6 BULLETIN 1295, U. 8S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
TABLE 3.—Increase of land in farms, improved land, and land in crops, by groups 
of counties, in the underdeveloped part of the Lakes States, 1910-1920 
Increase of | Increase of | Increase 
Groups States allfarm | improved | ofland in 
land farm land crops 
Acres Acres Acres 
innesota. ee ee a A ae 653, 039 209, 792 196, 510 
1 as ea a cele MWiisconsin=-2. et Se ee Me BE 341, 980 129, 982 119, 062 
TVET GIT grea rad aa ae 242, 905 127, 707 149, 652 
PA BCG HN Ni de a pes a nis aA seat 1, 237, 924 467, 481 465, 224 
(VEINMESOE AS ae: Ves ree tee Se eee 504, 911 294, 729 287, 846 
1) Ue Sa oe Ss a WASCONSINE: © 4s: BELLIS tS NOE PERL eS 322, 698 148, 326 165, 333 
Michigane a.) se eh Ra PRES Se Sage 166, 318 144, 001 159, 358 
Wotalicses ITE EL ee ee 993, 927 587, 056 612, 537 
IMGT eS Gf 32.5 Ae one ae as ai are 650, 931 518, 926 554, 639 
TBE pepcperas raya pcp AWVAS CONSTR tee es oe en an ee ere eo 473, 412 355, 025 677, 314 
Michigan Soe sr ease eee See a 73, 191 91, 869 198, 608 
PE OG Spe pe it a el Oe, ca 1, 197, 534 965, 820 1, 430, 561 
IMEEM MESO Ga eee aa ene NE os Naa 1, 808, 881 | 1, 023, 447 1, 038, 995 
AUT OUP S250 =o ee WiSConsim::: 0.12 Ssuaieeeteeer et hele omy are 1, 138, 090 633, 333 961, 709 
IMP TC 1g aT: ae ee Bere eda a rae rns el Vn 482, 414 363, 577 507, 618 
TPotale oak Ss Re eet De 3, 429, 885 | 2, 020, 357 2, 508, 322 
It is interesting to note that land in crops increased a half million 
acres more than the improved land. However, 95 per cent of this 
gain of crop land over improved land occurred in Group III. It 
represents mostly land already cleared and in pasture and meadow 
which was broken up and put into crops probably under the stim- 
ulus of war prices and food propaganda. In Michigan this effect 
was particularly in evidence. Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 show this 
comparison in detail. The gain of crop land over improved land is 
especially noticeable in the central portions of the three States. In 
all groups, land in farms increased much more than improved land. 
This indicates 'an era of expansion rather than of development. 
PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 
The westward tide of land settlement in the last half of the nine- 
teenth century passed this region almost completely by, moving on 
to the prairies of Nebraska and the Dakotas, and even into Canada. 
The reasons for this may be summarized under four heads, as fol- 
lows: Timber, climate, quality of the land, and accessibility. 
TIMBER 
This is mostly a region of mixed hardwood and coniferous forests. 
The pine and hemlock stumps are not large and not very close to- 
gether in much of the area; but taking the region as a whole they 
are large enough ‘and thick enough to make the problem of land 
clearing immensely more difficult than in the hardwood regions far- 
ther south. Hardwood stumps can be left to decay, but pine stumps 
have to be pulled or blasted. Moreover, much of the cut-over land 
has already grown over with brush and second growth, and every- 
where there are down logs. To clear such land and to level and 
break it would cost, if labor were hired at present rates, from $15 to 
