MICHIGAN. 



567 



The population of Michigan, according to the 

 State census of 1864, was given in our volume 

 for last year. From the statistics of the census 

 published early in 1865 by the Secretary of State, 

 it appears that Michigan contains 35,995,520 

 acres of land, of which but 3,647,645 acres are 

 improved, and but 12,086,660 returned as tax- 

 able. There are, if equally apportioned, about 

 4^- acres of improved land for every man, 

 woman, and child in the State. The following 

 table gives the amount of the crops raised in 

 the State in the two years immediately preced- 

 ing the censuses of 1854 and 1864 : 



The wheat crop of Michigan for 1863 aver- 

 aged but 11| bushels to the acre, being much 

 below the ordinary yield. The hay crop is the 

 next in value, being worth more than $15,000,- 

 000 for 1863. The average amount ef butter 

 made per cow in 1863 was 59 Ibs. 9 oz., and of 

 cheese 6 Ibs. 13 oz. Sorghum and imphee are 

 not mentioned in the table, but the total manu- 

 facture of sugar in 1864 was 4,044,399 Ibs., or 

 more than five pounds for each inhabitant. 



The number of sheep in Michigan has nearly 

 doubled since the taking of the last State cen- 

 sus, and in 1863 the average yield per head was 

 3 Ibs. 8 oz., or nearly one pound greater than 

 in the whole country in 1859. There were, in 

 1863, 2,053,363 sheep in the State, the clip 

 from which amounted to 7,294,934 pounds, or 

 nearly one-tenth of the whole quantity pro- 

 duced in the United States. This shows an 

 annual increase of 796,769 pounds since 1859. 

 The clip of 1864 was estimated at 1,000,000 

 pounds more than that of 1863. From these 

 data it would seem that Michigan is destined to 

 become one of the leading, if not the first, wool- 

 growing State in the Union. 



The following table exhibits the lumber prod- 

 uct, which is one of the chief sources of wealth 

 possessed by the State : 



figures, the annual amount of lumber produced 

 in Michigan is estimated by the Secretary of 

 State at nearly 8,000,000 feet. Of this amount 

 upward of 3,000,000 feet came from the Sagi- 

 naw River district. 



The statistics of mining products are incom- 

 plete. It appears, however, that 273,000 tons 

 of iron ore were produced in 1863, an amount 

 only exceeded by Pennsylvania in 1860. Be- 

 tween 1854 and 1864 the number of copper 

 mines increased nearly 120 per cent., and the 

 amount of copper mined over 180 per cent. 

 The following is a statement of the shipments 

 of copper during 1865 : 



Tent. Lit. 



Portage Lake district 4,596 856 



Keweenaw district 8,234 1,673 



Ontonagon district 2,140 845 



Total shipments 9,971 3,374 



Or within twenty-eight tons of a grand total 

 of 10,000 tons. In each district there has been 

 a considerable increase over the product of 

 1864, the greatest being in Keweenaw district. 

 The following are the amounts of increase, as 

 near as can be ascertained : 



Tons. Lb*. 



Keweenaw district 773 1,598 



Ontonagon district 420 



Portage Lake district 850 1,431 



Total increase 1,546 1,027 



A number of mills made no returns. Adding 

 the number of feet sawn by these to the above 



An impulse is likely to be given to the pro- 

 duction of copper in Michigan by the building 

 of a harbor and ship canal at Portage Lake, 

 Keweenaw Point, Lake Superior, in aid of 

 which Congress in 1865 granted a large tract 

 of land. Whenever the State shall be fully re- 

 imbursed for advances in this work, such tolls 

 only are to be charged as shall pay the expenses 

 of the canal. 



Michigan promises to become one of the 

 chief apple-raising States of the Union. The 

 shipments in 1865 were estimated at 410,000 

 barrels, which, at an average price of 3.50 per 

 barrel, were worth nearly $1,500,000. They 

 were sent to all parts of the country, the winter 

 fruit going principally to the Eastern and Mid- 

 dle States. Connected with this subject is the 

 new method of preserving fruit in storehouses, 

 from which the natural dampness of the atmos- 

 phere has been eliminated, and in which the 

 proportion of oxygen has been diminished. A 

 model building of this description has recently 

 been erected in Detroit, having a capacity of 

 storing 30,000 bushels of fruit. In the gradual 

 ripening of fruit hydrogen and carbon are con- 

 stantly given off; the former unites with the 

 oxygen of the air and forms water the latter 

 carbonic acid. This process in any confined 

 vessel filled with fruit, consumes all the oxygen, 

 especially if the fruit be ripe and the air warm, 



