vi Preface 



farm organizations, and others who are personally 

 in touch with some aspect of Michigan agriculture. 

 The writer himself has lived all his life in the State, 

 often in close contact with its rural life at widely 

 separated points in both peninsulas. For this rea- 

 son, he thinks he appreciates local diiferences rather 

 more clearly than would be the case if his ex- 

 perience had been confined to one part or peninsula 

 only. To all those who have so readily responded 

 to his request for material and information he ren- 

 ders grateful acknowledgment. For photographs 

 acknowledgment is due to Mr. Ezra Levin of the 

 Michigan Department of Agriculture, to Senator Roy 

 Clark of Benton Harbor, the Superintendent of 

 Schools, Houghton, and the Western Michigan De- 

 velopment Bureau. The frontispiece is by Werner of 

 Marquette. 



It should be added that, when omissions of essen- 

 tial matter seem to occur, this, in some cases, is 

 attributable to a failure to obtain such informa- 

 tion from those who are alone able to provide it. 

 Not many such lapses on the part of others, how- 

 ever, have occurred. The writer does not doubt 

 that he himself has failed to discover all available 

 sources of information. Since much of the ma- 

 terial used in writing this volume is not readily 

 accessible, the writer has been more free with quo- 

 tations and statistics than considerations of style 

 alone would warrant. He thought his readers would 

 appreciate having this material made thus accessi- 



