SETTLEMENT AND COLONIZATION IN GREAT LAKES STATES 67 
SUMMARY OF SETTLERS’ PROGRESS* 
Table 27 summarizes the progress of the 583 settlers in the 15 
colonies surveyed. In an average period of three years, their land 
had increased in value $1,176 per farm, or $5.50 per acre per year. 
They had cleared 7.35 acres per farm, or 2.45 acres per year; had 
brushed 6.63 acres per farm, or 2.21 acres per year; and had cleared 
2.43 acres of marsh per farm, or 0.81 of an acre per year. 
TABLE 27.—Summary of progress of 583 settlers, Wisconsin and Minnesota 
Averages per farm 
Items of inventory, net worth and net gain atin aes 
of settle- of = 
ment | 0f Survey 
WMaltiiero telan dees sa ennee ee RU mee RO 6 Fe i he ee hee ete cee $1, 581 $2, 757 
DOSS eo Teg ag tn ay a eT a he ee oe 237 816 
ial Gro tel nvieS LOC Kees er ttiaeas | ae ee eae Se a ee ne ee 143 535 
Wie S LOLI CELUI IT ents ee ek we el 5 EE es oS Se 47 160 
WMT TVS) ONES DH OY 3) ESL Cora 8h a0 ae eae Oa & Py aa es SI Ra ee eee tne ee ee 22 54 
GSE ONIN aT eree Se er ee ee kN ee Se ee ibe Le ae ey es 569 158 
BIO LEUIRASSE US meee ns tee oes pe Ne ete ea 2, 599 4, 480 
Veer O) Oe) O Re a a ep = ee 1, 314 1, 432 
CO CIICG hem eee eee Sue Ue ee ee eek Se ee 48 192 
“ROAM GED == et ee eR Cis Eph eS ED, SN eee ONE, COMER, So) 15 2 1, 362 1, 624 
BING Lay OT) Eley epee ies Mea i aA RM gg Se ee ee ene 1, 237 2, 856 
MERCAS Getta vy OLD lease es a iy 60 Ds Le ee el Pe eee ASOLO Sisay 5 
ING Wa Ca PILAIHV CSbC Ce tapes aes Serene oh ec eteoeobe Sends duce a1 eee SS 
INGwaCa DL calaniren Gira writen fe ee eee men So a ee ee eb eho em eee AQt Las k VS ae 
TD as ae eT an I ee oe ee ee ee 1548) |. eee 
PNG UH EeMrat TOV AVE. Pace | eS ae peepee ee ec eas nti See re Cree ene eee SIG) Ae oe 
Wild land in the vicinity of these colonies increased in value dur- 
ing this period at an average rate equivalent to $175 per year for 
farms of average size, or $3.04 per acre per year. This leaves $2.46 
per acre per year for the entire farm as due to clearing and brushing. 
By reducing brushing and clearing to an arbitrary clearing equiv- 
alent it is estimated that there was an increase of $49 for each acre 
of clearing (p. 57.) : 
On an average per farm there were increases per year of $193 in 
the value of buildings, $131 in the value of livestock, and $48 in 
the value of equipment and supplies. 
On the other hand, since settlement, cash on hand had decreased 
an average of $411 and debt had increased $262. ‘These settlers on 
the average obtained $111 of funds from outside sources, but spent 
$40 for purposes not properly considered a part of the business of 
living on a cut-over farm. After allowance is made for these two 
items, the settlers gained $1,548 in the average period of three years, 
or $516 per year. All of this represented actual achieved progress 
except part of the $175 due to rise in the price of land. Even a 
part of this was due to community development. It thus appears 
that although these settlers were not building up their incomes 
very rapidly, they were making appreciable progress in wealth. 
Table 28 shows the economic status of settlers grouped in ac- 
cordance with length of time since settlement. }t is assumed, for 
example, that the particular group of 81 settlers who had been on their 
