32 BULLETIN 320, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The county generally appears very prosperous. Most of the lead- 
ing roads have been improved, good schools are maintained, and 
exceptionally good farmhouses and barns are found. Almost uni- 
versally the farmhouses are painted white and the barns red. 
Almost half the farms are operated by tenants, and usually a 
cash rent is paid. The average-sized farm is 148.8 acres, with 109.7 
acres cultivated, not including the pasture lands. Xo definite rota- 
tions are practiced. The principal crops grown are corn, oats, and 
hay, with some little wheat. A general rotation of corn two years, 
oats one year, and hay and pasture two years is practiced to some 
extent. Not enough fruit is produced to supply home demands. 
Sweet corn is grown by most farmers living near Toledo, to supply 
the canning factorA T located there. Bluegrass does well in this sec- 
tion and pastures are maintained on most farms. Most of the grain 
grown in this section is fed on the farms to beef cattle and hogs. 
Some colts are raised and a few farmers keep sheep. The principal 
source of farm income is from the sale of live stock. 
In preparing land for corn heavy teams are generally used. Most 
of the breaking is done in the spring with a 3-horse sulky plow. 
Where corn follows sod often a part of the land is broken in the 
fall. After plowing, the land is usually harrowed with a disk 
harrow and then just before planting harrowed twice with a spike- 
tooth harrow. Corn is planted level and a 2-horse 2-row planter 
is used. The rows are generally 3J feet apart each way and the 
hills alternate with two and three grains. The cultivation methods 
after planting are exceptionally uniform. The corn is harrowed 
with a spike-tooth harrow before and just after coming up. Then 
three or four cultivations are given with a 2-horse 6-shovel riding 
cultivator. Practically no cover crops are grown, and no fertilizer 
is used other than stable and barnyard manure. Both the yellow 
and white varieties of dent corn are grown. 
The most prevalent weeds in this section are foxtail, bindweed, 
pigweed, ragweed, smartweed. and cocklebur. 
SURVEYS IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICH. 
Where the tillage records for Michigan were taken in southern 
Kalamazoo County, principally around Schoolcraft, the country is 
level and is known as the prairie section. 
This region is prosperous and on most farms are found excep- 
tionally good farmhouses and good outbuildings. Most of the prin- 
cipal roads have been graveled or macadamized. Since the land is 
practically level the farmers are enabled to have uniform-sized 
fields and to use improved machinery to advantage. (Table XV.) 
The soil consists of a dark brown to black loam from 12 to 16 
