258 RURAL MICHIGAN 



farm products. In 1909, according to the Eeport of 

 the State Board of Agriculture for 1914, the manu- 

 facturing industry of Michigan employed 271,071 

 persons, who received in salaries and wages $153,- 

 838,000. Similarly, the lumber industry then had 

 35,627 wage earners, and the mining industry 

 42,133 employees. On June 30, 1912, the'officers and 

 employees of the steam railroads numbered 45,252, 

 receiving salaries and wages of $32,635,516. In 1913, 

 according to this report, the electric railroads em- 

 ployed 9,195 persons who received $6,510,297.^ 



City dwellers are consumers of farm products, and 

 the census of 1920 showed that Michigan contained 

 fourteen cities with a population ranging from 10,000 

 to 25,000, and fourteen cities whose population ex- 

 ceeded 25,000. The greatest urban market was that 

 of Detroit, whose population had increased 113.3 

 per cent in the decade and numbered 993,678. Xext 

 in rank was Grand Eapids with 137,634, and Flint 

 with 91,599. 



Several Michigan cities have established municipal 

 markets which enable farmers to dispose of their 

 products directly to urban consumers. Such a mar- 

 ket is maintained by the city of Flint, which was 

 established November 6, 1920. Since the first of 

 the year 1921, the Market Master reports, all avail- 

 able space has been utilized by farmers, demonstrat- 

 ing their interest in this facility for disposing of their 

 products. There are accommodations for 125 

 wagons. During the winter the market was opened 

 ^"Eept. Mich. Bd. Agr.," 1914, 475. 



