as yet only 51.5 pei
cent of the total land area of Michigan
is included in farms. with enormous
areas of good land remaining to be re
claimed.
Michigan ranks twenty-hrst in land
area among the as states of this coun
try and eighth in population, will
2,810,173 inhabitants. This means
that the state is only slightly above
the average size for the entire mum
Der, and is only about one-thirty-sixtt
larger than Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin Of
Florida; ffty-three times larger thar
Rhode Island, and less than one-fourtl
the size of Texas.
The gross area of the state of Michi
gan is about $3.50 square miles, in
Guiding 500 square miles of water sur
face. In comparison with this. tn,
combined land areas of England anC
Wales is 5S,575 square miles, with {
population of 36,075, 269, these figure,
forming the basis of comparison will
European country.
The approximate land area of Michi
gan is 36,7s7 600 acres. and OF thii
amount 1S,940,614 acres only are In
Guided In farms. while 1882 07s acrei
are classified as improved lands. TX