DEVELOPMENT OF MICHIGAy WASTE LANDS 437 



themselves in Michigan on a much larger scale than 

 hitherto. 



Even cursory observation of the cut-over districts 

 of Michigan makes clear the impossibility of develop- 

 ing some of them agriculturally. The area of these 

 lands in arrears for taxes in 1920 was stated to be 

 three million. During five years the acreage re- 

 verting to the State because of the nonpayment of 

 taxes is given as 2,300,000.^ There are on the tax 

 rolls 5,000,000 acres with an average value of $5 

 an acre. This is nearly one-seventh of the State. 

 Of the lands which revert to the State as delinquent 

 for taxes, some are re-sold, some are exchanged with 

 private or public holders in order to consolidate the 

 State's holdings; and some are transferred to the 

 Public Domain (now Conservation) Commission to 

 be held as public lands, some of them to be organized 

 as State forests. The fact that these lands reverted 

 because they were unable to produce returns equal 

 to the tax requirements assessed against them, indi- 

 cates that they will permanently remain public prop- 

 erty, and the State intends to hold them as such. 

 Of the lands which are re-sold at the annual tax sale, 

 many acres revert, and revert again and again to 

 the State, after this or that purchaser has discovered 

 their worthlessness for agriculture, mining or other 

 industry. 



The problem of the economic utilization of the cut- 

 over non-productive lands within the State is peren- 



'Janette: "Michigan'3 Millions of Idle Acres," Detroit, 

 1920, 12. 



