DEVELOPMEXT OF MICHIGAN WA;STE LANDS 419 



soils of the north country, giving these over-worked 

 farms of the south a rest, permitting them to re- 

 turn to grass or forest for a period. 



If it is true that farmers cannot make a fair return 

 on their investment in the older sections of the 

 State, that may be attributed to the too high valua- 

 tion which they place on their holdings. If they 

 were to capitalize their net return at the current rate 

 of interest, they would probably find that such is 

 the case. It would seem to be better, then, that these 

 farmers should reduce their capital investment in 

 lands by purchasing greater acreage at less cost far- 

 ther north. It is not too far north to obtain a high 

 return of farm products to the acre. 



The Michigan Academy of Science held a sympo- 

 sium on the idle lands of the State at the University 

 of Michigan, ^ilarch 31 to April 2, 1920. On the 

 thesis, "Michigan's undeveloped area represents one 

 of the few great reserves of land suited to agricul- 

 tural purposes, awaiting development," J. F. Cox 

 of the Michigan Agricultural College pointed out 

 that the agricultural progress of the northern cut- 

 over areas had been liampered by the extreme vari- 

 ability of the quality of the soil, leading to the selec- 

 tion by settlers of lands too poor for agriculture, too 

 remote from developed markets, as well as to 

 the lack of skill in farm practice on the part of the 

 settlers. 



He points out that, "generally speaking, the better 

 f^andy loams, loams and clays of the entire cut-over 

 country are well adapted to cloxer. grasses and 



