STATUS A^D TENDENCIES IN RURAL LIFE 449 



southern counties. The Fourteenth United States 

 Census, however, reveals that it is liardly holding its 

 own in this section. Quite uniformly in these coun- 

 ties appears a diminution of the total acreage in 

 farms and the acreage of improved farm lands. 

 Thus in the decade, Oakland County showed a de- 

 crease of total farm area of 14.8 per cent, while the 

 area of improved farm lands decreased 16.5. Simi- 

 larly the improved farm lands of Macomb County 

 fell off 4.4 per cent; of St. Clair, 1.9; of Calhoun, 

 3 ; of Washtenaw, 3.9 ; Monroe, 3 ; of Lenawee, 

 2.5; of Wayne, 18.3; of Hillsdale, 3.4; of Living- 

 ston, 6.5; of Berrien, 2.3; of Cass, 2.1; of Allegan, 

 7.5; of Barry, 2.5; of St. Joseph, 3.6; of Kala- 

 mazoo, 7.2 ; of Branch, 3 ; and of Van Buren, 5.7 

 per cent. These are the oldest agricultural counties 

 of the State, in part of which farming has continued 

 for about a century. Even the central counties of 

 the southern peninsula have a similar trend. Dur- 

 ing the same period the area of improved farm land 

 in Oceana County decreased 1.1 per cent; of Clin- 

 ton, 2.3; of Shiawassee, 2.4; of Ionia, 4; of St. 

 Clair, 1.9; of Sanilac, 4.5; of Bay, 17.8; of Eaton, 

 1.8; of Jackson 2.8; of Genesee, 6.8; of Ingham, 

 3.9; of Lapeer, 1.7; of Kent, 3.5; of Ottawa, 3.6. 

 Undoubtedly in counties like Wayne, Oakland, 

 Ingham and Genesee, there has been a tendency for 

 the city to encroac-h on the country; but such an ex- 

 planation does not apply to such predominantly rural 

 coimties as Clinton, Branch or Eaton. Taken in con- 

 nection that a similar decrease in the total farm 



