109 



Madison: Nothing remarkable. Logan: Ipcreasjd desire for improved farm-imple- 

 ments. Hardin: Great numbers of farm macbiues; sales increasing every year. Ash- 

 land: Crops put iu ia better style ; great extension of macbiuery. Geauga: Gradual 

 improvement for years ; farmers' clubs and other organizations ; great advance in 

 agricultural intelligence. Lorain : Great improvement within three years, especially 

 in draining and in general economy of work ; but little waste; some farmers formerly 

 wasted more than they now feed. Fayetie : Great improvement in implements. 

 Sandnsly : Improved machinery. Meigs: General use of improved machinery. Lucas: 

 Improved machinery, under-draining and tree-planting by roadsides. Morgan : Mixed 

 husbandry ; more live stock fed on the farm. Hancock : Most of the labor done by 

 machinery; under-draining; improved rotation ; protecting birds. Adams: Better till- 

 age and more thrift. Carroll: Improved machinery and economy of labor. Hamilion : 

 More judicious rotation and selection of crops. Jiichland: More labor-saving machin- 

 ery, and consequently more leisure for mental culture. Butler : Increased economy of 

 labor, but not any more efficiency iu labor itself; no observable increase of intelli- 

 gence or skill in farming. Delaware : Thousands of acres drain-tiled every year, bring- 

 ing into cultivation the swampy lands ; increase iu economy of labor, if not ia farm- 

 ing skill. 



MicniGAX. — More labor accessible on account of stagnation in lumbering enterprise. 

 Farmers too prone to loan their money at interest. Ottawa : Many are purchasing 

 labor-saving machines. Oakland: Increased economy of labor; arrangements have 

 been made which enable one man to take care of double the amount of live stock. 

 Branch: Steady improvement. Van Buren : Increased economy of labor ; increased 

 cereal productions. Gratiot : Increased tile-draining. Kalamazoo : Great changes in 

 twenty years. Macomb: Improved machinery. Shiawassee: Improved machinery and 

 more systematic rotation. Mason: County new; land cleared and seeded iu grass as 

 fast as practicable. Cass : More and better farm-implements ; imj)roved buildings 

 and jnore intelligent care iu selection and treatment of animals; wind-mills exten- 

 sively employed to raise water for live stock. Ionia : Contrary to our ancient custom, 

 ■we now raise clean whi^at ; our cultivated crops are in the main attended to; our 

 domestic animals are much improved and better cared for ; valuable fruit-trees have 

 increased in number and are much better cared for ; our fences and buildings are 

 made more substantial and conveuieut ; grass-seed is sown on fields that usetl to-l)e 

 bare ; many of our farmers are free from debt, and have something ahead. Much 

 has been and is being done in the Avay of draining, manuring, and clearing the 

 fields of stumps, stones, and other rubbish, and the plow is going down deeper and is 

 doing much better work. Lcnaivee : Last year 1,000 bushels of corn were raised in this 

 county on "20 acres of land at a cost of S3:>4.40 ; the crop brought 80 cents per bushel, 

 or ^600 less the total expenses of $334.40, leaving a profit of .$4!i5.60. Washfenaw : Sys- 

 tematic rotation of crops ; the use of plaster as a fertilizer, and the extensive use of 

 manures, indicates the advance of the past ten years. 



IxDiAXA. — Randolph: Farmers are taking more pains iu piTttiug their ground in 

 order and mannring more than heretofore. Greater attention is abo paid to introduc- 

 ing improved farm machinery. Gicene: None. Switzerland : Our farmers are now 

 realizing the damaging effect of the continually cropping and exporting of hay and 

 the close selling of nearly all the straw raised. The exhTiusted condition of the lands 

 from selling off all the hay and straw has had the effect of turning the attention of 

 the farmers to a more systematic mauuer of farming. Union: Draining the soil, im- 

 proved labor-saving machinery, the introduction of thoroughbred short-horns, and 

 Cotswold and merino sheep, are among the improvements. Knox: A more thorough 

 preparation of the soil for the receptiou of the seed, a more general use of fertilizers, 

 and a general alternating of crops. Martin : Farmers are taking more interest 

 than formerly in their business. Harrison : The saving and application of barn- 

 yard and special manures, and the introduction of more labor-saving machinery. 

 Daviess : None. Marion : More care iu the preparation of the ground, putting in 

 their crops at the proper time, the judicious selection of seeds, and attention to 

 improved breeds of stock and their proper care. Putnam : Our farmers are in- 

 telligent and economical, but rather conservative. La Porte: There is a general 

 waking up as it were to the necessity of curtailing expenses and doing business on a 

 strictly cash basis. Brown : Some of our farmers are sowing down most of their land 

 in clover and grass, and turning their attention to stock-raising. Vanderburgh : None. 

 Miami: Marked general improvement in roads and farms. Noble: More machinery; 

 most of the grain thrashe<l by steam. Howard: Improved culture; more reading of 

 agricultural journals. Tipton: Better improvenumts. Warren; Gradual improvement 

 iu scientific culture. Steuben: A spirit of improvement; some draining. Fountain: 

 Some improvement iu farm and stock management ; shelter and feed better. Jennings : 

 Saving in corn-culture by the corn-drill and double-plow. Gibson: More economy iu 

 management. fJashington: Improved machinery. Union: Draining and labor-saving 

 machinery. Bush: Great results from machinery- Madison: Very'little. Bandolph: 

 Better tillage. Franklin : Increased yield tlirough drainage and better tillage. 



