102 Proceedings of Indiana Academy of Science 



portation in southern Indiana, which in turn is related to the greater 

 poverty of the region and to its fewer industrial centers; (3) the fact 

 that many more east-west trunk lines cross northern Indiana enroute to 

 Chicago or St. Louis than cross southern Indiana. 



Variations in Farms. The contrasts between different regions in 

 the state are well illustrated by differences in the average value of the 

 land. While according to the 1920 Census, the state average was $104 

 per acre, the Crawford Upland (figure 1, region 5) averaged only $26 

 per acre, and the Norman Upland only $31, but the wide, almost level 

 north central region had an average of $158. The average values in 

 the remaining regions outlined in figure 1 are as follows: 1 — $102; 

 2— $91; 4— $71; 6— $.32; 8— $74; 9— $43; 10— $51. 



The variation in the per cent of land in farms is not so great, rang- 

 ing from 82 per cent in the Norman Upland to 98 per cent in the Dear- 

 born Upland. The wide central plain had 95 per cent of its land in 

 farms. Other regions varied as follows: 1—92; 2—89; 4—88; 5—90; 

 6—89; 8—90; 9—93. 



One might expect that the richer land of central Indiana would be 

 divided into smaller farms than the poorer land in .southern Indiana 

 because a .smaller acreage can support a family. But instead, the 

 smallest farms, on the average, are found in the Norman Upland, of 

 which Brovvu County is representative. There the average is 88 acres, 

 in contrast with 114 acres in the north Central plain and 168 acres in 

 the Kankakee region. The average size of farms in the remaining 

 legions are as follows: 1—101; 4—94; 5—110; 6—101; 8—107; 9—99; 

 10—94. 



Not only are the farms larger than the average in the smoother 

 central part of the state, but a larger proportion of the land is in 

 crops and a ^maller proportion in pasture, wood lots and waste land. 

 This is illustrated by the total land devoted to cereals per average 

 square mile. The north central plain with 350 acres out of each avei*- 

 age 640 acres has three times as large a share of the land in cereals 

 as the Norman Upland with 117 acres. Other regions have intermediate 

 acreages as follows: 1—259; 2—298; 4—282; 5—144; 6—164; 8—296; 

 9-172; 10—165. 



The contrast in the total taxables per average squaie mile is great, 

 and very important. The richest part of the state, the north centi-al 

 plain, has taxables assessed at $214,000 per square mile, on the average, 

 whereas in the poorest region, the Crawford Upland, the valuation is 

 $34,000, only about one seventh as much. No wonder that the schools 

 and roads are better in the former region than in the latter! The valu- 

 ation in other regions is as follows: 1 — $112,000; 2 — $88,000; 4— $122,- 

 000; 6— $40,000; 7— $61,000; 8— $103,000; 9— $50,000; 10— $60,000. 



Accompanying these notable contrasts in the semi-permanent as- 

 sets of the several regions, there is a conspicuous contrast in improve- 

 ments and equipment on the farms. For example, one area, the Mu.s- 

 catatuck Slope, has six times as many silos in proportion to area as 

 another area, the Norman Upland. Automobiles are least frequent, 2.3 

 per square mile, in the Crawford Upland, where roads are very poor 



