MICHIGAN. 



531 



Sscal year were $2,444,242, and the expendi- 

 tures $2,004,194, leaving a balance of $440,047. 



The population of the State, by a census taken 

 in 1804, was 803,745, being a gain of 54,632 

 since I860. The exhaustion of the war is 

 shown in the fact, that in 1860 the excess of 

 males over females in the State was 50.275, but 

 in 1864 this excess had declined to 21,132. The 

 area of the State is more than 50,000 square 

 miles, and 10,000 square miles greater than 

 either New York or Pennsylvania, and more 

 than 16,000 square miles larger than Ohio, and 

 nearly as large as all New England. Surround- 

 ed on almost all sides by inland seas, her shores 

 are washed by more than 1,400 miles of navi- 

 gable waters. 



The fisheries of the State, by the census of 

 1860, were returned at the value of $250,467, 

 which is exceeded only by Massachusetts, Con- 

 necticut, Maine, and Rhode Island. The re- 

 turns of the census are probably too low ; citi- 

 zens estimate them for the present year at a 

 million dollars. 



The fish thus taken is known as white-fish. 

 The white-fish, like the salmon and other fall 

 spawning fishes, is short lived and a rapid 

 grower. The spawn is laid in October and 

 November ; the hatching takes place in April, 

 May, or June, according to the locality and to 

 the warmth of water. During the first year 

 the young ones attain to minnows of two or 

 three ounces, so small that no net will stop 

 them. Soon after hatching, or as soon as they 

 have attained to the proper fish shape so as to 

 navigate freely, they retire into deep, clear, cold 

 water. This generally takes place from May 

 to June. About this time, or a little later, the 

 young fish of last year's hatching, some thirteen 

 or fourteen months old, show themselves in vast 

 numbers, gradually making their way from the 

 deeper parts of the lake toward the grounds 

 where they were hatched, for the purpose of 

 depositing their spawn and producing their suc- 

 cessors. During this period, between June and 

 September, when they return to the place 

 of nativity, they grow most rapidly, having 

 grown from little ones of a few ounces to .full 

 sized fishes, of four, five, and in some localities 

 in Lake Superior, to eight or nine pounds, in 

 the space of less than three months. The very 

 large fish known as the Mackinac or Lake Su- 

 perior white-fish, is not so much larger than 

 those of other localities, by reason of age, but 

 from being of a different species, of a large 

 breed, so to speak. They are no older than the 

 others, and none are over sixteen or seventeen 

 months old at maturity.] 



It has been observed by all fishermen, that 

 the white-fish in different localities differ from 

 each other in many marked peculiarities, not 

 only in size, but in shape and their general ap- 

 pearance, as much so as different breeds of hogs, 

 cattle, sheep, or horses, in different parts of the 

 country. But the families or tribes keep them- 

 selves distinct from each other, never mixing 

 or "crossing the breed," and the same features 



will be observed on the same grounds from year 

 to year, all resembling each other, but differing 

 from those of other places, being either larger 

 or smaller, or having other peculiarities; and 

 uniformly so ; but all in the same locality are of 

 remarkably uniform size, that is those of the 

 same sex, the females in all cases being the 

 larger. Hence, the large fish are found always 

 in the same place in Lake Superior, and the 

 smaller ones always in the same places in Lakes 

 Michigan and Huron, and the still smaller ones 

 in Detroit River and Lake Erie. 



Experiments by marking young fishes prove 

 that this class, the fall spawning, as the white- 

 fish, salmon, etc., always return at maturity to 

 their old spawning grounds, lay then* spawn, 

 and retire. And it is believed, and pretty well 

 settled, that the white-fish only breeds once, 

 that is in the fall of the second year ; and that 

 during the summer of the third year, just about 

 the tune the last year's brood are making their 

 rapid growth to maturity, the old ones retire 

 into deep water to die, never again making 

 then* appearance. All the practical experience 

 of fishermen, and what scientific observations 

 have been taken, show that the apprehensions 

 of exhausting white-fish in these waters by 

 any mode of fishing now in use, are groundless. 

 All scientific men agree in the conclusions 

 already stated as to the fact that the white-fish 

 spawns in the fall, suddenly attains its largest 

 size within about three months, and lives only 

 into the third year. The unanimous testimony 

 of the most experienced fishermen also proves 

 that the main enemy of the white-fish is the 

 sturgeon, who lies upon the spawning grounds 

 and devours millions upon millions of spawn, 

 and that fishing with pound nets invariably re- 

 duces the number of sturgeon, while the white- 

 fish invariably increase in number on the same 

 grounds, no matter how large the catch may be 

 from year to year. 



The copper mines of Michigan on Lake Su- 

 perior are well known. The annual yield now 

 exceeds 10,000 tons. The yield of iron ore in 

 1855 was 1,447 tons, but in 1864 it had reached 

 248,000 tons, besides 25,000 tons supplied to the 

 furnaces in the iron region at Marquette. 



Numerous springs of saline waters abound 

 in the Saginaw Valley as well as in other 

 sections of the State. The salt produced in 

 that valley in 1864 was 488,189 barrels, valued 

 at the shipping point at $2.25 per barrel, or 

 $1,098,425. 



There are extensive fields of coal in the State, 

 much of which is of good quality, and all of it 

 valuable for manufacturing and other purposes. 

 Large quantities of lumber are also made in the 

 State. 



At Lakeport large investments have been 

 made and explorations commenced for petro- 

 leum, with a favorable prospect of profitable 

 results. The increase in the wheat crop of 

 1863 over that of 1859 was 1,374,442 bushels, 

 while there was nearly as great a falling off in 

 the corn cron. The clio of wool increased from 



