BULLETIN 148, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



SIZE OF FARMS. 



The size of the farm is one measure of the operator's business. 

 It is of interest to know something about the common farm sizes in 

 a region that has developed one or more special enterprises. In mak- 

 ing a study of the sugar beet, this feature received some attention in 

 the reports prepared on the Utah-Idaho and Colorado areas. Similar 

 figures, obtained by the Census Bureau in 1909, are available for the 

 Michigan and Ohio region. While some changes have undoubtedly 

 taken place since then, sizes that were common at that time constitute 

 some of the important groups at present. (See Table II.) Side by 

 side with the census figures is shown the distribution of the farms 

 visited in this survey : 



Table II. — Size and number of farms, and number of records obtained, in 

 Tuscola, Gratiot and Allegan Counties, Mich., and Paulding County, Ohio. 



Acres 



9 and under 



10 to 49 



50 to 99 



100 to 174 



175 to 259 



260 to 499 



500 to 999 



1,000 and above 



Tuscola Co., 

 Michigan. 



Number 

 of farms 

 (census). 



91 



1,486 



2,085 



1,290 



213 



66 



10 



3 



Number 

 of farm 

 records. 



Gratiot Co., 

 Michigan. 



Number 

 of farms 

 (census). 



103 



1,327 



1,740 



841 



133 



54 



6 



1 



Number 

 of farm 

 records. 



Allegan Co., 

 Michigan. 



Number 

 of farms 

 (census). 



200 

 2,233 

 2,299 

 1,1C1 



233 

 78 



Number 

 of farm 

 records. 



Paulding Co., 

 Ohio. 



Number 

 of farms 

 (census). 



Number 

 of farm 

 records. 



124 





681 



1 



1,0S2 



40 



701 



35 



189 



14 



58 



7 



4 





1 









According to the census figures of 1909 more than one-third of 

 all Michigan farms were classified in the group size 50 to 99 acres. 

 Nearly one-fourth were placed in the group size 10 to 49 acres, and 

 approximately one-fourth were 100 to 174 acres in size. These 

 three groups include the 40, 80, and 160 acre farms and, together, 

 they constitute about five-sixths of the farms of the State. It will 

 be seen that there is some correspondence throughout in the number 

 of farms that were classified in the group-size 50 to 99 acres. The 

 records obtained from farmers in these regions are representative of 

 the farms found in these areas, so far as size is concerned. 



RAINFALL. 



The normal rainfall in this region is distributed quite uniformly 

 throughout the year. Table III gives the average monthly and 

 annual precipitation for three districts in Michigan and one district 

 in Ohio. In two of these districts the total annual rainfall for the 

 3'ears 1914 and 1915 is given for a comparison with the averages 

 that are reported. The 1915 annual rainfall for the Paulding area 

 is also given in this connection. 



