DEVELOPMEXT OF MICHIGAN WASTE LANDS 431 



of persons familiar witli the country rather than 

 by incoming ranchers from the western ranges. 

 Sheep-raising on a moderate scale by local farmers 

 has made good many times. In weighing the agri- 

 cultural possibilities of the region, it must be recog- 

 nized that the proximity of the Great Lakes is a 

 factor of great importance, causing climatic condi- 

 tions to vary markedly within a few miles back from 

 the shore line. This is to be considered in relation 

 to fruit husbandry, which in areas adjacent to the 

 lakes on suitable land has been remarkably success- 

 ful. However, care must be taken in selecting the 

 varieties of fruit. From the list of apples, the as- 

 sistant state leader of county agents in the Upper 

 Peninsula has selected the Wealthy and Northwest- 

 ern Greening as, on the whole, the types to be favored 

 here. The Secretary of the State Horticultural So- 

 ciety favors the Macintosh Red. Berries, including 

 currants, gooseberries, blackberries, red raspberries, 

 and strawberries are universally, both in the wild and 

 domesticated state, grown in the district. Plums and 

 cherries produce on occasion in a very remarkable 

 abundance, while pears yield not so well. Garden 

 vegetables in wide variety do very well. 



In the opinion of the special investigators of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, who 

 studied agricultural conditions and described them 

 in a bulletin published in 191fi, "mixed farming 

 rather than a highly specialized type is apparently 

 well adapted to the majority of farms in this dis- 

 trict." The study embraced 801 farms in the cut- 



