THE OCCUPATION OF THE LAND 175 



They are good farmers and are quite quick to take 

 up American methods. Their standard of living is, 

 of course, much below that of the native-born Ameri- 

 can, although the second generation mark a distinct 

 improvement in that particular. During the war 

 they were law-abiding and patriotic. They bought 

 liberty bonds quite freely and are holding them quite 

 as well at the present time as the native-born Ameri- 

 cans. They seem to be little concerned as to political 

 matters, local or general. In this they are distinctly 

 different from German communities which I liave 

 known. They patronize savings banks quite freely 

 and rely greatly upon the banker whom they have 

 learned to trust." Steadman is of the opinion that 

 one-fourth of the farms in the vicinity of Bannister 

 and Ashley, Gratiot County, have come into the pos- 

 session of Bohemians. They are very well adapted 

 for developing the rougher lands of the State. Their 

 Slavic congeners, the Croatians, Slovenians and 

 Poles, are also settling in small communities in 

 upper Michigan. 



The negro population of Michigan is relatively 

 sparse, particularly in the rural districts. The total 

 in 1910 was only 17,115, being six-tenths of one per 

 cent of the whole population. More than one-third 

 of this numl)er belonged to the urban county of 

 Wayne, and only 4,959 were represented as rural. 

 Outside of Wayne County, only Washtenaw and Cass 

 counties had a negro population exceeding one thou- 

 sand, Avhile some of the counties of the northern 

 sections of the Lower Peninsula were almost wholly 



