78 RURAL MICUIOAN 



Sixty-five mills reported an output of 7,523,000 

 feet of spruce in 1918, as Michigan production; 

 while the birch contributed 48,807,000 feet reported 

 by 131 mills; 29,788,000 feet of elm came from 162 

 mills; 5,627,000 feet of ash from 134 mills; 29,788,- 

 000 feet of basswood from 162 mills and 46,181,000 

 feet of yellow poplar from 143 mills, producing 18.1 

 per cent of the country's production.' The elm is 

 one of the handsomest and most robust trees, and 

 forms a striking and attractive feature of the south 

 Michigan countryside today. It yielded in 1918, 

 28,841,000 feet of lumber— 17.3 per cent of the na- 

 tional total. Michigan beech constituted only 2.8 

 per cent of the American product with more than 

 9,000,000 feet to its credit. Although some sup- 

 pose its range to be restricted to the southern coun- 

 ties, it abides near the Lake Superior shore, in 

 situations where, by all the rules, it has no license 

 to be. 



Of the manufactures related to agriculture, the 

 report of the findings of the Forest Service expert, 

 already adverted to, shows that agricultural imple- 

 ments consumed more yellow poplar than any other 

 type — 4,261,000 feet, none of which was grown in 

 Michigan. Then' follow white ash, 1,139,000 Michi- 

 gan grown; white pine, 1,844,000; sugar maple, 

 900,000 feet; while otlier ^lichigan varieties are rep- 

 resented by white elm, basswood, white oak, cotton- 

 wood, silver maple, Norway pine, hickory, hemlock, 



^U. S. Dept. Agr., Bull. 84.): "Production of Lumber, 

 lath and Shingles in 1918." 



