256 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



the question, why is it that the number of farms now cultivated by own- 

 ers is less, proportionately, than formerly? The answer is not that 

 farms have been sold on mortgage, or that they have been bought up 

 and enlarged by capitalists. We have not yet reached that point. 

 Rather, that poor men and young men, in these times of low prices, pre- 

 fer to rent farms to going in debt for them. 



A few more facts relating to farms in the southern four tiers of coun- 

 ties. In the 10 years since 1884 the improved land has increased 506,610 

 acres, yet there is a loss in farm values of $61,690,047, and this loss has 

 occurred in spite of the fact that farms near the larger cities have 

 increased in value. The average loss per acre is $5.71, or more than 12 

 per cent. But this is not all the loss farmers have suffered. The value 

 of farm implements shows a decrease of $2,963,567, and live stock of 

 $19,961,373. The loss on farms, farm implements and live stock aggre- 

 gates the immense sum of $84,614,987. Add to this, if you please, the loss 

 upon farm products, that is, the decrease in the value of farm products 

 in 1894 as compared with 1884, $6,217,257, and we have a total loss to the 

 farmers in the southern four tiers of counties of $90,832,244, nearly $91,- 

 000,000. You will be interested to know how the wages paid in the two 

 census years compare. The farmers of this section paid in the census 

 year 1894 $1,286,507 less for outdoor labor than for the corresponding 

 year 1884, and for indoor labor, $438,728 less. These figures mean that 

 from six to eight thousand farm laborers, and three or four thousand 

 hired girls, were thrown out of permanent work. 



A few comparisons with 1890 will be instructive. According to the 

 census, the farms in the State were worth $27,941,167 less in 1894 than in 

 1890. The decline in value of farm implements was $1,047,984, and of 

 live stock, $16,414,872, a total depreciation in land, implements and live 

 stock of $45,404,023. Farm products in 1894 were worth $2,380,542 less 

 than in 1890. 



THE MICHIGAN WEATHER BUREAU AND ITS WEATHER 



CROP BULLETIN. 



LIEUT. C. F. SCHNEIDER, LANSING. 

 [Abstract of Lecture.] 



The object of the lecture was to outline as briefly and clearly as pos- 

 sible the general organization of the National Weather Bureau and 

 Michigan Weather Service, and to give as good an idea as time permitted 

 of what these organizations were doing, and what they hoped to achieve. 



The National Weather Bureau and the location of its stations at the 

 principal large cities throughout the United States, and the instrumental 

 equipment of these stations, was first taken up. The manner of taking 

 simultaneous observations at all these stations, and their rapid collection 

 by a telegraphic cipher system for the daily weather map, was next 

 described. The daily weather map was then taken up and carefully 

 explained by the help of large charts which depicted the two principal 

 kinds of storms, "highs" and "lows." Some time was given to explaining 

 the isobas and isotherms and to the effect that the "highs" and "lows" 



