6 BULLETIN 748, 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 
fioures, 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.—Sicse and number of farms, and number of records obtained, in 
Tuscola, Gratiot and Allegan Counties, Mich., and Paulding County, Ohio. 
Tuscola Co., « Gratiot Co., Allegan Co., Paulding Co., 
Michigan. Michigan. Michigan. Ohio. 
Acres j | | | | 
Number |Number |Number Number Number |Number Number |Number 
of farms| of farm lof farms | of farm | of farms] offarm | offarms| of farm 
((census).| records. |(census).| records. |(census).| records. |(census).| records. 
| | | | | 
| 
Vandwinderss- ieee es eel Ole ss ee 1OSeEE Soe eee | 200i eter 124 eae ee 
AO WO4O See ee ee eee 1,486 9 1,327 19 PEPER 3 681 1 
HOIEOOO ee ee eee 2,085 63 1,740 19 2,299 10 1,082 40 
TOO LOMAS ee ee ee 1,290 49 841 17 1,1G1 16 701 35 
TODO ee ee See see 213 9 133 7 | 233 6 189 14 
DAS DEH OVC AD! ae cree shee Mees Si ees ee 66 2 LM a opi Pape 78 1 58 7 
HOVE OL G90 Serer ena see eee ake 10 1 Gi ee So ee ee A. ae ee 
1,000'and above. -........-_.. ried RR NC al 1 Hig a ek ee | 5 5 US) eee 2 Se 
| 134 53 36 97 
| J 
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 
years 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. 
