24 RURAL MICHIGAN 



undeveloped wilderness north of Lake Superior and 

 then the wide crystal waters of the great lake itself 

 before traversing the haunts of men; and also by 

 the absence of those plants that to the southward 

 pollinize the atmosphere or otherwise freight it with 

 organic substances. 



While for some crops, like sugar-beets, the actual 

 quantity of sunshine received during the growing 

 season is of vital importance, it will be of interest 

 to compare the amount of sunshine occurring in 

 the northern and southern peninsulas. The data 

 for such a comparison has been prepared by C. F. 

 Schneider, meteorologist of the United States 

 Weather Bureau at Gr?.nd Eapids, who points out 

 that the eastern one-third of the Upper Peninsula, 

 and a strip of territory extending from Alpena to 

 Mackinac in the northeastern section of the Lower 

 Peninsula, are the cloudiest in Michigan, Averag- 

 ing the records of actual sunshine reported for sta- 

 tions having an automatic recording device, it has 

 been ascertained that in April, 1919, 49 per cent 

 of the possible amount of sunshine was received in 

 the Upper Peninsula, and 47 per cent in the Lower 

 Peninsula. In May the percentages were 67 for the 

 Upper Peninsula, and 63 for the Lower Peninsula. 

 Similarly in June the percentages were 70 and 76; 

 in July, 75 and 75 ; in August, 5G and 65 ; in Sep- 

 tember, 43 and 60; and in October, 34 and 42. 

 These percentages are smaller for both peninsulas 

 during the winter months without much to choose 

 between them. The percentages for the summer 



