Michigan Farms

The state department has completed its compilation of the reporta made by supervisors of the varioustownships in Michigan upon the farms and farm products of the state, the results being earef ully tabnlated by townships. From the introductory letter of Mr. Jenney tlie follovving summaries and comments are taken: The total area of improved land in farms, as shown by the present report, is 0,217,209 acres, and of uniinproved land in farms, 4,761,008 acres. The area of improved land is 432,107 acres and of uniinproved land 230,572 acres srreater than reported in 1879. The mcreased aren of taproved land i u farms in the southern four tïernof counties is 266,828 acres, and in the counties north of theni 177,812 acres. The inerease in the southern counties amounts to 5.35 per cent, and in the nortlipin counties to 22.63 per cent, of the improved land in farms in these sections respectively one year ago. Compared with 1870 the total area in farms has increased 866,974 acres or 8.58 per cent. The area of improved land in farms is 1,128,252 acres greater than in 1870, of which 552,400 acres are in the northern counties. In that portion of the state known as ] ern Michigan, which is here taken to i ïnelude all cotmtiea nortli of the southern four tiers, where ten years ago the total area In Cartns was only 1,923,550 acres, and tlie inipioved land in farms only 411,217 acres, there is today an aggregate acreage in farms of 2,708,854 acres, and the rmproved land amonnts to 863,677 acres. The wheat erop of 1879 was truly magnifleent. ïhe total acreage was 1,605,636 acres, the aggregate yield 30,983,340 bushels, and the average per acre 19.30 bushels. Compared with tlie erop of 1878 - the largest prëvioua erop of which we have record - thearea harvested was greater by 30,056 acres, or 1.91 per cent., the yield by 1,471,451 bushels, or very nearly 5 per cent., and the average per acre by 53-100 of a busliel. In aggregate yield the erop was 14,686,568 bushels in exeess of that of 1878; 15,527,138 bushels inexcess of the erop of 1873, and 14,098,161 bushels in exoess of that of 1876. The great erop of 1877, whieh was enorniously in excess of any previous erop, was little more than three-fourths as large. These ligares are likely to rank 1879 as the greatest wheat yearin Michigan history; but when all th,i known causes that affeeted the crops of the two years are taken into consideration, it seenis probable that tlie year 1877, in which was produced the lirst of the series of immense crops, the fourth of whieh has just been harvested, was a Bea&on of even greatei1 natural productiveness, that is, the season itself was such that, had it not been for an exceptional and partially local cause - the ravages of the Hessian fly - the average per acre would have been greater than the average in 1879. The wheat yiekl in Oakland eounty seems to require special notice. It is bat a few years sinee a prominent agricultural writer, in referring to the erop of this eounty, stateel, substantially, that he did not tliink any other equal area in tlie known world could make a better showing. Since that was written the yield hassuffered a seï'ious decline. ïhe average per acre in 1876 was 15.09 bushels, an average that only four counties in the southeru four tiers - Ionia, Washtenaw, Livingston and Cass - exceeded. The average in 1877, as in most of the counties of the state, was much larger than in the previous year, and reaehed 22.41 bushels, being the sixth largest in the southern four tiers of counties. The yield declined in 1878 to 19.40 bushels, and the eounty ranked 13 in the order of the greatest production per acre. The acreage in 1879 was exceeded by only three, yet the total product was surpassed by nine counties, and the average per acre, 15.79 bushels, was less than in any other eounty in the southern four tiers, and was onlv 70-100ths of a bushei more than in 1876, a year, as already intimated, of very low wheat yield. In 1879 each of the following eounties produced over 1,000,000 bushels of wheat, vii : Hushi-la. Buahcl'. Clinton .....1,509,611 Kal.imae 0 1,354,482 (01 U 1,474.889 Kent 1,2W,UM tVaibtenaw 1,449,772 St. Jseph 1,131,075 Calhoun 1,119,438 J.enawee 1,OR7,-1K7 Jarksou 1,365,545 U.iklaud 1,012, 7tii These counties produced over 1,000,000 each in 1878, except St. Joseph, in which the yield was 919,082 bushels. The counties of Barry, Genesee and Livingston, that were included in the list for 1878, produced 923,067, 913,799 and 886,662 bushels respect i vely in 1879. The average for the 28 counties in the southera four tiers was '961,102 bushels, which is 30,826 bushels more than the average in 1878. The following is a complete list of townships in which the aggrègate yield of wheat in 1879 exceeded 100-, 000 bushels : Yield in Townahips. Counties. bu liertrand Berrien 155 IBS Mental Clinton 141 0iS4 Dallas Clinton 133 : icbland Kalamazoo 129,010 Lyot.il lorna 127.' 87 lonia louia 121,430 North Plalns lonia 119,743 Niles Berrieu 119,611 Albion Calboun 119,341 Baacx.. . Clinton .119,248 Berlín Ionio : 1116,90 i'orter Caes . 115,610 Bingh'in Clinton 1H.410 C .ncord Jackson 113,584 (oiüstijclc ICalamazoo 111,959 PnlasKl .Tacksen 106 9i'J Waterlowo Clinton 108 732 BKl Clinton IOS 718 M-iseow Hulsdale 101 971 l'rairie Koude Kulamazoa 100.48." The number of acres of corn hiarvest1 in 1879 was 742,859, which is 18,264 acres less than in 1878. The total yield was 42,764,123 buahela of eai-s. Allowlng two bushels of eaiB for one of shtílled corn, which perhaps is a fair estímate for the whole state, though it probably requires less in many of the soiithern counties where the larger kinds are principally raised, the yield in shelled corn was 21,382,061 bushels, or about 29 bushels to the acre. Tlüs is 589.150 bushels more than raised in 1873, and 7,007,423 bushels or nearly 49 per ('ent, more than in 1869. The number of acres of oats harvested in 1879 was 440,723, 12,962 acres leus than in 1878, and 1,177 acres 1m tlian in 1876. The yield was 15,089,855 bushels, an increase oí 1,635,338 bushels over the erop of 1878, and of 6,270,688 bushels, or 71 per cent, over the erop of 1869. The average yield per acre was 34.25 bushels agiinst 29.82 bushels in the previous year. Of clover seed there were 194,39'.) acres harvested in 1879, as compareJ with 122,043 acres in 1878, an increase of 72,356 acres. Tlie yield anioiinted to 313,063 Uushels, or 146,598 bushels inore than in 1878. The yield per acre was 1.61 busliels, against 1.36 in the previous yéar. In 18(39 the yield of dover seed amounted to only 50,234 bushels. 'Die number of acres of barle; produesed in 1879 was 44,007, wliich 'is , 838 acres inore üwn in 1878, but 4,532 acres tlian in 1877. The acreage in 1877 was less tlian in 1876. The total yield in 1879 was 991,051 Imshels, an increase of 185,196 bushels c pared witli 1878, and of 172,037 bushels compared with 18(i9. The yield per acre was 22 53 bushels, agaiiist 20.14 bushels in 1878. The nuinber ol' acres t peas raised in 1879 was 33,079 against 38.772 iT 1878, a decrease of 6,693 acres. The yield amounted to 537,732 Imshels agaiiist 641,062 Imshels the previous year, a decrease of 108,:(:l Imshels. The average per acre was 15.65 Imshels as compared with 16.13 bushels in 1878, a decrease of 18 lOOths ot a Imshel. The nuinber of acres of potatoei harvested in 1879 was 88,441, an increase of 13,615 acres over 1878. The yield was 8,025 475 boshels, and has never been exceèdecl, so far as known, exeept by the erop of 18G9, whfch reached 10,231,033 bushels. Thenumbpr of busliels raiséd in 1878 was (,2:5,40(3. The average per acre in 1878 was 89.1:? bushels against 105.39 buslfels in 1878, a deereaseof 16.2G bushels. The number of acres of hay cut in 1879 was 948,871, whicti is 86,885 acres more than in 1878, yetthe yielil, 1,051,115 tons, was 73,81(3 tona lèSS than in the previous year. The average per acre was 1.11 tons, or one liTth of a ton less than in 1878. The hay erop of 18t39 aniounted to 1,285,536 tons, and was the largestevergrown in the state. The number of sheap sheared in 1879 was 1,828,580, the number of pounda of wool 9,582,034, and the average per head 5.53 pounds. Comparad with 188 tliere, is an Lacrease of 157,791) m tlie number of sheep, 915,507 pounds in the yield pi wdol, and of 4-100 of a pound in the average per head. The wool clip of 1869 ainoiuited to 8,864,896 pounds, and was the largest clip of this state previous to 1879. ïhe iiumber of sheep in ilie state n the spring of the present year was 1,892,311, an inerease of 63,731 over the nnmber sheared in 1879, and the fchird largest aumber ever eporled. thenuriiber in 1864, 2,OSS,856, beipg jtoe greatest, and in 1870, 1,984,964, the second greatest. The innnber of horses in the state last spring, as shownby thepyesent report, was 293,210; milchcows, 344,791; hogs, 468,629. Compared with 1879 tliere is an inerease of 20,557 horses, 12,899 milch cows, 5,881 cattle o'ther than mil;h cows, and a decrease of 24,480 hogs. ('oinparcd with 1870 tliere is an incroaae of 63,963 horses, 52,866 milch cows, 22,860 eattle othfer than milch cows, iincl 03,928 hogs. The live stock reportad last spring was all "six nionths oW and over," and includes only 1,700 horses, 1,14(5 milch cows, 753 hoge and 1,521 sheep reported from citie.s. Of l'ruits thefollowiiigquantilics are reportcd as sold in 187Ü: Apples, 1,831,910 bushels, or les than half the quantity report ed as sold in 1878;peaehes, 229,570 bushels, or considerably more than doublé the quantity in 1878; trapes, 2,956,437 pounds, or2 4-5 times as many as in previöua year; and of small fruit - cherries, currants, plums and -161,316 bushels, or 60 per cent. more than in 1878. The ninnber of acres in apple orchards in 1880 is reported at 226,849, and the mimber of acres in peach órehai'ds at 13,901. For this report returns have been received from 1,012, or 90.29 per cent. of all the townships in the state at the time the statistics were collected.