EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 481 



THE AGRICULTUEE OF THE UrPER PENINSULA. 



ITS PRESENT DEVELOPMENT AND POSSIBILITIES. 



BY J. W. WESTON^ D. L, MCMILLAN AND G. W. PUTNAM. 



Conditions which make for comfortable and profitable living are 

 present iu Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The vigorous interests of a 

 developing country are combined with good markets, fine roads, good 

 schools and churches, excellent railroad faicilities, and a large acreage 

 of fertile land. 



The summer climate of the Upper Peninsula is famous the country 

 over, while those who know the section in the winter claim that this 

 invigorating season, with its uniform climate and its winter sports, is 

 exceptionally healthful and pleasant. The climatic conditions also 

 favor the production of a wide range of crops and livestock. The mean 

 annual temperature is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and the annual 

 average rainfall is about 30 inches. A large part of this comes in the 

 growing season, 18 to 25 inches falling from May 1 to October 1. 



An area of more than ten million acres is included in the Upper 

 Peninsula. From Menominee on the south to Keweenaw Point on the 

 north is a distance of 173 miles, while tJie territory extends 337 miles 

 from the eastern end of Chippewa county to the state line on the west. 

 It lies in the 4:6th Meridian and has approximately 1,000 miles of coast 

 on the Great Lakes. Its elevation varies from 580 feet on the southern 

 slope to 2,023 feet on the highest point in the Porcupine Mountains. 



Pig. 2. A general view of the Agricultural Experiment Station located at Cliatliam, Mich. 



Extensive areas of fertile soils, including cleared, cut-over, and 

 timber land, are to be found in the upper country. Good yields of many 

 crops are produced in Cloverland, and crop production, although exten- 

 sive, is only in its infancy. The present development is suflScient, how- 

 ever, to forecast a great future for the region. 



The Upper Peninsula is essentially a livestock country, with dairying 

 now developed to a greater extent than any other phase of the fanning 



