in many parts of this area. More than half the 
farm operators reported some work off the farm in 
the 1935 Census of Agriculture. Their average 
period of outside employment was 94 days. How 
much of this time was spent in forestry work was 
not indicated, but doubtless several thousand 
farmers did some work in the woods, and 2,507 
farmers sold forest products from their farms during 
the year. The value of these products in 1934 
averaged $89 per farm. The Forest Survey 
records show that the average Upper Peninsula 
farmer uses annually 12.7 cords of fuel wood, 47 
fence posts, and lesser quantities of poles and barn 
timbers. 
The quantity of woods activity and the year-to- 
year stability of woods work are closely related to 
the welfare of a great many communities. In 
localities where the merchantable timber has been 
completely removed and the soil is unsuitable for 
farming, tax rates are higher, tax delinquency is 
increasing, and unemployment, relief, and inefhi- 
cient public services are serious problems. 
Mining 
At its height, before and during the World War, 
the copper industry employed about 16,000 workers 
in Houghton County alone, and supported vir- 
tually alone a population of about 75,000. As late 
as 1923-24, the copper mines employed 10,000 to 
12,000 persons, but owing to higher production 
cost and lower copper prices during the past few 
years, less than 2,000 of these workers were regu- 
larly employed in 1933. Experts predict that the 
known reserves of commercial copper ore will be 
used up in the near future. Consequently great 
expansion in employment is not to be expected. 
Iron-ore reserves are somewhat more plentiful, 
but high-grade ores are limited. ‘There are about 
160 million tons of merchantable ore in sight with 
normal depletion about 10 to 12 million tons 
annually. Allowing 25 percent for new discoveries, 
expected life would be 18 to 20 years. ‘There are 
estimated to be over 5 billion tons of low-grade 
iron ore, containing excess silica or deleterious 
impurities such as sulfur and _ phosphorus. 
Mining engineers have hopes of developing methods 
of beneficiation which will make these low-grade 
ores usable, but in the meantime the low-grade 
ores have little or no commercial value. ‘Thus, as a 
basis for permanent industrial activity in the Upper 
Peninsula, the mines have definite limitations. 
Fishing 
The Great Lakes yield almost two-thirds of the 
value of all fresh-water fish taken commercially in 
the United States. ‘The total value of the Michigan 
catch (Upper and Lower Peninsulas) was about 
$2,500,000 in 1937. At the present time, however, 
overfishing constitutes a serious menace to the 
stock and immediate prospects for additional 
employment in this field are not promising. 
Recreation 
One other industry that promises to help tide the 
Upper Peninsula over a period of slackening indus- 
trial activity is the tourist trade. A pleasant 
summer climate, abundant water, attractive nat- 
ural scenery, and an expanding system of good 
roads are drawing summer tourists in increasing 
numbers. The business of housing, feeding, and 
otherwise serving these travelers is a major source 
of cash income for a large section of the local 
population. 
Tourist trade is not a year-round activity, and is 
not uniform from one year to the next. It will 
probably prove most helpful, in the long run, ifit 
is integrated with farming, forestry, and other 
occupations. Integration with forestry is the most 
important, inasmuch as the timber-bordered lakes 
and highways are among the principal recreational 
attractions in the area. 
Forest Tax Situation 
‘Taxation as it relates to forest management has 
been made the subject of an exhaustive study by 
the Forest Service.’ Here it is necessary only to 
emphasize a few points peculiarly applicable to 
the Upper Peninsula. 
Some local governmental units, because their 
ore and standing timber are being steadily depleted, 
are faced with the necessity of making downward 
adjustments in services to fit the local tax-paying 
capacity. Owing to the inflexibility of many items 
8 FAIRCHILD, FRED ROGERS. FOREST TAXATION IN THE 
UNITED sTATES. U.S. Dept. Agr. Misc, Pub. 218, 681 pp. 
illus. 1935. 
