THE EFFECTS OF SUBURBANIZATION ON LAND USE IN A SELECTED SEGMENT OF THE LANSING RURAL-URBAN FRINGE By Elon Howard Moore, Jr. A THESIS Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Agricultural Economics 1953 Elon Howard Moore, Jr. > 1 In recent years the suburban movement has affected the use of large acreages of agricultural land surrounding most cities. Hear the city, land often has ripened into a higher use for residential and commercial sites. Further out this process has just begun. The main purpose of this study is to appraise the impact of suburbanization on land use. An additional purpose is to determine its effect on land and house values and to discover the community problems created. A final purpose is to suggest means for improving the existing situation. Two areas southeast of Lansing, Michigan, were studied by means of a block sample in which all farmers and rural residents were interviewed. contacted. In addition, Local officials also were Data on the two areas were analyzed and compared. comparisons were made with census data, and, where applicable, statistical tests were applied. Those physical, geographic, and population characteristics presented provide the groundwork for a better understanding of the problems of the sample areas. The' agriculture in this area is typical for south-central Michigan. The popu­ lation was slightly older than that of surrounding counties and appeared fairly permanently settled. Most rural residents Elon Howard Moore, Jr. 2 had moved to their present location within the preceding ten years and worked in the Greater Lansing area. Nearly forty percent had never lived in the country previously. A definite trend in farming was discovered, indicating that more crops and less livestock were being raised. This was caused, to a great extent, by part-time farmers who devoted most of their land to row crops and small grains. Furthermore, on many farms, beef was replacing other live­ stock. Future plans of the farmers indicated that these trends would continue. Also, an increase in suburbanization was indicated by the intention of several farmers to sub­ divide their land. In addition to many farms being operated at less than maximum efficiency, there was evidence that the soil on others was being "mined" prior to their sale for residential purposes. Loss of agricultural land in the areas through idleness and through land going into rural residences was the equivalent of 13 farms of 160 acres each. Projecting this to the entire Lansing fringe, approximately 600 farms of this size possibly have gone out of production. Housing of a higher value was generally located either near the main highway or one of the local communities. Building acreage values were higher in those regions near Elon Howard Moore, Jr. 3 these suburban influences, while rental values were higher in the area closest to Lansing. The first acres subdivided from a farm usually sold for a lower price than later ones. The principal community problems created by this suburban movement were related to sanitation, transportation, roads, schools, land values, and taxes. Methods used to combat these problems included zoning, building codes, and deed restrictions. Although zoning was used by only one of the three townships studied, all three could have used more effective means of control. A Lansing Metropolitan Planning Commission is proposed as a solution to the suburban problem. Acknowledgments The author wishes to express his sincere gratitude to Dr. Raleigh Barlowe for his guidance and constructive criticism during the formulation and execution of this thesis project. Special recognition goes to Dr. Buis T. Inman of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics for his many valuable suggestions. The cooperation of the farmers and rural residents interviewed was greatly appreciated, and their interest in the project has not gone unnoticed. Particular recognition is deserved by my wife, Denise Francq Moore. Her great amount of help and moral encouragement has made it possible to complete this phase of the writer's formal education. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I Page INTRODUCTION .................................. 1 Definition of Fringe A r e a ................... 4 Purposes of the S t u d y ....................... 6 Selection of the Sample A r e a ............... 7 M e t h o d o l o g y.................................. 11 Review of L i t e r a t u r e ............ 16 Farm Management and Land Economics . . . . S o c i o l o g y ................................. II 16 22 CHARACTERISTICS OF SAMPLE A R E A ............... 27 Physical and Geographic ..................... 27 P o p u l a t i o n .................................. 33 A g e ........................................ 33 C h i l d r e n ................................. 36 O c c u p a t i o n ................................ 38 Permanency of J o b ....................... . 41 Distance from W o r k ....................... 42 Years Lived at Present Location .......... 43 Farm B a c k g r o u n d .......... . .. ............ 46 I n c o m e .................................... 48 ......................... 51 Williamston A r e a ......................... 52 Okemos A r e a ............... ............... 57 Settlement Pattern TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Chapter III Page Size of A c r e a g e ......................... 59 Reasons for M o v i n g ..................... 62 LAND U S E .................................... 64 Disposition of the L a n d ................... 65 Cropland and P a s t u r e ................... 66 Woodland and Idle L a n d ................. 68 Rented and Leased L a n d ................. 71 Crops G r o w n ............................. 75 G a r d e n s ..................... ........... 82 Crop Y i e l d s ............................... 82 The Weed P r o b l e m ............ 85 Livestock ....................... Most Profitable Enterprise 86 ............... 93 Comparison to Ingham County ............... 96 Farm Equipment Owned 99 Buildings . . ................. ............................. Farm Program Changes IV . . . . . . 101 ................. 104 Plans for Future U s e ..................... 108 S u m m a r y .................................... 113 PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT AND VALUE ............ 116 Type of H o u s i n g ........................... 116 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Chapter Page ......................... Value of House 122 Sale V a l u e ............ 122 Rental V a l u e ■. . Value of L a n d ............................. 130 Farm V a l u e .............. Building Acreage Value 130 ................. Residential Value .......... Property Taxes V . . . . . ................. 143 149 Reaction of R e s i d e n t s .................... 149 ............ Bus Service 133 139 COMMUNITY P R O B L E M S .......... Roads . 126 149 ........ . 151 Z o n i n g .................................. 152 S e r v i c e s ................................ 154 Community L i f e ............ 155 S c h o o l s .................................. 156 H e a l t h .................................. 159 Isolation 160 ................ T a x e s ......................... 3.61 V a l u e s .................................. 163 Action Taken ............................. 164 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Chapter VI Page E V A L U A T I O N .................................... 171 Review of Problems C r e a t e d ................. 171 Land U s e ........................... ................. Property Development... Community Problems 172 178 ....................... 180 Suggested A c t i o n ........................... 184 Z o n i n g .................................... Metropolitan Regional Planning Commission 184 186 •-> Others . . . ........................... Suggestions for Further Research 196 ........... 198 Bibliography .......................................... 203 Appendix 208 ................ LIST OF TABLES Table 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Page Size and Distribution of Sample Used in Suburban Land Use Study, Ingham County, Michigan, 1951 and 1952 16 Percentage Distribution of Heads of Household by Age in Williamston.and Okemos Areas, Ingham County, and 28 Southern Counties of Michigan ....................... 34 Percentage Distribution of Children of the Residents by Age in Williamston and Okemos Areas, and Ingham County, Michigan ........ 37 Percentage Distribution of Off-Farm Occupation of Part-Time Farmers and Rural Residents in Williamston and Okemos Areas, and Ingham County, M i c h i g a n ............ . 40 Percentage Distribution of Residents by Number of Years Lived at Their Present Location in Williamston and Okemos Areas, M i c h i g a n .................................... 44 Percentage Distribution of Rural Residents by Stage of Life When They Received Their Rural Living Experience, Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan ..................... 47 Percentage Distribution of Residents by Income Glasses in Williamston and Okemos Areas, and Ingham County, M i c h i g a n ........ 49 Acres of Land Owned or Rented by Rural Residents in Williamston and Okemos Areas, M i c h i g a n ............ 59 Acres of Land Operated by Full-Time Farmers in Williamston and Okemos Areas,Michigan . 61 Percentage Distribution of Farms Showing Percent of Acres Operated in Cropland in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan, 1 9 5 1 ........................................ 67 LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Table 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Page Percentage Distribution of Farms Showing Percent of Acres Operated in Pasture in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan, 1 9 5 1 .......................................... 67 Percentage Distribution of Farms Showing Percent of Cropland in Major Crops Grown in Williamston Area,Michigan, 1 9 5 1 .......... 76 Percentage Distribution of Farms Showing Percent of Cropland in Major Crops Grown in Okemos Area,Michigan, 1 9 5 1 ................ 77 Percentage Distribution of Farms Showing Yields of Major Crops in Williamston Area, Michigan, 1 9 5 1 ................................ 84 Total Number of Each Type of Animal and Its Proportion of the Total"Animal Units" in Williamston and OkemosAreas,Michigan, 1951 . 88 Percentage Distribution of Farms by "Animal Units" in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan, 1 9 5 1 ................................ 89 Percentage Distribution of Farmers' Answers to Their Major Dependence for Income Between Crops and Livestock, Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan . . . . . . . . ............... 95 Number of Farms Having Specified Farm Equipment in Williamston and Okemos Areas,Michigan . . 100 Residents Who Had Specialized Farm Buildings on Their Place in Williamston and Okemos Areas, M i c h i g a n ............................. 102 Percentage Distribution of Houses by Style in Williamston and Okemos Areas,Michigan . . 118 Percentage of Homes Having Specified Facilities in Williamston and Okemos Areas,Michigan . . 121 LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Table 22 23 24 25 Page Percentage Estimate Homes in Michigan Distribution of the Residents' of the Sale Value of Their Williamston and Okemos Areas, .................................... Percentage Estimate Homes in Michigan Distribution of the Residents' of the Rental Value of Their Williamston and Okemos Areas, .................................... . 123 127 Percentage Distribution of the Farmers' Estimate of the Per Acre Value of Their Farms for Agricultural Purposes, in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan . . . . 131 Percentage Distribution of the Residents' Estimate of the Per Acre Value of Their Farms and Residences for Building Acreages in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan . . 134 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Page Location of Sample Areas in Suburban Land Use Study, Ingham County, Michigan, 1951 and 1952 28 Age of House as Given by Residents in Williamston Area,Michigan, 1 9 5 1 ............ 53 Age of House as Given by Residents in Okemos Area, Michigan, 1952 54 Per Acre Value for Building Acreages as Estimated by the Occupants Living in the Williamston Area, Michigan, 1951 ........... 136 Per Acre Value for Building Acreages as Estimated by the Occupants Living in the Okemos Area, Michigan, 1952 137 Value of Farms and Residents for Residential Purposes as Estimated by Their Occupants in Williamston Area, Michigan, 1951 . . . . 141 Value of Farms and Residents for Residential Purposes as Estimated by Their Occupants in Okemos Area, Michigan, 1952 ............. 142 Chapter I INTRODUCTION The urban movement has had a considerable effect upon the utilization of agricultural lands that border most cities. This is especially true for the larger cities in the southern half of Michigan. This movement, which has been underway for the last two or three decades, has reversed an earlier popu­ lation trend toward the city proper. Housing congestion, increased use of automobiles, and development of better highways and roads were the major causes of this reversal. Many former city dwellers have moved into organized suburban developments, but others have by-passed the planned housing areas in order to obtain a larger acreage. Many tended to acquire homesites along the highways first, but there were some who chose the open country. Some of these suburban developments have taken over valuable farm land. In most cases, this type of development provides a higher use for the land. The situation may be different, however, where one or two isolated rural residences are found among productive farms. These parcels of land can detract from the efficiency of the original farms, and the extra land associated with each residence often is not employed in its highest and best use. 2 Not all rural residential sites are pieces of land taken from a parent farm. Some city workers have purchased complete farms and have attempted to operate the farm while maintaining urban employment. Also, there are a considerable number of farmers who have assumed a city job in addition to their farm duties. However, most individuals are unable to handle both jobs satisfactorily, and the result is often seen in a slacken­ ing of the efforts formerly directed towards the farm. There are some farms where the owner is interested only in occupying the house. In such a case, the entire land may go unworked. Usually, however, when land is attached to a homestead, it is either operated by the owner or members of his family on a part-time basis, or it is leased to other operators. Much of this land is not used as intensively for agricultural purposes as it could be, and some may not be used for agri­ culture at all. The rural-urban fringe area around Michigan cities has caused serious land use problems and in many areas has produced a twilight zone with regard to the concept of the highest and best use, for much of this land could be used more effectively for agriculture than it is at present. This is particularly true in periods when great emphasis is placed upon the attain­ ment of higher farm production. In addition to the lower efficiency of agricultural land use often found in the fringe 3 area, many times there is also a rather poor utilization of farm machinery and buildings. A rapid depreciation of farm buildings is one of the casualties of agricultural land which is ripening into a higher use, such as is found in a suburban development. Elimination of premature settlements on agri­ cultural land would avoid this loss. Farm machinery values are not affected by suburban trends in the same way as building values; however, the use, or lack of use of such machinery, is a result of the whims of individual operators. Machinery is not always purchased with economic motives in mind. For example, many rural residents who own a field tractor have only a few acres of land. They have the tractor more for their own pleasure than for the work it can do for them. Further results of such urban developments are increased tax rates and land values in some areas. These place a strain on the use of the land for agriculture long before it may be converted to a higher use. The older residents as well as the new are unhappy with the increased taxes, but land owners thinking of selling look with favor upon the advancing land values. The idea of subdividing the home farm tempts many of the more adventurous farmers with hopes of large gains. They often fail to think of the possibility that only the most desirable lots may be sold and that the end result might be a poorly shaped farm. 4 Local rural community life also suffers with the advent of suburbanization. "Blighted11 areas and the familiar road­ side slums often result. By the time these latter conditions have occurred, the citizens of the area begin to think that some type of remedial action is necessary. One of the first things to be demanded is increased local governmental services. Other governmental action which is frequently wanted includes local planning, rural and roadside zoning, building codes, subdivision regulations, and sanitary codes. Schools, roads, and telephone service are found to be inadequate and in need of improvement. All of this points to the rise of a great many problems in the rural-urban fringe area. This is a situation that many communities in Michigan are now facing. In years to come more areas will be concerned with similar problems. In addition, the present disturbed areas will have added difficulties as a result of still more urbanization. Definition of Fringe Area Several definitions of a rural urban fringe have been developed, some of which were for sociological studies and others for agricultural investigations. Neither of these phases can be divorced from the problems which face the occupants of a fringe area. Wehrwein described the rural- urban fringe as "the area of transition between well recognized 5 urban, land uses and the area devoted to agriculture. Blizzard and Anderson, in a sociological study, used the following definition; The rural-urban fringe is that area of mixed urban and rural land uses between the point where full city services cease to be available and the point where agricultural land uses predominate. It is assumed that such an area contains a population grouping and has evolved a social organization which are related to both rural and urban life, but have distinctive sociological features.2 For the purpose of this study, the rural-urban fringe movement is assumed to include that land beyond the last platted area adjacent to a city and to extend to that land which is devoted to full-time farming activities. Since the emphasis is on the effect of suburbanization upon land use, those incorporated areas which are found within the limits of the fringe of the central city are excluded from the regions to be studied. In most cases, this fringe will be a belt surrounding the entire city. However, certain topo­ graphical features, such as a large body of water or a steep land formation, may eliminate a section. ^George S. Wehrwein, MThe Rural-Urban Fringe," Economic Geography. Vol. 18, July, 1942, p. 217. 2Samuel W. Blizzard and William F. Anderson, II, Problems in Rural-Urban Fringe Research: Conceptualization and Delineation. Progress Report No. 89, The Pennsylvania State College Agricultural Experiment Station, State College, Pennsylvania, November, 1952, p. 11. 6 Purposes of the Study The primary purpose of this study is to appraise the impact suburbanization has had on a selected area located in a rural-urban fringe which is still ripening for urban and suburban uses. Special emphasis is put on the effect of this movement upon land use practices and productivity in order to obtain a clearer picture of the changes that have occurred in the farming of the land. An inventory is to be made of present and past uses of the land and of the acreages of idle land that are suitable for productive agri­ culture. A second purpose is to estimate possible increases in agricultural production if idle or poorly used lands suitable for agriculture were efficiently used. A further aim of the study is to determine the effect the resultant property development has had on land and house values. The fourth purpose is to consider the more urgent community problems created by suburbanization and the reaction of the residents to them in order to gain a better idea of their attitudes toward the fringe movement. These reactions will also help to indicate the most urgently needed steps to guide in an orderly development of the area as the demand for a more intensive use develops. The role played by local govern­ ment in the solution of problems associated with the development of the area also is to be investigated. A final purpose is 7 to analyze and appraise possible means for improving the existing situation as it involves both community institutions and the allocation and use of land resources. The objective is to suggest means that might lead to the retention of a higher proportion of the potentially productive farm lands in productive farm use until the time they are actually needed for residential, commercial, or other urban purposes. Selection of the Sample Area Preliminary thought and investigation for this study was started during the spring months of 1951. Background infor­ mation regarding the impact of the suburbanization movement on land use and local community problems was obtained through census data, interviews with local officials and citizens, and by observation while driving on the Michigan highways and secondary roads. In looking for a specific area to study, it was felt that the region selected should be one which was beyond the last platted area surrounding a city. This would give an area which had started to develop towards a use other than farming, but one in which the land still was used primarily for agriculture. The highest and best use for this land may be agriculture for some time to come, but through a careful investigation, the impact of suburbanization on its use may become evident. 8 Census data did not prove as fruitful as originally hoped for two reasons. The first was that the effects of a suburban movement did not encompass an entire minor civil division in those areas deemed feasible to study. The full impact of the movement, then, would be lost in the averaging process that necessarily must take place in census data. However, certain trends could be discerned. The second reason results from the changing definitions used by the Census Bureau from one census year to the next. The definition of a farm in particular caused much difficulty, for in some cases, it was doubtful whether changes in a rural-urban fringe should be attributed to urbanization or to a different census definition. Another factor considered important in selecting a sample area was that it should have fairly uniform and productive soils. For this factor the land classification maps produced 3 by J. 0. Veatch were used. This eliminated many regions which otherwise would have been acceptable. The next problem to be considered was the selection of a sample area that would furnish a locus for the study. Realizing that the suburban movement probably has different ^J. 0. Veatch, Agricultural Land Classification and Land Types of Michigan. Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, Special Bulletin 231, East Lansing, Michigan, 1933. 10 Of the various sampling methods, the block sample appeared to be the most promising for showing land use practices and their changes in the fringe area. Because of its nature, the fringe may change over a distance of a few miles, and would thus present a very difficult problem in obtaining a representative sample by randomizing. is especially true in a pilot study. This The block sample, on the other hand, would give an opportunity to trace any differences that might occur in land use, land values, etc., at varying distances from the central city and main highways. A limitation of the block sample when used in a study such as this is found in the temptation to generalize that all fringe areas are similar to the segment studied. This may be partially true, for different forces and factors can change the situation found in other segments. Therefore, it is important to be aware that there are individual differences when drawing conclusions for fringe areas as a whole. However, generalizing can be very worth-while, for it provides an opportunity to draw together what has been observed and to show how this may relate to problems facing other fringe areas. After deciding on the type of sample, the area to be studied was then determined by comparing the possible regions with the established criteria. Williamston and Wheatfield Townships in Ingham County, of which Lansing is the principal 9 effects depending on the size of the city from which it emanates, the search for a sample area centered around Michigan cities having a population from 75,000 to 800,000. The study was designed as a pilot study of land use in a suburban area; therefore, a representative city was desired. There are five cities4 that fall in this population range. Detroit, which is considerably larger, and many cities which are smaller furnish ample opportunity for follow-up studies. Further investigation of areas surrounding cities in the 75,000 to 200,000 population range may be advisable. Such studies would act as a test for the findings resulting from this study. Also, a more complete picture of the effects of suburbanization upon land use in Michigan would result if these various studies were made. For obvious reasons, a complete over-all view cannot be attempted in one study. The best that can be hoped for is to test the method of research employed in this investigation and to obtain a picture of land use in a segment of the rural-urban fringe around a city of the population range selected. ^Dearborn (94,994), Flint (163,143) Grand Rapids (176,515), Lansing (92,129), Saginaw (92,918). 1950 United States Census of Population: General Characteristics. Michigan.United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, U. S. Government Printing Office, 1952. 11 city, met all qualifications, and because of their proximity to Michigan State College, were selected for intensive study. To take both townships would furnish more than enough cases for a satisfactory Investigation, so the total area studied was limited to the northern part of Wheatfield Township and most of the southern part of Williamston Township. This area is located about 12 miles east of Lansing with the city of Williamston located at its eastern limits. Running through this area, as well as through Lansing and Williamston, is U. S. Highway 16. A more detailed account of the characteristics of this sample region will be given in Chapter II. Methodology After the area was selected, two questionnaires were developed for use in the study. These questionnaires were pre-tested in another area and after suitable revision were adopted. Actual field work was started in August, 1951, and continued into November, 1951. area was completed first. The southern part of the All occupants were interviewed with the exception of those who lived within the Williamston city limits and those who lived in a platted area directly 5The questionnaires used will be found in the Appendix. 12 west of Williamston on U. S. Highway 16. The man who developed this subdivision was interviewed and its history obtained. With the completion of this area, a review was made of the material collected. It was felt that the study of another area closer to Lansing might add to the meaning of the analysis to be made. An area of approximately six sections in Meridian Township, lying directly west of Wheatfield Township, was selected. Lansing. This area is located about eight miles east of It is bounded on the north by both U. S. Highway 16 and by part of the village of Okemos, and has its southern boundary about two miles south of these. This region met the necessary requirements for an area to be selected, but it did not have as productive soils as did the original sample. Again, all occupants were interviewed with the exception of those living in one small platted area. The individual who had done the platting was interviewed and a detailed history of this subdivided acreage was obtained. In addition to the residents, three individuals who live on the east side of Van Atta Road, the eastern boundary of the area, were also contacted. There was a large number of residents on this side of the road, and the three contacted gave a good history of how their area had developed and subdivided in recent years. 13 The field work in Meridian Township was begun in July, 1952, and finished in August, 1952. The same questionnaires were employed as those used in the original sample area. However, before embarking on the field work, the questionnaires were reviewed to make sure they were applicable to this new region. Of the two questionnaires used, one was for those occu­ pants considered part-time or full-time farmers. was used when interviewing rural residents. The other The decision as to which questionnaire was suitable in each case was made at the time of the interview. The Residential Use Questionnaire was applied to those occupants whose greatest use of the land for agricultural purposes was a garden enterprise. Personal judgment was used where borderline cases arose, as, for example, when surplus produce from a garden was being sold, or where a son or daughter had a 4-H ’or F. F. A. project which was more extensive than a garden. In those cases where the occupant had outside employ­ ment, where the receipts from the land were from more than surplus garden produce, and where a conscious effort was being made to add to the income through agricultural purposes, the Farm Use Questionnaire was selected. This usually included those occupants who received well over $100 per year from agricultural pursuits. The definition of a farm 14 used in this study agrees fairly well with that used by the C Bureau of the Census. Full-time farmers were those occupants in the area who used farming as their major source of income and who did not work regularly at other employment. If a man had a job which regularly took him away from his farm for most of a season, he was considered a part-time farmer. However, this would not include a farmer who took on an odd job only once or twice a year. If an individual owned an acreage which otherwise was large enough to be classified as a farm, but the land was not utilized for agricultural purposes, he was then classified as a rural resident. An effort was made to interview every resident of the areas studied and to account for as much of the total acreage as possible. There were a few instances in which information was not obtained. Refusal to cooperate was the principal reason for not acquiring information and failure to make contact was a second. In one case, the man was on an assign­ ment in a foreign country for a year snd in another, no contact g The 1950 Census of Agriculture gives the definition for farms as "places of 3 or more acres...if the value of agri­ cultural products in 1949, exclusive of home gardens, amounted to $150.00 or more. The agricultural products could have been either for home use or for sale. Places of less than 3 acres were counted as farms only if the value of sales of agricultural products in 1949 amounted to $150.00 or more." United States Census of Agriculture: Michigan. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, United States Government Printing Office, Washington D. C., 1952. had been made after at least twenty attempts to make an appointment. Eight refusals were received in all* Three of these were in the Williamston area and five around Okemos.^ This represents a two percent refusal rate in the former area and a seven percent rate in the latter. No definite reason can be given for the higher rate of refusals in the Okemos region; however, the most logical explanation seems to be that this area is closer to Lansing and may have been subjected to many more surveys and magazine salesmen. Refusals were received in about equal proportion from the full-time farmers, part-time farmers, and rural residents. The total sample included 2B4 interviews. Of these, 154 were from the Williamston region and 70 were from the Okemos area. The number of full-time farmers, part-time farmers, and rural residents is shown, along with their percentage distribution, in Table 1. Recalling that a block sample was used in both areas, the differences found are not too surprising. The larger percentage of rural residents in the Okemos area and the larger percentage of full-time farmers in the Williamston area are a result of the location ^Hereafter in this study, reference to the Y/illiamston area will signify that part of the investigation made in Wheatfield and Williamston Townships. References made to the Okemos area will include that part of the study made in Meridian Township. 16 Table 1 Size and Distribution of Sample Used in Suburban Land Use Study, Ingham County, Michigan, 1951 and 1952 Tvne of Resident Williamston Area Number Percent Okemos Area Percent Number Full-Time Farmer 44 28.6 12 17.1 Part-Time Farmer 25 16.2 12 17.1 Rural Resident 85 55.2 46 65.8 154 100.0 70 100.0 Total of the two areas in relation to the city of Lansing. The number of part-time farmers was similar for both regions. Review of Literature Very little has been written on the effect of land use on a rural-urban fringe movement. However, there have been several sociological and farm management studies which treated many of the problems of this fringe movement. A brief review of the literature on this subject will be presented in this section. Farm Management and Land Economics Two early farm management studies, one in Kentucky and one in Indiana, dealt with urban influences on farms. The Q Kentucky study made by Arnold and Montgomery employed the survey method and took records in 1913 and 1915 near Louisville. Their interest was in showing the differences in land values, prices of farm products, farm expenses, and farm incomes on commercial farms which were found at varying distances from the city. Robertson, Q in the Indiana study, compared 60 farms near Chicago with 65 farms of similar soil and climatic con­ ditions at a further distance from this city. He was interested in the changes that occurred between 1920 and 1930 in farm values, income, expenses, and prices. Rural residents also received early attention in regard to the cost of living in rural areas. The value of rural homesteads to laborers in southern cotton mills was the object of a study by Funk10 of the U. S. Department of Agriculture in 1918. In 1924 Cornell University published a study by Noble*^1 on the living costs of rural non-farm workers. ®J. H. Arnold and F. Montgomery, Influence of a City on Farming. United States Department of Agriculture Bulletin 678, United States Government Printing Office, Washington D. C., 1918. 9Lynn Robertson, Changes in Farming in Lake and Potter Counties Indiana, as a Result of Nearness to Industrial Cities. Purdue Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 365, Lafayette, Indiana, 1932. -*-°W. C. Funk, Value of a Small Plot of Ground to a Laboring Man. United States Department of Agriculture Bulletin 602, United States Government Printing Office, Washington D. C., 1918. ^-C. V. Noble, The Cost of Living in a Small Factory Town. Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 431, Ithaca, N. Y., 1924. 18 Several studies on part-time farming were made during the depression years of the 1930's. One of the earliest ip studies was started before the 1929 "crash" by Rozman. In the spring of that year, all of the rural homes in one Massachusetts town were surveyed to determine to what extent families combined off-farm work with rural residence and farming activities. This led to a further study of the nature of part-time farming in two Massachusetts urban areas. This publication estimated that half of the State's farms were operated on a part-time basis. Further studies on part-time farmers during the depression years were made in Maryland, California-, and New York. The California study, which was undertaken by Adams and Wann, 13 was designed to show the income possibilities of part-time farming as compared to existing conditions. The Maryland report, under the direction of Walker and D eVault,^ was set up to determine the possibilities of providing a family an adequate standard of living. It compared its findings on ■^David Rozman, Part-Time Farming in Massachusetts, Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 266, Amhurst, Massachusetts, 1930. 13 r ..L. Adams and J. L. Wann, Part-Time Farming for Income. California Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 581, Berkely, California, 1937. •*-%. P. Walker and S. H. DeVault, Part-Time and Small Scale Farming in Maryland. Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 357, College Park, Maryland, 1933. w 19 part-time farms with those on full-time farms. Hood, 15 in the New York study, compared, among other things, the living cost of the part-time farmer with those of urban dwellers. An additional study by Robertson,16 published in 1934, attempted to assess the economic significance of the growth of non-farming rural homes. It centered attention on the rural residents and the degree of competition they created for regular farmers, the local market they created, their effect on public relief and school costs, and their tax contribution. Eight states in the middle 1930's published bulletins on the extent and characteristics of part-time farming.17 These bulletins were the result of a federal program which surveyed existing part-time farms. The main objective of these bulletins was to help relocate stranded or unemployed populations. For the most part, these studies did not,attempt ■^Kenneth Hood, An Economic Study of Part-Time Farming in the Elmira and Albany Areas of New York. 1952 and 1935. Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 647, Ithaca, New York, 1936. 16Lynn Robertson, The Economic Significance of the NonFarming Rural Population in Northwestern Indiana. Purdue Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 388, Lafayette, Indiana, 1934. 17The eight states are Ohio, Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, Kentucky, Delaware, and Indiana. For further details, see: Salter, Leonard A., Jr., Land Economics, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1948, p. 154. 20 to analyze underlying conditions or to resolve the problems created. Several of these states carried on further part-time 1Q farm studies of their own. Salter and Diehl, in the August, 1940 Journal of Farm Economics, reported their conclusions from a careful analysis of twenty-four part-time farming studies. They concluded that too many of these reports gave average figures which had been subsorted by uniform factors instead of grouping the data by dominant motivations, patterns of behavior, sets of economic relationships, or outstanding problems. In another farm management study on part-time IQ farming which was undertaken by Salter and Darling middle 1930's, an entire valley was surveyed. in the They took into consideration farms, part-time farms, factories, and schools. Urban dwellers in the valley cities were also contacted with respect to their interest in becoming part-time farmers. The appearance of fringe problems was recognized by Salter20 ^ L e o n a r d A. Salter, Jr. and L. F. Diehl, "Part-Time Farming Research," Journal of Farm Economics. Vol. 22, No. 3, August, 1940, pp. 581-600. ^9L. A. Salter, Jr. and H. D. Darling, Part-Time Farming in Connecticut— A Socio-Economic Study of the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 204, Storrs, Connecticut, 1935. 20Leonard A. Salter, Jr., "Land Classification Along the Rural-Urban Fringe," Proceedings of the First National Conference on Land Classification, Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 421, Columbia, Missouri, 1940, pp. 12-19. 21 and Wehrwein2-*- at a conference on land classification in 1940. Salter discussed land classification in the rural-urban fringe and some of its problems, and Wehrwein referred to the ruralurban fringe in a paper concerning land classification for rural zoning. A report on the process of industrialization and related land utilization problems in a Virginia County was made by Gibson and Bell22 in 1944. A land classification approach was used, but emphasis was placed on the processes of change in land utilization. They pointed out the need for "an exhaustive research program of the land use in the rural-urban fringe area of the county.” Another study was made around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • in.the early 1940's by Diehl.2^ He considered the landed economy as a whole and the process of change that took place in the fringe region. 2-*-George S. Wehrwein, "Land Classification for flurai Zoning," Proceedings of the First National Conference on Land Classification. Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin Ho. 421, Columbia, Missouri, 1940, pp. 135-143. 22W. L. Gibson, Jr. and S. Bell, Jr., Land Utilization in Henry County. Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin 93, Blacksburg, Virginia, 1944. 23L. F. Diehl, "Problems of Suburbia," Land Policy Review. Vol. 4, No. 8, August, 1941. 22 Sociology Farm management and land use studies are only one aspect of the approach to the problems found in a rural-urban fringe. The sociological phase has d r a m the interest of many researchers, for it concerns people and their adjustment to living conditions, to opportunities for social participation, to social competition and conflict, to choices of land use, and to other types of human interaction. The movement of population into a fringe area was described 24 in 1947 by Rodehaver as coming from the inhabitants of the congested city and from rural areas. An article by Whitney 25 published in 1948, showed agreement to this by stating that the major part of the gain in rural non-farm population was associated with urban growth and redistribution. In addition, the 1950 Census reported, “It appears that nearly half of the population increase of the entire country took place in the outlying parts of the 168 standard metropolitan areas."26 2% y l e s W. Rodehaver, "Fringe Settlement in a Two Directional Movement," Rural Sociology. Vol. 12, March, 1947, pp. 49-57. 25Vincent H. Whitney, "Rural-Urban People," American Journal of Sociology. Vol. 54, July, 1948, pp. 48-54. 2 6Populatlon of Standard Metropolitan Areas: April 1. 1950. U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1950 Census of Population, Preliminary Counts, Series PC-3, Number 3, Nov. 5, 1950, p. 1. 23 Several sociology studies, some of which date hack before World War I, are concerned with the urban relations of farm people. A recent study in this group was made around the Lansing, Michigan area by Thaden War II. 27 just prior to World It depicted, in addition to social and trade relation­ ships, differences in farming characteristics at varying distances from the city of Lansing. A very extensive study of the process of change as nonagricultural activities move into a farming area was undertaken by a group of Connecticut sociologists^8 in the middle 1930's. They treated the land utilization processes, but their main stress was on the sociological factors, such as membership in group activities. Another piece of research was conducted by pg Koos and Brunner at the end of World War II in the Webster, New York area. It concerned the phenomena found in a fringe area, but like the studies made in Connecticut, the area included more than would normally be found in the rural-urban fringe. P7 J. F. Thaden, The Lansing Region and Its Tributary Town-Country Communities. Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Special Bulletin 302, Lansing, Michigan, 1940. 28N. L. Whetten and E. C. Devereux, Jr., Studies of Suburbanization in Connecticut. 1. Windsor. Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 212, Storrs, Connecticut, 1936. Also see Bulletins 226 and 230. 29E. L. Koos and E. de S. Brunner, Suburbanization in Webster. New York. The University of Rochester's Studies of Metropolitan Rochester, No. 1, Rochester, New York, 1945. 24 A study of the area around Eugene, Oregon, which was published by Faust 30 in 1942, considered some of the socio­ logical aspects of the fringe. This work selected a typical region within a larger area which was felt to be a part of the rural-urban fringe. The social problems in land use planning were discussed by Firey 31 in a 1945 study made of the country-city fringe around Flint, Michigan. He recognized the distinctive elements of problems such as a population of varied social characteristics and of unknown social relations, and that such problems would have to be met in ways that are peculiarly suited to them. In 1949, K i m b a l l ^ published a study that used an anthropological approach toward the fringe. He was interested in the effects of the rapid non-farm increase in population upon the social organization of the traditional farm community, the effects upon the village community, and the new kinds of social groupings created by this migration. 3°Lloyd M. Faust, "The Eugene, Oregon, Rural-Urban Fringe," Journal of Land and Public Utility Economics. Vol. 18, February, 1942, pp. 12-19. ^ W a l t e r Firey. Social Aspects to Land Use Planning in the Country-City Fringe :■: The Case of Flint. Michigan. Michigan -Agricultural Experiment Station, Section of Sociology and Anthropology, Special Bulletin No. 339, East Lansing, Michigan, 1946. ^2Solon T. Kimball, The New Social Frontier— The Fringe. Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, Section of Sociology and Anthropology, Special Bulletin No. 360, East Lansing, Michigan, 1949. 25 Each of the last two men selected what they felt were typical areas of the rural-urban fringe. Several articles and studies have been partly or entirely devoted to the delineation of the rural-urban fringe. Myers 33 and Beegle in a 1947 article, developed a delineation method which depended on one factor— concentration of Non-Village Rural Non-Farm population. Townships with a population of 50 percent or more Non-Village Rural Non-Farm were considered as fringe areas. Those having between 25 and 50 percent were called partial fringe areas. A 1952 report by Blizzard and Anderson341 reviewed many of the rural-urban fringe studies, especially those in sociology, and presented the various methods of delineation used in them. A detailed description of the method of delineation used in their own study on the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, rural-urban fringe was also given. The break in density of single-family dwelling units, which was usually rather definite, was used by Martin®5 to ®®Richard R. Ifyers and J. Allen Beegle, "Delineation and Analysis of the Rural-Urban Fringe," Applied Anthropology. Vol. 6, Spring, 1947, pp. 14-22. ^^sanmei w. Blizzard and William F. Anderson, II, Problems in Rural-Urban Fringe Research: Conceptualization and Delineation, Progress Report No. 89, The Pennsylvania State College Agri­ cultural Experiment Station, State College, Pennsylvania, November, 1952. 35Walter T. Martin, The Rural-Urban Fringe: A Study of Adjustment Patterns in a Marginal Area. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 1949. 26 indicate the outer fringe boundary of his Eugene-Springfield, Oregon, study which was made in 1949. He also considered natural barriers which restricted settlement, and areas of tapering density were checked by special field observation. Most of the foregoing studies were devoted mainly to a description of the situation found in a rural-urban fringe, a particular aspect of it, or the changes caused by it. Very little attempt was made at solving the problems created by the suburban movement. Chapter II CHARACTERISTICS OF SAMPLE AREA The areas chosen for particular study were very briefly described in Chapter I. In order to lay the groundwork for a better understanding of the impact of suburbanization upon land use, property development, and community problems in these areas, a more detailed account of their characteristics will now be given. Geographic information will be considered first, followed by background population data. The final portion of the chapter will deal with the settlement pattern that has occurred over the years with particular reference to the recent suburban movement. Physical and Geographic The general location of the sample areas is in the north central part of Ingham County (Figure 1). The six sections which comprise the Okemos area are all found in Meridian Township. The region around Williamston includes an area of five and one-fourth sections in Williamston Township and nine full sections in Wheatfield Township. Actually, there are ten sections in Wheatfield Township, but two of them bordering the town of Williamston are only half size. 28 LANSING MERIDIAN WILLIAMSTON LOCKE City of Lansing U.S. #16 DELHI ALEIDON; WHEATFIELD LEROY VEVAY INGHAM WHITE OAK LESLIE BUNKER HILL STOCKBRIDGE Ma­ son AURELIUS \] Sample Areas ^ = Approximately 1 Mile Figure 1 Location of Sample Areas in Suburban Land Use Study, Ingham County, Michigan, 1951 and 1952. 29 U. S. Highway 16 either borders or runs through both areas and is the route by which most of the residents travel to the major market centers. Lansing, a city of 92,000 popu­ lation, is only a few minutes drive for the residents, and Detroit, with a population of 1,850,000, is approximately seventy miles to the southeast. The Lansing Metropolitan Area has a population of 172,000 and the Detroit Metropolitan Area has one of slightly over 3,000,000. A majority of non­ farm workers have employment in the Greater Lansing Area, and their major purchases are made there. The farm population makes its major personal purchases in Lansing; however, the produce from the farms has a more varied outlet. The local elevators in Okemos, Williamston, and in other bordering communities handle a large portion of the grain marketed and of the feed sold to farmers. Lansing and Detroit receive much of the milk and livestock that is shipped from this area. The village of Okemos, with a population of about 500, furnishes its surrounding residents with only a small selection of stores and goods from which to choose; consequently, people from this region have their buying habits closely connected with Lansing and East Lansing. The distance from around Okemos to these shopping centers is less than ten miles. Williamston, on the other hand, is a city of 2,000 population and is located thirteen miles southeast of Lansing. 30 It has a much larger selection of stores than Okemos and furnishes many of the needs of its surrounding population. Those people with working ties in Williamston make a majority of their purchases in that city. Those who regularly have business or work in Lansing naturally channel a greater proportion of their purchases toward the Lansing area. The soils and topography of the region are, for the most part, typical of Type of Farming Area V— Dairy and General Farming'*'— in which it is included, but the soil is generally a little more productive. Veatch p has classified all the soil in the sample area as either first or second class. All except about 15 percent of the soils of Ingham County fall in these two classes. Hill describes the soils in Area V as "mostly sandy, silt loams and loams of medium to high fertility. There are also some light colored sands and sandy loams of medium to low fertility. The land surface ranges from level to rolling, to hilly." The topography of the land in the Williamston area was observed to be flatter than that around Okemos. Whereas the •*\E. B. Hill, Types of Farming in Michigan. Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, Special Bulletin 206, East Lansing, Michigan, June, 1939, p. 74. 2j. 0. Veatch, Agricultural Land Classification and Land Types of Michigan. Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, Special Bulletin 231, East Lansing, Michigan, 1933. Williamston area had considerably more level ground, the Okemos region had nearly three times as much land which was considered to be rolling. Also, as mentioned in Chapter I, the Williamston region generally had slightly better soil than that found around Okemos. The major livestock enterprise in Type of Farming Area V is dairy, with most of the milk being sold as fluid milk. Sheep, poultry, and hogs are of about equal importance as far as income is concerned. Wheat is the major cash crop. Beans and sugar beets have been declining while beef enterprises have been gaining in importance in recent years. Most of the roads located in the sample areas are hard surfaced. The principal road is U. S. Highway 16, which is the main artery the residents of the area travel when going to Lansing or Detroit. Of a total of 180 miles of roads in the two areas, there were 123^ miles of concrete or "black­ top" and 57g- miles of gravel. The ratio of gravel roads to "black-top" was nearly the same for both areas. However, considering the two townships in the Williamston area separately, it was found that the roads included in Williamston Township had nearly 90 percent "black-top" or concrete construction, whereas in Wheatfield Township only about 54 percent of the roads were so constructed. 32 Recent consolidation movements have taken place in the school districts of both areas, and most of the children were enrolled in these schools. school students. This was true of all the high However, there were a few rural schools still operating to which the residents of the areas sent their children. One of these rural schools was found in the Okemos area and three in the Williamston area. There were a variety of services offered to the people living in these areas. Nearly everyone had a telephone, but many had to be content with locally owned companies where the service was sometimes poor. Many of the customers had to share their line with eight and more families. Natural gas service was available to those who lived on U. S. Highway 16. Electricity was available to anyone desiring it, and most houses were wired. Some of the other services which the population enjoyed included milk deliveries, dry cleaning and bakery routes, local deliveries from town, and even diaper service. Bus service existed to the extent that the Greyhound Bus Company, which ran several times a day on U. S. Highway 16 between Detroit and Lansing, would pick up passengers if stopped. Shortway Bus Company service was available to those residents in the Okemos area who lived on Mason Road. These buses were on regular routes between Toledo, Ohio, and 33 Lansing and traveled by way of the town of Mason. The Lansing Suburban Line had a regularly scheduled route which went as far as Okemos, and school buses were in operation for all students who attended either the Okemos or Williamston conslidated school systems. Population Some of the more meaningful and useful data on the characteristics of the population living in the sample areas will be presented in this section. It will give a general picture of the type of people who have moved out into this fringe area. Age On the whole, the rural residents were a younger group than the full-time or part-time farmers (Table 2). Almost half of the rural residents in the Williamston area were under 40 years of age, whereas only 36 percent of the full­ time farmers and 24 percent of the part-time farmers, respectively, were in this age group. The part-time farmers had the greatest number in the 40-59 age group and the full­ time farmers had by far the most individuals in the group 60 and over. This points to a considerable number of farms that either will be turned over to younger men or parceled into smaller acreages within a relatively few years. The Table 2 Percentage Distribution of Heads of Household by Age in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Ingham County, and 28 Southern Counties of Michigana Aee of Operator No. of Cases 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60 and Above Total Percent Full-Time Farmer 44 20.5 15.9 4.5 15.9 43.2 100.0 Part-Time Farmer 25 4.0 20.0 40.0 28.0 8.0 100.0 Rural Resident 85 23.5 25.9 23.5 9.4 17.7 100.0 154 19.5 22.0 20.8 14.3 23.4 100.0 Type of Resident Williamston Total Okemos Full-Time Farmer 11 - - 18.2 27.3 54.5 100.0 Part-Time Farmer 12 8.3 8.3 41.7 16.7 25.0 100.0 Rural Resident 46 10.9 26.1 23.9 23.9 15.2 100.0 69 8.7 18.8 26.1 23.2 23.2 100.0 57,199 33.1 20.7 17.4 13.9 14.9 100.0 28 Southern Counties*5 1,710,634 24.6 23.1 19.9 16.6 15.8 100.0 Total Ingham County*5 aData are for 1951 in the Williamston area, for 1952 in the Okemos area, and for 1950 in Ingham County and the 28 southern counties of Michigan. ^Source: 1950 United States Census of Populations General Characteristics, Michigan, United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, United States Government 35 same relationship between types of residents generally holds true for the Okemos area, but the population in general was older. The age of the head of the household was the only adult for which this information was obtained. A comparison of the figures in Table 2 shows that the population in the sample areas was older than that of Ingham County or that of the 23 southern counties of Michigan. Ingham County had a much larger percentage of heads of house­ hold in the 20-29 year age group than did the sample areas or the southern counties, but in all other age groups, the percentage was smaller. The large number of men college students in East Lansing caused the Ingham County figure in the youngest age group shown to be high; however, a comparison of the sample areas with the southern Michigan counties still revealed the older population in the Williamston and Okemos areas. This suggests that there is a tendency for the younger men either to migrate to or to remain in the city. As they become older, there appears to be a tendency for some of them to return to the rural areas. Only a few of the people interviewed were not married. Nine percent of the full-time farmers and about four percent of the rural residents were yet single. Twelve percent of the part-time farmers in the Williamston area were unmarried as compared with none in the Okemos area. There was no evident reason for this difference. All of those who were single were over 30 except for one youth of 18, who had been classified as the operator of his parents' farm because of the poor health of his father. Children Information available on the families included only the number of children living at home. Only eight families were found to have five or more children living with the parents. Approximately half of the residents reported having either one, two, or three children, and about 40 percent had none. Where children were found, they were fairly evenly divided between the families having one, two, and three children; however, almost 30 percent of the Williamston rural residents had two children. Very few full-time farmers had more than one child around the home. This can be accounted for by the older age grouping of this class, for most of their children had been reared and were now out on their own. A total of 300 children were living in the areas, an average of slightly over two for each of the 134 families having children. A classification of the ages of these children shows that Williamston, in particular, will have an urgent need for high school expansion in a very few years (Table 3). Both areas have already enlarged the grade school capacity of their consolidated districts in order to handle Table 3 Percentage Distribution of Children of the Residents by Age in Williamston and Okemos Areas, and Ingham County, Michigana Tvne of Resident No. of Children Pre-School 0-5 Age of Child Elementary High School College 6-13 14-17___ 18*t _ Total Percent Williamston Full-Time Farmer 50 40.0 34.0 8.0 18.0 100.0 Part-Time Farmer 25 32.0 48.0 8.0 12.0 100.0 116 52.6 30.2 11.2 6.0 100.0 191 46.6 33.5 9.9 9.9 100.0 14.3 28.6 57.1 100.0 Rural Resident Total Okemos - Full-Time Farmer 14 Part-Time Farmer 17 23.5 52.9 11.8 11.8 100.0 Rural Resident 78 32.1 42.3 17.9 7.7 100.0 109 26.6 40.4 18.3 14.7 100.0 58,981 37.3 35.0 15.3 12.4 100.0 Total Ingham County*3 aData are for 1951 in the Williamston area, for 1952 in the Okemos area, and for 1950 in Ingham County. Source: 1950 United States Census of Population: General Characteristics. Michigan. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, United States Government Printing Office, 1952. the large numbers of elementary school children presently enrolled and pre-school children soon to enroll. The fact that the larger group for Wiiliamston is in the pre-school age while for Okemos it is in the elementary school age is a result of the older population which was found, over-all, in the Okemos area. It is realized that the groupings in Table 3 are not uniform but are made by school classifications. It must be considered, then, that when allowance is made for the fewer number of years in the high school age group, a less striking difference appears. In okemos, the effect of the present population of the sample area on future school enrollment will not be great. In Wiiliamston, on the other hand, there will occur a marked increase when the pre-school children are of high school age. In any discussion of schools in an area undergoing a suburban trend, it must be remembered that the situation is not static. New residents are continually moving in and bringing with them more children of all ages. More will be said on the school problem in Chapter V. Occupation The occupations of the residents were classified according to the Alphabetic Index of Occupations and Industries^ ^Alphabetic Index of Occupations and Industries. Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940, United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, United States Government Printing Office, Washington D. C., 1940. 39 published by the Bureau of the Census (Table 4). The major occupation of all full-time farmers was farming and they were left out of Table 4 for this reason. In the case of the part-time farmer, the major occupation in addition to farming was recorded. There was not a great deal of difference between the areas studied and Ingham County when the per­ centages of the different occupations were compared. Okemos had a larger percentage of professional workers, but this can be partly explained by the proximity of this area to Michigan State College. Most of the eleven professional people in the Okemos sample were college professors. There were not as many service workers in either area, proportionately, as were found in Ingham County. However, since the service workers' employment was very closely connected with the town or city with which they were connected, there may be a tendency for them to live within the city for which they worked. Most cities require their protective service workers to live within the city limits. In the areas studied, there were no outstanding differences in occupational pursuits between part-time farmers and rural residents. However, a much larger percentage of the rural residents in the Wiiliamston area were professional workers than were the part-time farmers. in the Okemos sample. The reverse was the case A possible explanation is that professional Table 4 Percentage Distribution of Off-Farm Occupation of Part-Time Farmers and Rural Residents in Wiiliamston and Okemos Areas, and Ingham County, Michigan8 Class of Occupation Wiiliamston Rural Part-Time Resident Farmer Total Part-Time Farmer Okemos Rural Resident Total Ingham Countvb 85 110 12 46 58 4.0 14.1 11.8 25.0 17.4 19.0 12.6 Proprietors, Managers and Officials 12.0 7.0 8.2 8.3 13.0 12.1 8.7 Clerical and Sales 20.0 16.5 17.3 16.7 10.9 12.1 16.3 Craftsmen and Foremen 16.0 16.5 16.3 16.7 21.8 20.7 20.7 Operatives0 36.0 24.7 27.3 33.3 26.1 27.6 27.5 2.4 1.8 - 4.3 3.4 8.4 10.6 10.9 - 4.3 3.4 5.8 8.2 6.4 - 2.2 1.7 _f 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 No. of Cases 25 Professional Services^ Laborerse Retired and Widows Total Percent - 12.0 100.0 100.0 43,522 aData are for 1951 in the Wiiliamston area, for 1952 in the Okemos area, and for 1950 in Ingham County* ‘-'Source: 1950 United States Census of Population: General Characteristics. Michigan. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, United States Government Printing Office, 1952. ^Includes those workers engaged in work on the order of the production line in a factory. ^Includes domestic and protective service workers. eIncludes both farm and city laborers. „ ^ 41 workers, when undertaking part-time farming, desire to he reasonably close to their offices. A larger sample might throw more light on this difference. Approximately 70 percent of the people interviewed declared that they had no other major source of income in addition to their primary employment.A second source of income was considered major if it added over 10 percent to the family income. Interest on investments was given by slightly over 10 percent of the residents as a secondary income. An additional source of income was gained by nearly 10 percent more families through the wife working. These were mainly wives of rural residents, for the farmers' wives were probably employed more fully around the farm enterprise. "On the Farm Training" under the G.I. Bill of Rights was given by nine percent of the full-time farmers in the Wiiliamston area as an additional major source of income. Permanency of Job There was no indication of high mobility among the residents interviewed. Over 75 percent of them considered their present employment as permanent. Most of the rest felt that they were semi-permanently established. By this was meant that they would not be changing jobs in the next year, but might within the next five years. The reason most often given by the full-time farmers and rural residents 42 for being only semi-permanently employed was that they were nearing retirement or that their health was failing. The part-time farmers who planned a different job within a few years were mostly going into farming on a full scale. They had the second job at present in order to increase their capital. In this way they felt that in the future they could operate the farm properly. One part-time farmer who planned to go into farming permanently within a few years claimed that a person could not run a farm and work eight hours a day in a factory and do each justice. He felt that one became too tired to do both, and the farm in particular would suffer. One of his reasons for going into farming full-time was to correct this situation. Only a very few individuals were planning to change their jobs within the next year. These people were usually employed in production lines or construction work. However, one-fourth of the full-time farmers in the Okemos area were planning to go out of farming within a year. and one was quitting because of his health. Two were selling The older age of the full-time farmers and the movement of greater numbers of residents into this region were contributing factors. Distance from Work In connection with the permanency of occupation, the distance the workers lived from their place of employment 43 was obtained. Approximately 60 percent of those who worked away from home had employment in the Lansing area. This was a distance of from six to sixteen miles from the Wiiliamston area and from four to eleven miles from the Okemos area. The Lansing area was considered to begin with East Lansing. In the Wiiliamston area, there were five individuals who regularly traveled over 50 miles to work, some as far as Detroit. This represented nearly five percent of the part- time farmers and rural residents. There were an additional 10 percent of the workers who had jobs to which they drove varying distances. Nearly one-fifth of the residents traveled only a few miles to work. Most of these were employed either in the city of Wiiliamston or village of Okemos, depending upon the area in which they lived. No particular difference was found between part-time farmers and rural residents as to the distance they lived from their work. Years Lived at Present Location Eighty-five percent of the rural residents in the Wiiliamston area had moved to their present location in the preceding ten years, and over 75 percent of them had come within the previous five years (Table 5). Nearly the same picture was found in the Okemos region, but, in general, the residents had been established longer here. There was an earlier migration of rural residents into the area around Table 5 Percentage Distribution of Residents by Number of Years Lived at Their Present Location in Wiiliamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan8- Tvne of Resident No. of Cases 0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25 and Over Total Percent Wiiliamston Full-Time Farmer 44 25.0 13.6. 6.8 4.6 13.6 36.4 100.0 Part-Time Farmer 25 52.0 16.0 8.0 8.0 4.0 12.0 100.0 Rural Resident 85 76.5 9.4 5.9 3.5 1.2 3.5 100.0 154 57.8 11.7 6.5 4.5 5.2 14.3 100.0 Full-Time Farmer 11 9.1 9.1 18.2 9.1 9.1 45.4 100.0 Part-Time Farmer 12 33.3 25.0 25.0 - 16.7 100.0 Rural Resident 46 41.3 28.2 15.2 10.9 2.2 2.2 100.0 69 34.8 24.7 13.0 13.0 2.9 11.6 100.0 Total Okemos Total - aData are for 1951 in the Wiiliamston area and for 1952 in the Okemos area. 45 Okemos which took place in the 1930's. This can be seen by the fact that 26 percent of their total number moved to that locality from 10 to 19 years prior to 1952. These figures did not account for residents who had moved out of the area. Those who took their place enlarged the totals of the more recent inhabitants of the region. In the same way as was observed in the age of the residents, part-time farmers had been established longer than the rural residents, and the full-time farmers longer than the part-time farmers. There was a large percentage of full-time farmers in both areas who had lived in their present location over 25 years. Though many of the part-time farmers had been established over 10 years, the majority had moved to their farms since 1941. No particular occupation group appeared to move into the fringe area first. However, there was an indication that the proprietor, manager, and official category had been established slightly longer than the others, but the numbers involved were small and the differences not enough to be considered significant. Renting was most prevalent in the younger age groups. In both areas, approximately 70 percent of the rural residents who rented were under 40 years of age, and only a very few were over 50. The full-time farmers around Wiiliamston who rented were also found in the young age groups. There were no full-time farmers in Okemos under 40; so all of those who rented were in the older age groups. No part-time farmers in either area rented any land. Farm Background An attempt was made to get the degree of farm background of the residents in the area. A large percentage of the full­ time farmers had always lived in the country, as would be expected. In the Wiiliamston area, there were about 16 percent of the farmers who had not had contact with rural living until they had reached adulthood. Over twice this percentage of their wives had not had any farm experience until after they were married. The Okemos farm couples had similar backgrounds to those described for Wiiliamston. More of the part-time farmers had less farm experience than was the case with full-time farmers. 2vTearly one-quarter of them had had no experience on a farm before they started their part-time farming activities. Another 20 percent received their experience as children, but had left the farm for city work. a farm. About one-half of them had always lived on Only about 25 percent of their wives had always been on a farm, and an additional one-third of them were married before they went onto a farm. Over 80 percent of the rural residents either had no rural experience or only had it during their youth (Table 6). Especially interesting is the fact that one-half of this number, or nearly 40 percent of them, had never lived in the country before. This indicates that the suburban move­ ment is being fed by more than just those persons with previous experience on a farm. A comparison of the women with the men shows that a slightly larger percentage of the women had no prior rural living experience, while a larger percentage of the men had had farm experience when children. This comparison Table 6 Percentage Distribution of Rural Residents by Stage of Life When They Received Their Rural Living Experience, Wiiliamston and Okemos Areas, Michigana Sex of Resident Total Percent No. of Cases None Men 85 36.5 50.6 2.3 10.6 100.0 Women 84 41.7 47.6 2.4 8.3 100.0 169 39.0 49.1 2.4 9.5 100. 0 Men 43 32.5 53.5 7.0 7.0 100.0 Women 45 40. 0 40.0 8.9 11.1 100. 0 88 36.4 46.6 7.9 9.1 100.0 Period of Life Youth Adult Always Wiiliamston Total Okemos Total aData are for 1951 in the Wiiliamston area and for 1952 in the Okemos area. 48 indicates that there is a greater tendency for a family to return to rural living when the husband has had the rural background than when the wife has had it. In Table 6, it will be noted that the totals for men and women do not always equal the same as those for rural residents in previous tables. This discrepancy can be explained by the single men and women found in the two areas. Income All residents were asked to indicate the range within which their last year's income fell. not answer this question. Several residents did Included in those not answering were nine full-time farmers, six part-time farmers, and seventeen rural residents. In order to compare income data in the two areas, it must be assumed that those who did not give income figures were from the same population as those who did. This may result in some distortion of the actual situation. Approximately the same percentage of individuals from both areas studied and Ingham County were found in each income group (Table 7). However, the Okemos area appeared to have a slightly higher percentage in the top ranges. A much higher percentage of the full-time farmers was found in the lowest classifications. Only the net income from the farm was obtained, and for many farmers with a relatively Table 7 Percentage Distribution of Residents by Income Glasses in Wiiliamston and Okemos Areas, and Ingham County, Michigan Type of Resident No. of Cases Below 2 Thousands of Dollars 2-3 . 4-5 3-4 5-6 Over 6 Total Percent ' Wiiliamston Full-Time Farmer 36 38.9 16.7 22.2 13.9 2.8 5.5 100.0 Part-Time Farmer 23 8.7 8.7 21.7 26.1 4.4 30.4 100.0 Rural Resident 76 18.4 9.2 25.0 19.7 6.6 21.1 100.0 Total 135 22.2 11.1 23.7 19.3 5.2 18.5 100.0 Full-Time Farmer 10 30.0 30.0 20. 0 - 20.0 100.0 Part-Time Farmer 8 37.5 25.0 - 37.5 100.0 Okemos Rural Resident Total Ingham County^ - - - 38 10.5 5.3 23.7 21.0 15.8 23.7 100.0 56 12.5 9.0 21.4 21.4 10.7 25.0 100.0 14.5 14.7 24.1 17.0 11.9 17.8 100.0 42,475 For farmers, the figure is the net income from the farm. For workers, it is the income received before taxes. Income reported is for 1950 in the Wiiliamston area, for 1951 in the Okemos area, and for 1949 in Ingham County. ■L. Source: 1950 United States Census of Population: General Characteristics. Michigan. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, United States Government Printing Office, 1952. 50 small farm business, this income was small. The part-time farmers were more heavily represented in the larger income figures, which can partly be explained by their second source of income. The median income for Ingham County in 1949 as obtained from census data was slightly under $4,000.00. From the figures given by the residents, it was also slightly under $4,000. 00-for the Wiiliamston area and a little over $4,000.00 for the Okemos area. A comparison of the income received with the occupation groups showed a higher percentage of individuals from the professional, managers, and proprietor groups in the higher income brackets. Also, as the type of work became less specialized, there was a tendency for the income received to fall in the lower income figures. Most of the part-time farmers received only a small proportion of their income from their farming activities. In the Okemos area, 83 percent earned less than one-fifth of their income from the farm, and the remaining number received only a slightly higher percentage than this. Nearly 60 percent of the Wiiliamston part-time farmers also earned less than one-fifth of their total income from the farm, but 24 percent of them also claimed to have made over 80 percent of their earnings from farm operations. However, most of this latter group reported their income in the lower brackets. d 51 Except for a few who were connected with "On the Farm Training" of the G. I. Bill of Rights, the full-time farmers received over 80 percent of their income from their farm. Several residents reported income from the rent of land, but this usually amounted to less than 10 percent of their total income. Only three persons indicated that the rent from land produced over one-half of their income, and two of these were retired. Settlement Pattern The land in Ingham County was settled slightly later than the areas west, east, or south of it because of its low wet swamps and dense forests. The first settlements appeared at Stoekbridge and Qnandaga in 1834, and within a few years, several other small villages had their beginning. It was in this period that settlers first came into the region that comprises the sample area. The pattern of settlement developed from the southeast as a result of the Ann Arbor to Kalamazoo road and from the northwest because of the Saginaw to Ionia road, both of which existed at that time. The earliest agriculture was centered on lands which could most easily be cleared and planted. It is not the aim of this study to determine the pattern of development of the area to a precise degree. Some indication of the movement of population into the sample areas can be 52 gained by observing closely Figures 2 and 3. These figures, provided by the occupants, show the age of the houses. The actual age of the house may be a few years more or less than that shown, but the over-all picture is assumed to be fairly accurate. Every figure represents one house. The three colors shown represent the type of resident living in the house. Black is used for rural residents, blue for part- time farmers, and red for full-time farmers. The houses occupied by full-time and part-time farmers indicate, in most cases, the settlement of farmers in past decades. Some of the original houses have been destroyed, but a fairly uniform pattern of development can be seen. Nearly all of the rural residents living in older houses are residing in former farm houses. One exception to this is a cluster of three houses located in the center of the western boundary of the Wiiliamston area. These places are the remains of the small community of Meridian which became extinct with the advent of good roads and fast transportation. Wiiliamston Area It is evident that most of the rural residents have settled recently in the two areas, particularly in the Wiiliamston region. The northwest corner and the triangular region south of U. S. Highway 16 at the western boundary of the Wiiliamston area show a highly concentrated grouping of 53 = Approximately 1 Mile Red = Full-Time Farmer Blue = Part-Time Farmer Black = Rural Resident IT */ 3 J J sv u.s. if16 Co 37 so bo f 00 CITY OF WILLIAM3T0N JO /oo JO 70 AT AT /3 Figure 2 Age of House as Given by Residents in Wiiliamston Area, Michigan, 1951. 54 2^fM= Approximately 1 Mile Red = Full-Time Farmer Blue = Part-Time Farmer B l a c k = Rural Resident VILLAGE OF OKEMOS Ho so 60 76" 60 Tf (>o /O Figure 3 Age of House as Given by Residents in Okemos Area, Michigan, 1952. new houses for a rural area. constructed. Most of these houses are well They are located closer to Lansing than other parts of the area and are found either on or very close to good roads. South of the city of Wiiliamston and toward the southern limit of the area is a development of another cluster of new residences. This latter group has been influenced botfr by proximity to Wiiliamston and a good "black-top” road. The beginnings of other scattered gatherings of new houses can also be seen. Two-thirds of the rural residents were located within a mile either of the highway or the city of Wiiliamston, but less than 50 percent of the farmers were in this radius. Most of the clusters of houses in the Wiiliamston area have resulted from a parceling of the land. In some cases, it has been a small acreage or two which was taken off from a parent farm. In those locations where many homes were found, the acreages have come from the major portion of a farm. The residents of the northwest corner of the area are an example of this practice. Most of them live on either five or two and one-half acre lots which extend from the road to the Red Cedar River which flows along the back of their places. The common complaint heard from these residents was that the land had been allowed to wear out in the years preceding subdivision. Several mentioned that the land had grown only one crop, usually wheat, for many years in a row. 56 The most restricted subdivision in the Wiiliamston area was located near its western boundary. It had been broken into seven to ten acre lots with the exception of two five acre lots. The restrictions placed in the deeds stated that there could be no further subdividing of these lots, and that all out-buildings must conform with the style of the house. A second house could be built, but must stay within the family. All houses must be of a certain minimum size. There were no crop restrictions, but, as one resident said, 50 chickens and a riding horse were about the limit of livestock that could be kept. About 25 restrictions in all were incorporated in the deeds of this subdivision. An interview with the Township Supervisor of Wiiliamston Township in June, 1953, revealed that large suburban acreages in the above subdivision were not selling very rapidly. Because of this, a reported extra $40,000 was being added to the investment in the subdivision. The size of each lot was going to be reduced to an acre or less, and "black-top'1 roads and drinage were to be installed. restrictions were to remain as before. However, the This action had been taken at such a recent date that its affect upon the sale of lots could not be determined. 57 Okemos Area There is no evidence of a rapid recent trend of popu­ lation into the Okemos area as was the case for Wiiliamston* On the other hand, rural residents were more evenly dis­ tributed through this area. Although it is closer to Lansing, the first wave of the post-war suburban movement went beyond its boundaries. However, there is evidence of considerable more development in the following years. Many platted sub­ divisions are very near and several new homes have been either built or started in the area since the field work on this study was completed. As was mentioned earlier in this chapter, there was a movement into the Okemos region during the depression years. This can be It is not shown in Figure verified by examining Figure 3. 3, but about 20 recently constructed homes were located on the east side of the road which marks the eastern limits of the Okemos area. Although this was out of the sample area, three of these residents were contacted in order to see if there was any reason for the concentration of housing on that side of the road. The majority of the 20 were located within a half mile of U. S. Highway 16, and were on land that had been part of a 103 acre farm which went into the hands of the Federal Land Bank during the 1930's. It was reported that the land had been «mined" with no attempt to replace the nutrients removed. A realty company bought it prior to World War II and started to sub­ divide it into one and one and one-half acre lots. Two acreages of from 12 to 14 acres each were sold, and the remaining land was parcelled, but never recorded. The out­ break of the war stopped efforts to complete the subdivision, and it had not been pushed in recent years. This was partly due to the fact that the promoter of this project had aged and lost much of his interest in it. There was also a 55 acre place with two houses on it in this group of residences. From reports, it was also eventually to be subdivided as the owners become older and the suburban movement closer. .Also not shown in Figure 3 was a small subdivision located on U. S. Highway 16. About 10 houses of above average value and of recent construction were in this development. They were located on lots of slightly more than one acre in size, and only two lots in the subdivision remained unsold. A minimum money value was set on the type of house to be built, and it had to conform with the other houses in the subdivision. Chickens running loose, riding horses, and other large livestock could not be kept. The man who developed this acreage had recently purchased a large farm to the south of it, but had no definite plans for it. However, he said he might put it into homesites or possibly a golf course. Size of Acreage One to three acres was the most common sized acreage occupied by the rural residents (Table 8). Still, over 30 percent owned or rented at least five acres of land. Of those who owned over 10 acres, eight in the Okemos area were over 50 years of age. This comprised nearly half of the rural residents of that age group. However, only five of the 15 Wiiliamston residents with 10 or more acres were over 50 years old. Table 8 Acres of Land Owned or Rented by Rural Residents in Wiiliamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan2, Acres Wiiliamston Number Percent Okemos Percent Number 15 17.6 11 23.9 5.0— 9.9 11 12.9 7 15.2 4. 0— 4.9 1 1.2 3.0— 3.9 2 2.4 1 2.2 2.0— 2.9 17 20.0 9 19.6 1.0— 1.9 14 16.5 11 23.9 Under 1.0 7 8.2 1 2.2 18 21.2 __ 6 13.0 85 100.0 46 100.0 10 and above Renting only house Total • _ _ - aData are for 1951 in the Wiiliamston area and for 1952 in the Okemos area. 60 A comparison of the number of acres owned by the rural residents with the years they had lived on their place did not show much difference between the various acreage sizes. It was interesting to note, though, that of the five Wiiliamston residents who owned over 50 acres of land, three of them had lived on their place over 25 years. A fourth had lived over 15 years in his present location. All of the part-time farms found in the Okemos area and 70 percent of those around Wiiliamston were less than 80 acres in size. All but one of the remaining part-time farms in the Wiiliamston area were found to be from 80 to 159 acres in size. A fairly even distribution of full-time farmers on farms up to about 320 acres was found, but there was a somewhat higher percentage in the Wiiliamston area of those who had farms of less than 80 acres (Table 9). In general, the younger farmers operated the larger acreages. Most of the farmers between ages 30 and 49 were operating farms of over 160 acres, while those over 60 generally had farms under this size. About one in five of the full-time farmers and rural residents were renting all of the land on which they lived. However, none of the part-time farmers were renting their farms. 61 Table 9 Acres of Land Operated by Full-Time Farmers in Wiiliamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan8, Acres Wiiliamston Percent Number 240 and above Number Okemos Percent 10 22.7 3 25.0 160--239 8 18.2 2 16.7 80— 159 8 18.2 4 33.3 18 40.9 5 25.0 44 100.0 12 100.0 0— 79 Total aData are for 1951 in the Wiiliamston area and for 1952 in the Okemos area. An attempt was made to determine how many of the places in the two areas had idle land at the time of their most recent purchase. Only slightly over 10 percent of the full­ time farmers had moved to farms that had been idle the season prior to their moving. This was also true for the part-time farmers in the Wiiliamston region. However, 42 percent of the Okemos part-time farmers claimed to have moved onto idle land. In addition, over one-half of the rural residents in both areas moved to idle land. This indicates that a sizeable acreage of productive land, especially in the Okemos area, had been out of production for at least one year prior to the occupancy of the new residents. 62 Reasons for Moving Several reasons were given as to why the farmers in the areas had sold their land. The ones most often offered were old age, poor health, and the large amounts of money that could be gained by selling. Another reason given was large debts, but this was mentioned less frequently. A farmer from Wiiliamston stated his reasons for selling as threefold: he was getting old, his boys had left home, and there was a mortgage on the farm. The farmers who had not sold were asked to give their reason or reasons for remaining. Most either replied that they liked it where they were or that no gain would be made by moving. The cost of a comparable farm would probably equal the price of their present place. A few answered that they would sell if they could get the ’’right price!'. Many realized the problem of being taxed on capital gains if they sold and also that the value of money was now less than when they originally purchased their land. One part- time farmer, who was in a very advantageous location, stated that he intended to sell some building lots in later years but not too many at one time. He commented on the expense and work connected with subdividing. The rural residents also gave their reasons for living in the country. A large percentage of them said a "liking of the country" brought them into rural areas. Two other 63 common replies were concerned with the freedom and space found in the rural area and the good location for bringing up children. Several mentioned a dislike for the city and cheaper living in the country as causes for moving from the city. A place to retire, a place close to work, health, and the only place available, were other reasons given less frequently. This can be summarized by the comment of one of the Williamston rural residents: Our original reason for moving into the country was because we did not want our kids to be playing in the city streets. We are now testing it out to see whether we would like to buy a farm and live on i t . . We would lease the land out. It would be a nice place to retire to as well as a good place during a depression. Some of the residents had a special type of location in mind when looking for a place to settle, and certain sections of the sample areas happened to suit their desires. River frontage was the goal of one fairly wealthy family. They had spent ten years looking for what they wanted before finding it. Another wealthy couple wanted a home in the country that still had the advantages of a city. found it near Okemos. They had The wealthier individuals appeared to be the ones most interested and the choosiest in selecting a particular type of location. Chapter III LAND USE Many large acreages in a rural-urban fringe either have begun to undergo a change towards a higher use or are nearing this stage. The agricultural use of much of the land still in production has been altered by the new type of occupants. Still other land is used in much the same way as it was before urban pressure began. The aim of this chapter is to examine the use to which the land in the sample areas was put. This will include both live­ stock and crop enterprises as well as an indication of the idle and near idle land found in the areas. Past and proposed changes in land use will also be discussed. The total acreage included in the sample amounted to 11,549 acres, of which 8,534 acres were in the Williamston area and 3,015 acres in the Qkemos region. Nearly 60 per­ cent of this land in the Williamston area was owned by full-time farmers as compared to 35 percent around Okemos. Part-time farmers in each area owned an additional 85 per­ cent of the total acreage. This leaves 40 percent of the land in the Okemos sample and 13 percent in the Williamston area owned or rented by rural residents. Although the 65 concentration of rural residents was not as dense in the Okemos region, more of the land was devoted to residential use and less to farming. This is a clear example of the effect of the suburban movement upon land use. It should also be mentioned that the Okemos rural residents comprised a larger percentage of the total population in that area than in the area around Williamston. Disposition of the Land The size of the farms and the rural resident acreages in the Williamston and Okemos areas is presented in Tables 8 and 9. This section will be concerned with the way and extent this land has been utilized. Most of the farms had the majority of their land divided between cropland and pasture. Usually, only a relatively small percentage of the total acreage was found in wood or idle land. Land was considered in cropland if crops were being grown on it for the years in question. Also, fallow land, if for only one year, was considered as cropland. Pasture land, whether it was a wooded area or not, was classified as pasture if it was used for the grazing of cattle. land was land not being used for a productive purpose. Idle 66 Cropland and Pasture There was very little difference evident between the various sized farms and the percentage of their land devoted to cropland and pasture. In addition, within an individual area, the proximity of the farms to developing suburban construction showed no appreciable effect on the amount of land in these major divisions of use. In these situations, then, there did not appear to be much change in this phase of farming operations caused by the suburban movement. Although there was not a significant difference between full-time farmers and part-time farmers as to the percentage of their acres devoted to cropland and to pasture, both percentages are recorded in Tables 10 and 11 to show the differences that did appear. There was, however, a higher percentage of part-time farmers around Williamston with a larger part of their farm in cropland than was the case for full-time farmers. The part-time farmers also tended to have less of their operating acreage in pasture than did the full-time farmers. The Okemos area did not show as large a difference between types of farms as that found around Williamston, although less pasture was found on the greater number of part-time farms. A comparison between Williamston and Okemos shows a tendency towards more cropland and less pasture in the Okemos 67 Table 10 Percentage Distribution of Farms Showing Percent of Acres Operated in Cropland in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan, 1951 TvDe of Farm Williamston Full-Time Farm Part-Time Farm Percent of Acres No. of Ouerated in CroDland Total Farms None 0-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100 Percent 44 2.3 25 8.0 - 2.3 40.9 34.1 20.4 100.0 12.0 36.0 44.0 100.0 Okemos Full-Time Farm Part-Time Farm 12 8.4 33.3 16.7 41.6 100.0 12 8.4 33.3 25.0 33.3 100.0 Table 11 Percentage Distribution of Farms Showing Percent of Acres Operated in Pasture in.Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan, 1951 Tyne of Farm Williamston Full-Time Farm Part-Time Farm Percent of Acres No. of Operated in Pasture Total Farms None 0-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100 Percent 44 6.8 31.8 31.8 25.0 2.3 2.3 100.0 25 36.0 16.0 36.0 8.0 - 4.0 100.0 12 33.3 16.7 41.7 - 8.3 12 58.3 25.0 Okemos Full-Time Farm Part-Time Farm - 16.7 100.0 100.0 68 area. This appears to be a development caused by the rural- urban fringe movement, for this latter area has come under its influence more than has the Williamston area. Woodland and Idle Land Less than one-half of the Williamston farmers reported having woodland, and usually less than 20 percent of a farm was devoted to this use. On the other hand, nearly 75 per­ cent of the Okemos farms had some woodland, with there being a significant difference'*’ between the amount found on parttime farms and on full-time farms. Fifty percent of the former had over one-fifth of their farms in woods, while only 17 percent of the latter had this much. The more rolling topography in the Okemos area accounts for much of the difference between the two areas. Less interest in utilizing all of their farm probably is the reason for the greater amount of woodland on the Okemos part-time farms. Fewer than one-third of the Williamston farms reported idle land. idle. Of these, only nine farms were over ten percent Two were full-time farms of 80 and 120 acres re­ spectively, with over one-third of each farm being idle. One of these contained poor land and the second had been •^•Where there is a significant difference at the 5 percent level as tested by analysis of variance, it will be reported as being significantly different. A difference at the 1 per­ cent level will be reported as being highly significant. I 69 sold, recently. Seven were part-time farms, two of which were over 30 percent idle. than 10 acres in size. However, both of these were less The Okemos area farms were found to have slightly more idle land than those around Williamston. Three of the IS full-time farms were between SI and 30 per­ cent idle in 1951. Two of these were operated by elderly individuals and the third by a retired man owning only a small acreage. Also, four of the part-time farms were reported to be over 30 percent idle, three of which were around 100 acres in size. There was some poor soil in this idle land, but much of it could have been utilized. Considering the total acreage in farms surveyed, only about three percent of the land in the Williamston area in both types of farms was idle. In the Okemos region, seven percent of the land owned by full-time farmers and 34 per­ cent of that owned by part-time farmers was idle. This big difference was a result, as mentioned above, of several of the farms containing much idle land. Less productive land in the Okemos region than around Williamston was also a factor. More idle land was found to be owned by the Okemos rural residents than by the Williamston rural residents. Forty- five percent of the land of the former and only 26 percent of that of the latter was idle. This does not imply that the rest of the land owned by these residents was in crop 70 or pasture. Only about six to seven percent of it went for these purposes. Land included in a homestead was not considered to be idle. In the case of the farm residents, this took up only a small percentage of the total acreage. However, the home­ stead of the rural residents in the Williamston and Okemos areas comprised 19 and 32 percent of their total land, re­ spectively. The larger percentage for Okemos may be partly explained by the manner in which the residents were scattered Totaling all land that was surveyed, 29 percent in the Okemos area and slightly less than six percent in the Williamston area was idle land. In addition to this, two acreages, totaling 170 acres, within the Williamston sample, and one acreage of 100 acres in the Okemos sample were lying idle. Contact was not made with the owners of these acreages These two acreages would raise the percentage of unused land by about two percent in each area. Some idle land was probably in those acreages where the owners refused to cooperate, but it will have to be assumed that they had about the same proportion of idle land as those who did cooperate. Much of the Okemos land is ripening from an agricultural use into a residential use and the result is a larger amount of idle land than was found in the Williamston area. This 71 latter area is also experiencing the suburban movement, but it is at the outer edge of the development. Rented and .leased Land None of the part-time farmers rented additional land beyond that which they already owned. However, approximately 25 percent of the full-time farmers rented land. these rented all of their farm land. Half of Only two rural residents from each area rented more than two acres, and these totaled only 48 acres. There were 2,100 acres of land rented by farmers in the Williamston region, representing 30 percent of the acres operated, and 1,088 acres rented in the Okemos area which represented 55 percent of the total acreage operated. Four farms in the former and three farms in the latter area account for most of the total. These farmers rented all the additional land they could reasonably acquire and handle. Three of them rented nearly all of the land they operated and owned only a very few additional acres. They rented complete farms, and also worked individual fields for another farmer or rural resident. The high price of wheat and corn for the past few years was given as a major reason for their interest in renting so much land. Most of the other farmers who rented additional land had farms of their own of less than 160 acres. Usually about one-half of this rented acreage was found within the sample areas. 72 The Williamston percentage of idle land was only four percent higher than that for Ingham County. It would appear, then, that the suburban movement caused a much greater amount of renting in the Okemos area, but only slightly affected the Williamston area in this manner. Land was leased out to farmers by all types of residents found in the two regions. This included eight full-time farmers, most of whom were either aging individuals or persons in poor health. Proportionately, more part-time farmers were found to lease their land— i.e., approximately one-third of them did this. The percentage of the farm leased out varied widely among both part-time and full-time farmers. The rural residents in the Williamston sample let out 51 per­ cent of their land while in Okemos the amount was only 18 per­ cent. Much of this difference is explained by the higher amount of idle land found in the Okemos region. The total amount of land leased in both areas was 1,329 acres in Williamston and 439 acres in Okemos. There were usually good possibilities to rent idle fields, especially if they were not small and could be reached without too much difficulty. The interest in renting land appeared to come from a wider source in the Williamston area than in the Okemos area. The former area is flanked by a larger number of full-scale farms, and there is a greater possibility 73 for interested farmers to be within a practical distance in order to utilize extra ground. One Williamston farmer told of farmers coming from as far as IS miles away looking for land to rent. He felt that any idle land he had could be rented very easily. This was fairly typical of farmers in this area having sizeable fields to be rented. Large fields could be rented easily around Okemos also, but, as mentioned, there was not as great an interest evidenced in them. Several rural residents told of the lack of farmers' interest in fields if they were under five acres. As the suburban movement breaks more farms in these areas into small fields, the residents will find it harder to rent their land. A criticism of renters of land in general was heard many times in discussions with farmers in the two sample areas. They indicated that many renters fail to put any commercial fertilizer or manure into the land. One farm that had been leased out for years was cited as no longer able to produce good crops because of this disregard of plant nutrient replacement. Part of this fault may be a result of the rental agreements made by the farmers with the tenants. Several rental arrangements were found to be used, but no one arrangement was predominant. Land used for wheat was often leased on a 50-50 basis. Where more than one crop was to be grown on rented land, the rental agreement was usually a one-third— two-thirds agreement, the land owner furnishing the land and receiving one-third of the crops produced. The renter furnished everything else and received two-thirds of the crops produced. There were times, though, when the land owner furnished one-third of some of the expenses. Cash rentals were also found which ranged from four to nine dollars an acre. The full-time and part-time farmers were asked whether they felt that the suburban movement had had any effect on the amount of tenancy in their neighborhood. agreed that the movement had little effect. Most of them In the Williamston area, the few who indicated otherwise were fairly evenly divided between responses of it causing more tenancy and that of it causing less tenancy. On the other hand most of the Okemos farmers, who felt there was an effect, thought that there was a smaller amount of renting taking place. This opinion, however, did not agree with the land use data collected. and renting. The difference lies in the concept of tenancy Much more land was being rented in the Okemos area than in the Williamston area, but it was primarily being rented by farmers who wanted to work additional land beyond that which they owned. 75 Crops Grown A four year rotation was followed by most of the full­ time farmers, with corn, oats, wheat, and hay the major crops grown. A few grew only one or two crops each year, but these were either farming on a small scale or were aged and could not follow a regular farm routine. Only five per­ cent of the total cropland was devoted to such minor crops as soybeans, sugar beets, navy beans, rye, and barley. The majority of part-time farmers did not follow a regular four-year rotation. Usually one or two crops each year were all that were grown on over half of these farms. Those who grew only one crop had very small farms in all cases but one, and he had let most of his cropland go idle. Information on crop acreages was obtained for the crop years 1950 and 1951 in the Williamston area and 1951 and 1952 in the Okemos region. The farmers were usually unable to furnish accurate enough information beyond the two crop years prior to the time of the interview; therefore, only 1951 was common to both areas. The percentage of cropland in the major crops grown in 1951 for the farms in the Williamston area is given in Table 12 and for farms in the Okemos area in Table 13. The majority of full-time farmers planted between 10 and 29 percent of their cropland in each of the major crops. Table 12 Percentage Distribution of Farms Showing Percent of Cropland in Major Crops Grown in Williamston Area, Michigan, 1951 No. of Farms None 0-9 Wheat 42 19.0 9.5 31.1 21.4 7.1 Oats 42 16.6 2.4 31.0 38.1 9.5 Corn 42 11.9 4.8 11.9 40.5 Hay 42 14.3 - 16.7 Wheat 22 36.3 - Oats 22 40.9 Corn 22 Hay 22 Tvne of Farm Percent of Cropland 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50 and over Total Percent Full-Time Farm 4.8 7.1 100.0 - 2.4 100.0 19.0 9.5 2.4 100.0 33.3 9.5 14.3 11.9 100.0 9.1 9.1 18.2 - 27.3 100.0 - 22.7 18.2 9.1 - 9.1 100.0 40.9 - 13.7 4.5 18.2 18.2 100.0 36.3 - 9.1 18.2 27.3 9.1 100. 0 Part-Time Farm 4.5 - cr> Table 13 Percentage Distribution of Farms Showing Percent of Cropland in Major Crops Grown in Okemos Area, Michigan, 1951 Wo. of Farms None 0-9 Wheat 10 10.0 - 40.0 30.0 Oats 10 - - 40.0 60. 0 Corn 10 - - 30.0 60.0 10.0 Hay 10 - - 20. 0 20.0 10.0 27.3 9.1 Tyne of Farm Percent of Cropland 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50 and over Total Percent Full-Time Farm . 10.0 - - 100.0 - - 100.0 - - 100.0 10.0 30.0 20.0 100.0 - 18.2 100.0 18.2 - 18.2 100.0 Part-Time Farm Wheat 11 45.4 - - Oats 11 54.5 - 9.1 Corn 11 63.6 - - 18.2 9.1 - 9.1 100.0 Hay 11 36.3 - 9.1 27.3 9.1 - 18.2 100.0 - -a -a 78 Those farmers who did not follow a three or four-year crop rotation were mainly responsible for those farms shown as having over 40 percent of the cropland in one crop. The farms with less than 10 percent crop acreage in one crop usually planted either a fifth crop or had fallow land on the farm for that year. The percentage of cropland devoted to each crop was similar on all sized farms except those that were very small. However, less than four crops were usually grown on such farms. The large number of part-time farmers who either had no land or had over 50 percent of their cropland devoted to an individual crop points up the statement made earlier that over one-half of them grew only one or two crops each year. Those who followed a more regular rotation had between 10 and 40 percent of their cropland in at least three of the major crops. Land that was in minor crops on a farm accounted for less than 20 percent of the cropland in nearly all cases for the full-time farmers. Minor crops were more important in the program of the part-time farmer, but again, this was caused by the fewer types of crops grown each year. Several tests of significance were made on the amount of cropland found in specified crops. In 1951, in the Williamston area, there was a significantly greater amount of hay than 79 oats grown on full-time farms. Comparisons between all other combinations of the major crops did not prove significant. The one test that proved significant was very probably a result of the rotation cycle on the farms studied and possibly a weather factor. Data were also obtained on crops grown in 1950 in the Williamston area. It was found that the corn acreage grown was significantly greater than the wheat and oat acreages for full-time farmers. For part-time farmers, the corn acreage was significantly larger than the oat acreage, and a highly significant difference was found between the corn and wheat acreage. not significant. All other comparisons proved to be Because of the acreage allotments on wheat in 1950, the farmers probably shifted some of the land that normally would have gone into wheat to corn production. This would explain the significantly larger acreage of corn that was found. However, this does not explain the lack of significance evident in 1951 unless the crop rotation cycle decreased the corn acreage while increasing the acreages devoted to other crops. There was some indication that this took place. A comparison was also made of the percentage of cropland on each farm that was planted in the four major crops between the two years of records. difference. Only one crop showed any significant The wheat acreage per farm for part-time farmers 80 in the Williamston area was significantly higher in 1951 than it was in 1950. The major reason for this was probably the higher support price on wheat in effect in 1951. Some may think that the removal of acreage allotments in 1951 was the cause. However, this is improbable, because at the time farmers were making their decisions on wheat acreages for the 1951 harvest year, all indications pointed toward the belief that allotments would be in effect. Actually, the Korean emergency brought about the removal of the acreage allotments on wheat before harvest time. However, this was too late for farmers to take advantage of its removal in order to plant larger acreages of wheat that might qualify for price support. As it turned out, anyone who exceeded the allotment, placed on his wheat acreage could still come under the price support set for wheat. The plan for 1951 allowed a farmer to plant up to five acres of wheat and still receive price support benefits, even though he did not have an assigned allotment. the 1950 crop. This was not the case for However, no part-time farmer had less than five acres of wheat planted in either of these years. Several tests of significance were run for the Okemos area acreages. The percentage of cropland in hay in 1951 for full-time farmers was significantly greater than that in either wheat, oats, or corn. The same reasons probably 81 apply here as did in the Williamston area. Other tests for part-time farmers, between part-time and full-time farmers, and between 1951 and 1952 were not significant. Rural residents also reported a few acres of crops grown. Those in the Williamston area had a total of 59 acres of land in crops, and those in the Okemos area had 36 acres. This was an average of less than one acre per resident. Most of this was in wheat, grass, or corn, but not all of it was harvested. Many residents grew a crop on their land to keep the weeds down. The over-all picture of land devoted to different crops was similar to the situation in Ingham County. The average 2 farm in 1949 in that county had 84.9 acres of cropland and 18.1, 19.4, 17.8, and 19.7 acres of corn, wheat, oats, and hay, respectively. Each of these crops equaled between 20 and 23 percent of the average cropland acreage for Ingham County farms. There was also no great difference between the two areas as to the amount of emphasis placed upon one crop over another. Therefore, the suburban movement did not affect the proportion of each crop grown on most full-time farms• 21950 United States Census of Agriculture: Michigan, United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, United States Government Printing Office, Washington D. C., 1952. 82 Gardens Approximately 75 percent of the rural residents had a garden, but very often these were small. Estimates of the size of the gardens were not obtained, although some indication of their value was given by the residents. Sixty percent of those having gardens said that the worth would be either "minor'1 or under 50 dollars. Only a few residents considered their garden to be worth over $100.00. Several residents commented that if they figured their time worth very much, the garden enterprise would end up as a deficit. They considered its value to lie in the recreation and relaxation that they got from working in it and in the advantages of eating garden-fresh produce. Some remarked that they were unable to find time to take care of a garden. One resident had a suggestion for those who thought it necessary to own mechanical garden equipment. He recommended planting the rows wider apart and then hiring a farm neighbor to cultivate them with his farm machinery. The main objection to this is the possible adverse reaction of the neighboring farmers. Crop Yields The yields of the major crops grown in the areas were higher than those recorded in the 1950 Census for Ingham 83 County for both years of records. It is realized, however, that the comparison was made between different crop years and that the soil in the sample areas was slightly better than the average for Ingham County. Since the yields reported for the two crop years were not too different for each crop within each area and between the two areas, only the 1951 data for the Williamston region will be shown (Table 14). The total number of farms included in each section of this table does not equal the totals shown in other tables because not all farmers knew what their yields had been. Then, too, not every farmer had grown all four crops. There was no significant difference between the yields obtained by part-time and full-time farmers for any of the crops shown. However, it was considered best to include both. Most farmers in the Williamston area harvested a wheat yield for 1951 of between SO and 39 bushels per acre. Yields of 31 to 60 bushels were most common for oats, of 61-100 bushels for corn, and of around two tons for hay. A larger percentage of the part-time farmers appeared to have per acre yields in the lowest range than did the full-time farmers. This may be partly explained by the more limited time the part-time farmer has to work on his farm. For this reason, he may not always be able to plant or harvest.a crop at the most advantageous time. For those who had to depend on 84 Table 14 Percentage Distribution of Farms Showing Yields of Major Crops in Williamston Area, Michigan, 1951 No. of Total Crop________ Farms____________ Type of Unit___________ Percent _________ Bushels__________ 10-19 80-29 50-59 40-49 Wheat Full-Time Farmer 50 6. 7 55.3 50. 0 10. 0 100.0 Part-Time Farmer 14 21. 4 21.4 55. 8 21. 4 100.0 Bushels Oats 16-50 51-45 46-60 61-75 76 and Above Full-Time Farmer 52 12.5 57.5 40.6 3.1 6.3 100.0 Part-Time Farmer 12 55.5 25.0 41.7 - - 100.0 Bushels Corn 21-40 Full-Time Farmer 22 Part-Time F armer 8 Hav Full-Time Farmer Part-Time Farmer 52 61-80 81-100 27.3 13.6 45.5 13.6 100.0 37.5 37.5 12.5 100.0 12.5 1.01.49 101 and Above 41-60 1.51.99 Tons 2.0- 2.58.49 2.99 5.0 and Above 9.4 12.5 55.1 21.9 5.1 100.0 8 12.5 25.0 50.0 12.5 - 100.0 neighbors to do some of their farm operations, the above reason also held true. Less thorough farm practices may be another factor, but there was not much evidence to sub­ stantiate this. It may be that if poorer farm practices are being followed by the part-time farmers, later years will find more of their yields falling below those of the full-time farmers. As was true for the Williamston area in 1950 and 1951, comparisons of yields for the major crops in the Okemos area between the two types of farmers did not prove significant for either 1951 or 1952. The Weed Problem All farmers were asked whether they considered the suburban movement to have had any effect on the amount of weeds on their farm. Approximately 55 percent of the Williamston farmers said that their weed problem was no worse than usual. Another 35 percent remarked that in their opinion there were more weeds, but most of them would not blame the suburban movement directly. there were less weeds. None said that In the Okemos area, slightly over half of the farmers indicated that more weeds were on their place than had been the case in earlier years. Those who elaborated on their reply had a variety of reasons to offer. Many mentioned that a lack of adequate care of the land would cause an increased weed problem. Full-time as well as part-time farmers in the area were indicated as being guilty in this. Several related how the roadsides had been allowed to grow up to brush and weeds. They thought farmers had more pride in past years in a clean fence row along the road. One farmer said that people with small acreages let the back of their places go unworked, and that maybe that was from where the weeds came. It was noticed that wild carrot was very prevalent along the road­ sides and on most farms in the sample areas. It may be too early for the increased amount of idle land to have caused a serious weed problem. never will, even if left unchecked. Possibly it However, it appears that as some fields continue to remain idle and others become idle, weeds will be more in evidence, since idle fields usually offer an excellent seed bed for weeds of all kinds. Livestock Livestock provided an important phase of farm operation for most farmers. Dairying was the largest livestock enter­ prise, and the raising of hogs and beef were found to be next in importance (Table 15). In the livestock program of the part-time farmers, dairying and hogs were not as important proportionately as they were for the full-time farmer. However, beef was more important. Dairying and hogs require more daily attention and labor than do beef animals, and for this reason, many part-time farmers raised the latter. Beef furnished an outlet for the roughage on the farm and yet did not make it necessary for the part-time farmer to spend many of his limited hours with them. From observations made during the study, beef appeared to be gaining in importance and popularity both with the part-time farmers and full-time farmers, while dairy animals were decreasing in prominence. 3 The number of animal units siderable degree. per farm varied to a con­ Over one-half of the full-time farmers and all of the part-time farmers had less than 20 units on their farms (Table 16). than 10. Most of the latter group had less A highly significant difference was found between ^An "animal unit" is a method by which different kinds of animals are converted into a common denominator on a basis of the relative amounts of feed consumed by the different classes of livestock. One "animal unit" is roughly the equivalent of: one steer, one cow, one horse, or one mule; two heifers or two colts; four calves less than 12 months old; seven sheep; 14 lambs; three sows, five mature hogs, or 10 pigs of 100 pounds; 100 hens. See G. F. Warren, Farm Management, Macmillan and Co., New York, 1916, p. 210. Table 15 Total Number of Each Type of Animal and Its Proportion of the Total "Animal Units"8 in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan, 1951 Okemos Full-Time Farmer Part-Time Farmer Percent Percent No. of A.U. No. of A.U. 367 37.2 26 20.8 124 55.0 10 27.2 Dairy Young Stock 336 12.6 35 10.3 110 18.3 4 4.1 127 12.9 34 27.1 20 8.9 12 32.7 55 2.1 - - - - 12 12.3 5515 5.6 755 o . to 220 1.0 245 6.7 Sows 136 4.6 - - 13 1.9 2 1.8 Pigs 994 15.1 68 8.1 137 9.1 7 2.9 Sheep 456 6.5 76 8.5 - - Lambs 387 to • CD Will jams ton___________ Full-Time Farmer Part-Time Farmer Percent Percent Animal__________ No. of A.U. No. of A.U. 61 3.4 - Dairy Cows Beef Beef Young Stock Chickens Others*3 Total - - - - 0.6 15.8 5.8 12.3 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 aAn "animal unit" is a method by which different kinds of animals are converted into a common denominator on a basis of the relative amounts of feed consumed by the different classes of livestock. One "animal unit" is roughly the equivalent of: one steer, one cow, one horse, or one mule; two heifers or two colts; four calves less than 12 months old; seven sheep; 14 lambs; three sows, five mature hogs, or 10 pigs of 100 pounds; 100 hens. See G. F. Warren, Farm Management. New York, Macmillan and Co., 1916, p. 210. ^This includes horses, goats, bulls, ducks, rabbits, etc. No number of animals is given because Of the wide varnet-.v nf* tvnoQ. Table 16 Percentage Distribution of Farms by "Animal Units"a in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan, 1951 Animal Units Tyne of Farm No. of Farms 0-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 9.1 4.5 40 and Above Total Percent 18.2 100.0 Williamston Full-Time Farm 44 34.1 34.1 Part-Time Farmb 25 84.0 16.0 Full-Time Farm 12 33.3 16.7 Part-Time Farm*3 12 91.7 8.3 - - - 100.0 Okemos 25.0 - ' 25.0 - - 100.0 100.00 aAn "animal unit" is a method by which different kinds of animals are converted into a common denominator on a basis of the relative amounts of feed consumed by the different classes of livestock. One "animal unit" is roughly the equivalent of: one steer, one cow, one horse, or one mule; two heifers or two colts; four calves less than 12 months old; seven sheep; 14 lambs; three sows, five mature hogs, or 10 pig; of 100 pounds; 100 hens. See G. F. Warren, Farm Management. New York, Macmillan and Co., 1.916, p. 210. v A significance of difference at the one percent level was found between full-time farmers and part-time farmers as to the number of "animal units" kept on their farms. the number of animal units kept on full-time farms and parttime farms for both areas. Usually, a positive relationship was observed between the size of the farm and the animal units on it. None of 90 the farms above 240 acres had less than 10 animal units, and the majority of them had over 40. Most of the farms under 80 acres had less than 10 animal units. When the part-time farmer group was broken down further, it was observed that 60 percent of those in the Williamston area and 75 percent of those in the Okemos area had less than five units on their farms. The rural residents in 1951 had a total of 29.3 animal units in the Williamston area and 10.2 units in the Okemos region. Chickens, pigs, horses, cows, and calves were the animals most often found. Three riding horses were kept by rural residents in each area. Six cows were reported in the Okemos area, but none in Williamston. A comparison of the two sample areas with Ingham County indicated that livestock numbers were larger for the farms in the Williamston area and smaller for those in the Okemos area in relation to Ingham County. Again, as was the case for crops grown, the comparison was made using different years, but it can be assumed that there would not be any great changes in the livestock practices of farmers in Ingham County as a whole from the 1950 census year to 1951. The average number of livestock found in the Williamston area was much higher when only full-time farms were used for comparison purposes, and was still slightly higher when 91 the part-time farms w e r e 'included. Therefore, it appears as though the suburban movement has not affected the total livestock program in the Williamston area to any great extent. The smaller number of livestock found in the Okemos area is a further indication that the suburban movement has brought about a reduction of livestock numbers in this area. A principal cause for this lower number is the greater amount of part-time farms, proportionately, in the Okemos area as compared to the Williamston region. Livestock products sold were similar to the average figures for Ingham County, also. The average number of pounds of milk sold per cow in 1949 in Ingham County was 8,070. Fifty percent of the farmers in the areas studied sold milk which ranged above 7,500 pounds per cow. The average number of eggs sold per hen was around 11 dozen in Ingham County. It was slightly lower than this in the sample areas. Livestock data on the farms in the two areas were examined for changes that took place in total numbers of animals and animal units between the two years of records. For the Williamston area, the change in animal units for both parttime and full-time farmers was very similar. Slightly over 40 percent had increased while about 25 percent had decreased this phase of their farm operations. Another 15 percent were 92 not able to furnish information for the first year for which data had been collected. Three part-time farmers indicated having no livestock in either year. A good explanation was not offered for the large number who had shown increases; yet, the better agricultural price situation in 1951 over 1950 may b e ,a determining factor. A slightly different situation was found in the Okemos area. One-half of the full-time farmers had less, and only one-sixth had more livestock in 1952 than they had in 1951. The part-time farmers showed, on the other hand, 33 percent with more animal units and eight percent with less. However, those with more units had only a small increase in numbers of animals. Slightly over 25 percent of the farmers had no livestock in either year. This was a decidedly larger number than was found for Williamston. A comparison of changes that took place in the total numbers of separate types of animals over the two years revealed a few major differences. Dairy numbers for part- time farmers in the Williamston area were down considerably and beef and chicken numbers were up. The biggest change for Williamston full-time farmers was a large increase in beef young stock. In the Okemos area, a decrease in pigs on the full-time farms and a decrease in beef animals on parttime farms provided the major changes. 93 Most Profitable Enterprise Every farmer was asked what enterprise h e most profitable for his farm. felt was the Some mentioned m o r e than one enterprise in answer to this question. In m o s t cases, t h e farmers were currently growing the crops they n a m e d as m o s t profitable. Wheat was mentioned by approximately 40 p e r c e n t of both full-time and part-time farmers. The liigh price that had prevailed for wheat in the past few y e a r s probably influenced this selection. Not much difference was f o u n d between the percentage of the two types of f a r m e r s in e i t h e r area who named wheat, but the percentage of f a r m e r s s tating this preference was slightly higher in Okemos -than in Williamston. Corn was the crop next in importance, b u t as many chose it as chose wheat. less than half A rotation 1 m general w i t h no specific crop mentioned was named by several of the f u l l ­ time farmers. The part-time farmers, in general, tended to stress corn and wheat a little more heavily t h a n did t h e full-time farmers. This suggests that a furtlier development of the suburban movement will find still more o f the p a r t - time farms devoted to the small grain and row crops. It was interesting to note that more f a r m e r s in t h e Williamston than in the Okemos area named l i v e s t o c k as t h e most profitable farming enterprise. Dairying w a s given b y 94 45 percent of the full-time farmers around Williamston, hogs by 18 percent, and chickens by 11 percent. were also mentioned. Beef and sheep Nearly 26 percent of the part-time farmers in this area also named dairying as the most profitable, but only a small number mentioned other livestock enterprises. In the Okemos area, on the other hand, only 13 percent of the full-time farmers mentioned dairying, which was the only livestock enterprise noted. Eight percent of the part- time farmers named beef, and again this was the only enter­ prise mentioned. From these, it appears that the Okemos farmers were not as oriented toward livestock production as were the Williamston farmers. They raised fewer livestock per farm and indicated livestock less often as the most profitable enterprise. In connection with the most profitable enterprise, approximately 75 percent of the full-time farmers felt that their major source of income came from livestock (Table 17). The crops they raised were fed through the livestock enter­ prises to bring in most of the farm income. On the other hand, the part-time farmers placed more emphasis on crops for their income from the farm. Many of the variances found between the two types of farmers in the areas studied relate to this difference in farming operations. 95 Table 17 Percentage Distribution of F a r m e r s A n s w e r s to Their Major Dependence for Income Between Crops and Livestock, Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan8- Tyne of Farmer No. of Farms Livestock Livestock and Crops Equally Important Crons Total Percent Williamston Full-Time Farmer 44 77.3 18.2 4.5 100.0 Part-Time Farmer 25 36.0 56.0 8.0 100.0 Full-Time Farmer 11 72.7 27.3 - 100.0 Part-Time Farmer 12 25.0 75.0 - 100.0 Okemos aData are for 1951 in the Williamston area and for 1952 in the Okemos area. The suburban movement has resulted in a considerable decrease in livestock numbers as evidenced by the situation found on part-time farms. Changes over the two years of records revealed a slight increase in numbers in the Williamston area but a decrease in the Okemos area. Although the comparison is for different years, livestock prices were higher in the second year for the Okemos area than they were for the second year in the Williamston region. This suggests still further 96 decreases in future years. The Williamston area will probably experience the same thing, but it will not happen until the suburban movement has included more of this area. There also was an indication of beef replacing some of the other livestock enterprises in these areas. Comparison to Ingham County The average number of acres operated per full-time farmer in the sample areas was higher than that operated by the average farmer in Ingham County. It averaged slightly over 160 acres in each of the two sample areas and 115 acres in Ingham County. On the other hand, part-time farmers operated an average of 60 acres per farm in the Williamston area and 36 acres per farm in the Okemos area. It should be pointed out, though, that the Ingham County figure included both full-time and part-time farmers. Therefore, since the part-time farmers usually operated smaller acreages and since they were included in the census computation of farm data, the difference between the size of farms operated by the full-time farmers in the sample areas and the full-time farmers in Ingham County was not as great as it appears. In comparing data on the townships of Williamston, Wheatfield, and Meridian for census years 1940, 1945, and 1950, it was observed that Meridian Township had shown the 97 greatest change in acreages in farm land and number of farms found. The number of farms reported in 1940 was 260, but in 1950 this had dropped to 144. Acres in farms, in the meantime, had dropped from 18,082 to 11,538. Some of this change can be attributed to the suburban movement, but some must also be charged to the large acreages of land which Michigan State College purchased in Meridian Township in this decade. The latter was not included in this study. Williamston Township showed a decrease in farms from 179 to 164 over this 10 year period. Its total acreage in farms, however, rose from 17,152 acres to 18,136 acres. No obvious reason can be offered to explain this increased acreage.4 Wheatfield Township had 130 farms in 1940 and 129 in 1950, but the total acreage reported in farms decreased from 18,568 to 16,841 acres. From the preceding figures, it is evident that the average acres per farm in these three townships had changed slightly over the ten year period. In Meridian Township, they had gone up from 70 to 80 acres. They had risen in Williamston Township to about 110 acres but had fallen from 143 to 130 acres per farm in Wheatfield Township. Cropland remained *A comparison of aerial photographic maps taken of Williamston Township in 1938 and again in 1950 did not reveal that much clearing of wooded areas had occurred. This suggests that the increased acreage has resulted from changed methods in collecting census data. 98 approximately the same except in Meridian Township. Here, it dropped over 35 percent in total acreage and nearly 33 percent in average acres per farm. Crop production changes between 1944 and 1949 occurred mainly in Meridian Township. All the major crops were raised on a smaller average acreage in this township. The other major change involved the harvesting of more corn and less wheat in both Wheatfield and Williamston Townships in 1949 as compared to that harvested in 1944. The added emphasis on wheat in 1944 was probably a major cause for this difference. A comparison of livestock numbers reveals nearly the same situation in Ingham County that was found for the sample areas. They have decreased in Williamston and Wheatfield Townships, but usually by only about 20 percent. However, in Meridian Township, they have decreased between 40 and 50 percent. These figures suggest that the sample regions selected in this study are similar to the surrounding areas. As was found in the Okemos area, Meridian Township was strongly affected by the suburban movement. Also, Wheatfield and Williamston Townships show some definite signs of being affected by this movement, much in the same way as did the Williamston sample area. 99 Farm Equipment Owned In general, most full-time farmers and a sizeable percentage of the part-time farmers owned the basic equipment which was necessary to operate their farms (Table 18). In addition, about one-half of the full-time farmers also owned a combine and. a corn planter. Usually, it was the farmers with the large acreages who owned the more specialized types of machinery. Several farmers in the two areas did not own a tractor. This included seven full-time farmers, three of whom operated their farms with horses and four older persons who leased out most of their farmland. In each area, there was also one part-time farmer who owned a garden tractor instead of a larger field tractor. Of the remaining part-time farmers who did not own a tractor, most operated only small acreages. They either hired their farming done or borrowed equipment to do it themselves. Census data for Ingham County showed that 78.2 percent of the farmers in that county had tractors in 1950, 28.8 percent had combines, 9.8 percent had corn pickers, and 6.6 percent had balers. This was fairly similar to the farms in the two areas studied if part-time and full-time farms are grouped together. However, the Williamston region had a slightly higher percentage of farmers who owned these types of equipment. 100 Table 18 Number of Farms Having Specified Farm Equipment in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan3, Eauioment Williamston Full-Time Part-Time Farmer Farmer Percent No. No. Percent Tractor 40 90.9 20 80.0 9 75.0 7 58.3 Plow 42 95.4 20 80.0 10 83.3 8 66.7 Harrow 41 93.2 17 68.0 9 75.0 7 58.3 Mower 41 93.2 15 60.0 9 75.0 8 66.7 Rake 40 90.9 16 64.0 9 75.0 4 33.3 Disk 38 86.4 16 64.0 10 83.3 7 58.3 Spreader 39 88.6 12 48.0 9 75.0 4 33.3 Combine 23 52.3 6 24.0 7 58.3 2 16.7 Corn Planter 26 59.1 5 20. 0 4 33.3 3 25.0 Corn . Picker 16 36.4 — - 2 16.7 1 8.3 Baler 12 27.3 1 4.0 2 16.7 1 8.3 8 18.2 1 4.0 1 8.3 - - Field Chopper Okemos Full-Time Part-Time Farmer Farmer No. Percent No. Percent aData are for 1951 in the Williamston area and for 1953 in the Okemos area. A relatively small percentage of rural residents had farm equipment in their possession. All-purpose field tractors were owned by 10 percent of the Williamston rural Table 19 Residents Who Had Specialized Farm Buildings on Their Place in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigana Williamston_________ Full-Time Part-Time Rural Farmer______ Farmer Resident Building______ No. Percent Mo. Percent No, Percent Okemos Full-Time Part-Time Rural Farmer______ Farmer Resident Ho. Percent No. Percent Ho. Percent Barn 43 97.7 21 84.0 12 14.1 12 100.0 11 91.7 9 19.6 Tool Shed 28 63.6 13 52.0 9 10.6 .7 58.3 5 41.7 9 19.6 Chicken House 37 84.1 19 76.0 19 22.4 9 75.0 8 66.7 13 28.3 Hog House 23 52.3 5 20.0 2 2.4 4 33.3 - Granary 39 88.6 15 60.0 6 7.1 9 75.0 10 83.3 3 6.5 Corn Crib 33 75.0 11 44.0 4 4.7 8 66.7 5 41.7 2 4.3 - - - Data are for 1951 in the Williamston area and for 1958 in the Okemos area. 108 101 residents and by 17 percent of those in the Okemos area. In addition, 17 and 22 percent, respectively, owned garden tractors. Most of these residents also had a plow and harrow to go with their tractor. specialized machinery. Only a very few owned the more Almost twice as many rural residents in the Okemos area owned the more general types of equipment. This may be explained by the generally larger acreages owned by those living around Okemos. The machinery was not always owned with economic motives in mind. However, it did help ease the gardening and small farming operations undertaken, since most residents having power equipment maintained a large garden. Also, some kept machinery because of their interest in mechanical things. Buildings Major barnyard buildings were found on most farms in the sample areas (Table 19). A few of the larger farms had two buildings of the more common types. Those rural residents owning farm buildings were usually living on the homestead of a farm that had been split for suburban purposes. A chicken house was the farm building most often constructed by a rural resident if no buildings were located on M s acreage. 103 Part-time farmers generally owned about as many buildings as the full-time farmers. However, they were usually smaller and very often were not used as efficiently. The smaller number of livestock kept by these farmers was a major factor in such situations. On one-half of those farms under 200 acres which had a granary, it was combined with the barn. However, on all those farms over 200 acres having one, it was separate. Hog houses were also more frequently found on the larger farms. This was also true for other buildings which were not commonly found on all farms. With the exception of 20 percent of the barns in the Okemos area, very few buildings were idle on farms operated by full-time farmers. A few more of the buildings owned by part-time farmers, percentage-wise, were idle. The barn was the building most often idle, with 33 percent of them idle in the Okemos area. Also, only a small percentage of the rural residents indicated they had idle buildings; however, they had very few buildings comparatively. The total number of buildings not in use in both areas was 19 barns, 6 tool sheds, 20 chicken houses, 6 granaries, and 8 corn cribs. It appeared, then, that up to the time this survey was made, the suburban movement had not caused many buildings to go idle. Some of those in use, on the other hand, were not being utilized to their fullest exterrfc . No indication of the number of farm buildings that had b e e n torn down in those areas where rural residents had settled, was obtained. Undoubtedly, as this suburban movement c o n s u m e s more farms, there will be more buildings destroyed and m a d e idle. Nearly 75 percent of all buildings were considered t o be in either good or fair condition. Most idle buildings, however, were found to be in either fair or poor condition. This partly explains why they were idle. Others had det e r i ­ orated a great deal because they were idle and had not r e c e i v e d any special upkeep. Farm Program Changes The farmers were asked what farm program changes they had made over the past five years. Their answers were cheelsied with the cropping and livestock programs they followed. Of* the full-time farmers, 80 percent indicated that there had been no change in their cropping program. They were con­ tinuing a general farm cropping system of the type followed, in Ingham County and the southern counties of Michigan. "Into more cash crops" was the reply given by most of the remaining full-time farmers. 105 A smaller percentage of part-time farmers reported that they had not changed their cropping program. This group amounted to 60 percent of the total, one-half of which followed a general rotation system while the other half was divided between those who followed a two crop and those who followed a one crop system of farming. Approxi­ mately 25 percent of the part-time farmers had been in farming only a very few years, and thus were unable to indicate any change in their practices. Three part-time farmers did state they had moved more into cash crops. From these replies, it did not appear that a large change in cropping practices had taken place. There was an indication of a movement toward cash crops, particularly by the part-time farmers. Hov^ever, the high farm prices that prevailed for cash crops probably had some effect on this situation. The suburban movement was also a factor as was evidenced by the many part-time farms that were located in the areas studied. This generally agrees with the data presented in an earlier section of this chapter. Changes in the livestock program also were indicated, but the Williamston and Okemos areas were not as similar in their responses to this phase of their farm operations. The same livestock plan had been followed by 68 percent of the Williamston full-time farmers, but only 33 percent of this 106 group from Okemos had not altered their program. The remain­ ing percentage in each area was divided about equally between those with more livestock than they previously had and those with less livestock. Only about 50 percent of the part-time farmers in each area were following the same livestock operations, often including very small numbers of livestock. cent were relatively new to their farms. Another 25 per­ Most of the remainder were moving out of livestock; however, two indicated they were going into more beef production. These intentions bear out the livestock data presented earlier in this chapter. There was a tendency for a movement toward less livestock by some farmers, and there was an indication of a few going more heavily into beef production. During several of the interviews with the farmers, comments were made stating that they felt there was a difference between the manner in which the full-time farmers and part-time farmers conserved their land. They thought that the former were more interested in conservation than the latter. Others commented on the fewer numbers of live­ stock on farms and the ’’mining of soil" that seemed to be taking place. One farmer observed: "A lot are farming awfully hard. They feel they have to. The area will some­ day be platted and they are taking all they can get off it, now." 107 From the observations of many of the rural residents on the condition of the soil on their places, it would appear very likely that this situation was actually taking place on those farms where it was certain that platting or subdivision would take place within a few years. On the other hand, the comment was heard that this movement was not changing the farmers1 decisions toward conservation. This was the opinion of most farmers when they were specifically asked the question, "What effect has the suburban movement had on the conservation of land by farmers in this area?" The explanation for this apparently contradictory information may be that the movement does not affect the conservation habits of a farmer until he is sure that he is going to subdivide. In the case of the farmers interviewed, not many had reached this decision. In connection with this last subject, the farmers' views on how land was being used by the other farmers in the area were asked. In the Williamston region, 75 percent either had no opinion or considered that there was no change because of the suburban movement. The remaining percentage was fairly evenly divided between comments on better practices and poorer practices being followed. The Okemos area farmers considered the situation in a slightly different light. Nearly 35 per­ cent of them felt that poorer farming was being done by their neighbors. The majority of those who gave this opinion were full-time farmers. A Williamston farmer living on U. S. Highway 16 commented on this apparent change in farming practices as follows: In the last 10 years within a mile and one-half, there have been 10 herds of cattle disbanded on 10 farms of which I know. You might say that no livestock is being kept around here. Land is going downhill because of small farms and no livestock. There were others who mentioned the fewer cows and hogs on farms in their surrounding area. Several mentioned that more corn and wheat were being grown because of the higher prices received for them in the recent years preceding this study. It was interesting to note the higher percentage of Okemos farmers who felt that farming practices were not as good in their area as compared to the smaller percentage from Williamston. This is probably a further indication of the suburban movement, since the Okemos region has been more enveloped by this movement than has the Williamston area. Plans for Future Use In addition to land use changes that resulted over the five years preceding the study, the farmers and residents were asked to comment on any plans they had for the future use of their land. Many individuals felt it would remain the same but there were also some different uses suggested. The future plans of the part-time farmers in both areas were very similar; however, some differences were noted for 109 the full-time farmers. Two-thirds of the full-time farmers around Williamston and only one-third around Okemos planned to follow the same program of land use. All of these farmers were using a rotation system on their farm. Subdivision or sale of the farm was suggested by nine percent from ’Williamston and 25 percent from Okemos. A few farmers mentioned that if some one would offer them the "right" price, they might be willing to sell. "Into more crop land" was the answer given by about 15 percent of the farmers in each area. Two full­ time farmers from Okemos, representing 17 percent of the total, planned to rent their land in the future. One Williamston farmer, who had already subdivided part of his farm, indicated that he would grow cash crops for two more years and then complete the subdivision of his place. All of these last mentioned cases suggest that the suburban movement has directly affected their future plans. The larger percentage in the Okemos area further indicates that this area is more under the influence of the suburban move­ ment than is the Williamston area. Forty percent of the part-time farmers from both areas said they would continue the present use of their land. One-half of these were growing only one crop a year on their farm, usually a cash crop. rotation system. The other half was following a A livestock enterprise was the preference 110 of nearly 25 percent of this group, with beef being mentioned by all but one farmer. They felt beef, with the smaller amount of work involved, was the more sensible enterprise when, farming was a secondary job. More crops were suggested by approximately 20 percent of the part-time farmers. Cash crops, then, were the plan of the majority of this group for the future use of their land. Since most of these farmers are recent products of the suburban movement, it would not be expected that they would be planning further subdivision of their land. It should be noted that a large number of them are planning cash crops or a beef enterprise for future years. Rural residents usually did not have very big plans for the use of their land. The plans of the majority were limited to gardens and small fruit. Three residents from each area, representing five percent of the total, indicated they would probably sell or subdivide. In addition to increased land values, some of the decisions to subdivide a farm or to sell it as a unit had probably been influenced by the many inquiries of passing motorists and real estate agents as to whether the place was for sale. Most farmers felt that more pressure was placed on them to sell than was the case in earlier years. One, who lived on U. S. Highway 16, stated that about once Ill a week someone came along offering to buy his land. However, he said most inquiries about land did not concern agricultural purposes. Several mentioned that if you let it be known even casually that you were thinking of selling part or all of your farm, you would get considerable interest in it from outsiders. Real estate agents had been very active in trying to get listings on farms and building acreages, with the latter most in demand. The reaction of the rural residents toward what the optimum use of the land around them should be was obtained during the course of the interview. The responses were fairly evenly divided between having the land withheld for farming and having it go into building acreages. It appeared that many of those who felt the land should remain in agri­ cultural production considered themselves special cases. The land they took out of production was all right, but they thought it should not be subdivided further. The general feeling was that the areas closest to East Lansing, Okemos, and Williamston as well as along U. S. Highway 16 would eventually be broken into building acreages, but those areas further back would probably remain in agricultural use for many years to come. Several residents mentioned subdivisions which had been only partially sold. Some direction in selling the unsold 112 lots before further splitting of acreages took place was suggested by these residents as a possible approach to this problem. Another problem they pointed out was that the front lots were the first part of the farm to be sold, and the back acres either remained idle or only partially farmed for many years. They were aware that getting roads into the back of a farm can be an expensive process. At this point in the course of the interview, many were quick to point out that the personal choice of the rural resident desiring to move out, as well as the farmers wanting to sell, would determine the direction and the extent of the suburban movement• An observation which appeared to be significant was offered by an Okemos resident. He reasoned that in an area where the suburban movement had started, the poorer soil would attract the poorer type of housing because the farmers who owned good soil would not be tempted to sell “at the drop of a hat." Some blighted areas along roadsides tend to bear out this observation. The poorer soil is not as high priced as the good soil and will be the first the farmer will want to sell because of its lower productive capacity. It will also be the first the individual interested in cheap land on which to live will want to buy. The high rate of taxes in the suburban area was offered by many residents as a reason why, in future years, many 113 farmers in the areas studied would go out of farming. They felt the tax expense was so high for the farmers that they could not afford to farm. sell. The best way out, then, was to High land values which eventually would mean high assessed values were also mentioned as a factor making the land too valuable to farm. Summary The agricultural use of the land in the Williamston and Okemos areas has been presented in this chapter. Some of the more major items have been compared with the use of land in Ingham County, in which both areas were found. The final part of the chapter was devoted to changes in land use that have taken place and these proposed for the future. The largest change, in addition to the suburban movement itself, was the trend away from livestock by the farmers. Considerable land has gone into residential use, and, thus, for the most part, out of agricultural production. This is generally regarded as a higher use for the land. Of that land in the control of rural residents, 35 percent had been leased out and was still in production. Another six percent was in cropland maintained by the rural residents. By subtracting land in gardens, leased out, and in cropland, about 1,200 acres still remained out of production of the 114 2,273 owned by rural residents. Some of this, it must be remembered, was in houses and yards. Adding to this 1,200 acres another 533 acres of idle land on part-time and full­ time farms and 270 acres of unsurveyed idle land, there was a total of 2,033 acres in the two areas not in agricultural production. This was the equivalent of nearly 13 farms of 160 acres each, or 17 percent of the total area studied. This chapter also presented figures for the buildings and equipment located in the areas. Those which were idle or only partially used could be assumed to equip fairly adequately the hypothetical 13 farms mentioned above. It can then be said that up to the time of the study, the effect of the suburban movement has been to take out of agricultural production an acreage equal to thirteen 160 acre farms, including buildings and equipment, from a total acreage surveyed of 12,000 acres. The suburban movement cannot be stopped under normal conditions; therefore, should the time come when the agri­ cultural land in a developing fringe area is necessary for agricultural production purposes, one goal should be to find a way to direct the suburban trend to the least productive soils. However, if this time should come, the productive agricultural lands may be of a high enough use that they can compete more favorably with some of the residential uses. 115 More will be said regarding a possible solution to the land use problems created by the suburban movement in the final chapter of this thesis. A Williamston rural resident expressed the situation as it existed in 1951 very well. His statement was: am not worried about farms going out of production. “I Techno­ logical advancements are taking care of this loss of production even when considering the increased population of the country." The question is, how long will this situation remain? The year may come when further loss of cropland will be very serious. Chapter IV FROPERTY DEVELOPMENT AND VALUE The movement of population into the sample areas was briefly described in Chapter II. This chapter will present a description of the type of housing found in the sample areas, and the values placed upon the houses by their occupants. Land and tax values in the areas also will be discussed. The purpose will be to show as much as possible the effect the suburban movement has had upon the different types of property and house values as well as upon the tax conditions within the region studied. Type of Housing The houses observed were classified into the following seven categories according to their general style of archi­ tecture:^ 1) bungalow, Cape Cod and English cottage; 2) ranch; 3) contemporary; 4) traditional farm; 5) one-story farm; 6) garage, basement, or shack; and 7) miscellaneous. Bungalow, Cape Cod, and English cottage houses were grouped together 1 The classification used is somewhat arbitrary and may not be acceptable to some architects, but it seemed workable for the purposes of this thesis. 117 because they generally fell within the same limits of size and value, and this simplified the analysis. Separating these three types would have made the number of cases in each cell too small to be of value. Ranch style houses included those one-story western type houses with an extensive floor plan. Included in the contemporary type of house were those homes of recent con­ struction which did not follow any traditional style. Many homes of the owners' own design fell into this category. The traditional farm classification refers to one and onehalf and two story frame and brick farm houses. Usually the houses in the one-story farm category were of more recent construction than those of the traditional farm group. This group included, among others, the tenant type of house. The garage, basement, and shack type of homes are self-explanatory. The occupants of these houses, in most cases, were either in the process of building another home or were planning to start construction of one soon. The miscellaneous group consisted of all those houses which could not be classified in the other six categories, namely, colonial, modern, and French Provincial. The number of homes in each category is presented in Table 20. Most of the full-time and a majority of the part-time farmers were housed in farm style homes. The homes of the Table 20 Percentage Distribution of Houses by Style in Williamston and Qkemos Areas, Michigan8, Type of Resident Style of House Bungalow Garage Cape Cod Traditional One-story Basement Miscel-. No. of English Total Farm Farm Shack laneous0 Percent Houses Cottage Ranch Contemporary Williamston Full-Time Farmer 44 6.8 Part-Time Farmer 25 20.0 4.0 Rural Resident 83 14.5 8.4 — 61.4 31.8 - 16.0 48.0 8.0 - 4. 0 100.0 30.1 16.9 12.1 8.4 9.6 100.0 - - 100.0 Okemos Full-Time Farmer 11 Part-Time Farmer 12 33.4 Rural Resident 46 37.0 — - — 81.8 18.2 - - 100.0 - - 50.0 8.3 - 8.3 100.0 19.6 8.7 6.5 100.0 6.5 8.7 13.0 0 Data are for 1951 in the Williamston area and for 1952 in the Qkemos area. ^Includes colonial, modern, and French provincial types of houses. 119 rural residents included the greatest variety of styles. Nearly 50 percent of this group resided either in the bungalow, Cape Cod, and English cottage group, or in a contemporary type of house. Farm styles accounted for the style of home of the majority of the remaining rural residents. None of the part-time and full-time farmers lived in a garage, basement, or shack since they usually moved onto land on which permanent housing was available. A comparison of the construction of the houses did not show any significant relationships between the different styles. Frame construction was found as the principal method used in all types. Brick homes accounted for about eleven percent and cinder block construction for approximately eight percent of the cases. The age of the houses was presented in Figures 1 and 2 in Chapter II. A classification of these figures would show that over 60 percent of all the houses of the part-time and full-time farmers were over 50 years old. On the other hand, the same percentage of rural resident houses had been built less than 20 years. Most of those in the Williamston area were under 10 years of age. From these percentages and from the age distribution of the various styles of homes, it is apparent that nearly all houses over 30 years old were of traditional and one-story farm styles. The more recently 120 constructed houses were more varied in style. All houses of cinder block construction were among the newer homes, principally because of the recent interest in this type of building material. The condition of the majority of all houses was con­ sidered to be either good or fair. However, a larger percentage of the rural resident houses were found to be in better condition than those occupied by the farm population. The newer homes owned by the rural residents largely explains this difference. The median sized house, which also was most often the modal size, was eight rooms for full-time farmers, seven rooms for part-time farmers, and six rooms for rural residents. The smaller urban families moving into the suburban area and the emphasis on smaller houses in the recent decade have brought about this decrease in the number of rooms. The farm styled houses, which usually were the largest, were rarely under five rooms in size. An inventory was made of modern household facilities found in the homes included in the study (Table 21). A majority of all homes had running water, a bath, and an inside toilet. the houses. Electricity was found in all but two of Usually it was the older houses that lacked a bath and toilet. Their owners had brought water into the house, but had not provided the other conveniences. 121 Table 21 Percentage of Homes Having Specified Facilities in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan8, Facilities TvDe of Resident No. of Cases Water Electricity Bath Inside Toilet Williamston Full-Time Farmer 44 97.7 100.0 70.5 68.2 Part-Time Farmer 25 100.0 100.0 92.0 88.0 Rural Resident 83 91.6 98.8 71.1 71.1 Full-Time Farmer 11 72.7 100.0 63.6 63.6 Part-Time Farmer 12 100.0 100.0 83.3 83.3 Rural Resident 46 84.8 97.8 73.9 73.9 Okemos aData are for 1951 in the Williamston area and for 1952 in the Okemos area. Full-time and part-time farmers were found to have garages more often than did the rural residents. Less than 50 percent of the latter and over 60 percent of the former had a shelter for their automobile. The condition of the garage was usually very similar to that of the house to which it corresponded. 122 Value of House All persons interviewed were asked to place both a possible sale and rental value on their house. For purposes of comparison at a later date, they were told to assume that a large sized lot was included with the house. The aim of this question was to discover if there were any effects of the suburban movement on house values. Sale Value Only about three area gave an estimate out of every five persons in the sample of the sale value of their house. Of those who gave a figure, approximately 60 percent considered their homes to be worth less than $10,000. One-half of the remaining number valued their house -between $10,000 and $14,999 (Table 22). A classification of the sale value by the style of house showed the types of homes to vary in several instances. The ranch type and those in the miscellaneous category were almost all valued above $15,000. and of very good construction. These were newer homes Approximately 70 percent of the farm type houses were given a possible sale price of under $10,000, and about one-quarter of these were valued under $5,000. The shack and basement type homes were all valued under $5,000. About half of the remaining styles Table 22 Percentage Distribution of the Residents1 Estimate of the Sale Value of Their Homes in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan8No. of Homes With Value Estimates 0 to 4.999 Value> of Homei in Dollars 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 to to to to 9.999 14.999 19.999 24.999 Full-Time Farmer 27 14.8 51.9 Part-Time Farmer 18 16.7 55.6 Rural Resident 45 24.4 11.1 Full-Time Farmer 5 20.0 Part-Time Farmer 7 29 Type of Resident 25,000 and Above Total Percent 3.7 3.7 100.0 11.1 5.5 11.1 100. 0 15.6 31.1 8.9 8.9 100.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 14.4 42.8 42.8 20.7 41.4 13.8 Williamston 25.9 - - Okemos Rural Resident - 6.9 3.4 - 100.0 - 100.0 13.8 aData are for 1951 in the Williamston area and for 1952 in the Okemos area. 100.0 124 were given a sale value of between $5,000 and $14,999, and another 40 percent of them between $15,000 and $24,999. The value of the house was also classified according to the distance the house was from U. S. Highway 16 and from the city of Williamston or the village of Okemos. It had been observed that suburban developments usually followed or were closely associated with such factors. Thus, it was wondered whether the distance from the highway or city would have any effect upon the value of a house. A slightly larger number of homes of higher value were within a mile of the . highway or town than were those found in the second or third mile distant. The same relationship was observed between those in the second mile as compared to those three and four miles away. Most of these differences can be attributed to the larger number of rural residents who have built their new homes relatively close to the highway, to Williamston, or to Okemos. By taking an individual style of house, contemporary for example, the same relationship mentioned above was observed to a limited extent. This would suggest that those interested in building more expensive houses usually settled closer to the main highway or to a center of population. However, some of this difference may be attributed to the proximity to suburban developments and urban activities. 125 The farm styled houses did not bear out this relationship. This would suggest either that the suburban movement did not affect the value of the houses which were built before the development began, or that it had affected all the values to approximately the same degree. A relationship also was observed between the value of a house and its age, condition, and facilities available. The many new rural resident homes valued above $15,000 made these relationships evident. Nearly 60 percent of the houses under 10 years of age fell into this range of values, while almost all of those over 15 years were under it. Seventy- five percent of those rated in excellent condition, 15 per­ cent of those rated good, eight percent of those rated fair, and none of those rated poor were valued at over $15,000. When considering the facilities available, 55 percent of those houses with electricity, running water, a bath, and an inside toilet were valued above $10,000, and practically none were given this valuation if the house did not have an inside toilet and bath. Many residents were of the opinion that the new homes being constructed, especially those that were valued above $15,000, were increasing the value of the other homes surrounding them. The method used in this study did not make it possible to verify this observation, but there was 126 some evidence to support it. Also, it was observed that houses of approximately the same value often were built in the same neighborhood. Rental Value The residents were not as familiar with rental values as they were with sale values for houses in rural areas, but about the same percentage who gave sale estimates also gave what they considered would be the rental rates for their houses. Figures on an actual rent paid were not obtained in all cases, but when given, they were the same as the occupants' estimates of the rental value of their homes. Also, where a house was being rented within a certain locality, this appeared to influence the rental estimates of many of the other residents who lived nearby. Several mentioned they had very little on which to base their answer, but they thought their house would rent for "about the same as (or x amount more than) the rented house down the road." Over 50 percent of the houses were estimated to rent between $40 and $79 per month (Table 23). A higher percentage of rural resident houses than farm houses were estimated to rent above $80 per month. This difference can be traced to the more recently constructed houses in which most of the rural residents lived. Table 23 Percentage Distribution of the Residents* Estimate of the Rental Value of Their Homes in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan8Rental Value in Dollars Tyne of Resident No. of Homes 0-19 20-39 40-59 60-79 80-99 3.6 17.9 53.5 17.9 20. 0 53.3 26.7 17.0 27.7 19.1 25.0 25.0 50.0 16.7 100-119 120 and Above Total Percent Williamston Full-Time Farmer 28 Part-Time Farmer 15 Rural Resident 47 4.3 7.1 - 10.6 - 12.8 100.0 - 100.0 8.5 100.0 Okemos Full-Time Farmer 4 Part-Time Farmer 6 16.7 16.7 49.9 26 23.1 34.6 19.2 Rural Resident 11.5 7.7 100.0 - 100.0 3.9 100. 0 aData are for 1951 in the Williamston area and for 1952 in the Okemos area. 127 138 Again, as was observed for sale values, a relationship was found between the estimated rental value of the houses and their location, their age, their condition, and the facilities fouhd in them. Rental values were also influenced by the many new and modern styled homes that were in the areas. Nearly 30 percent of those houses either within a mile of U. S. Highway 16 or the nearby city of Williamston or village of Okemos were given a rental value of over $80 per month. In the Williamston area, only a few of the houses located from one to two miles away from either U. S. 16 or Williamston and none beyond two miles distant were estimated to rent as high as $80 per month. However, approximately 35 percent of the houses in the Okemos region located more than a mile from the village or from the highway were given rental values of over $80 per month. The proximity of this area to Lansing may be the explanation for the larger per­ centage of houses with a higher estimated rent. In most cases, houses in a zone more than two miles from urban influence or the highway were given rental values of under $60 per month. Most houses less than 15 years old were estimated by their occupants to rent for over $60 per month. Those less than 10 years old usually rented for over $80 per month. The older houses, or those over 50 years of age, were 129 estimated at a lower rental value, usually under $60 per month. Generally, the older houses near Okemos were given higher rental values than were those near Williamston. No great difference was noted in the estimated rental values for houses judged either in excellent or in good condition. Approximately 30 percent of these were given rental rates of above $80 per month. However, 85 percent of the homes judged fair or poor were given a rental value of less than $60 per month. Only one home of this group in the Williamston area, representing three percent of the total, was given a rental value over $60 per month. However, in the Okemos area, 33 percent of the houses classified as in fair or poor condition were estimated to rent for over $60 per month. All hut seven percent of the houses without an inside toilet or bath were estimated to rent for less than $60 per month, while nearly 26 percent of the houses with these facilities as well as running water and electricity were estimated to rent for over $80 per month. The Okemos and Williamston areas were very similar in their percentage distribution of houses with these facilities. It may be seen that there was a tendency to estimate a higher rental value for a house in the Okemos area than for one of comparable value in the Williamston area. As 130 suggested earlier, the difference in distance from Lansing may be a primary cause for this discrepancy. Value of Land All individuals were asked to estimate what they con­ sidered to be the value of their land for farming purposes, building acreages, and residential sites. The value per acre was desired for the question on building acreages since most farmers who had sold acreages had sold them in at least one acre plots. Thus, a valuation for a smaller unit than an acre was deemed unnecessary. For residential site values, the individual was asked to give the estimated price of his place if he were to sell it to someone who wanted it solely for residential purposes. Three large acreages of this type were found in the two areas studied. Farm Value Except in a very few instances, rural residents did not own land that could be classified as farm land, so almost all the replies concerning the farm value of the land came from part-time and full-time farmers. these estimated a farm valuation. However, not all of Most land for farming was given a value between $100 and $249 per acre (Table 24). A small difference was noted between the responses of the 131 Table 24 Percentage Distribution of the Farmers' Estimate of the Per Acre Value of Their Farms for Agricultural Purposes, in Williamston and Oekmos Areas, Michigana Value in Dollars 150 200 250 300 to to to to 249 299 349 .199 Ho. of Farms 100 to 149 Full-Time Farmer 32 25.0 28.1 31.2 Part-Time Farmer 17 17.6 17.6 35.3 Full-Time Farmer 7 28.6 42.8 14.3 Part-Time Farmer 8 50.0 12.5 12.5 Type of Resident 350 and Above Total Percent 9.4 6.3 100.0 5.9 11.8 100.0 14.3 100.0 12.5 100.0 Williamston 11.8 Okemos 12.5 - aData are for 1951 in the Williamston area and for 1952 in the Okemos area. part-time and full-time farmers. On the average, the part- time farmers valued their land about 20 percent higher than did the full-time farmers. However, when tested, this difference did not prove significant. A slight difference was also noted between the farm values in the Williamston and Okemos areas. However, the lower value placed upon a higher percentage of the Okemos farms may be due to the greater amount of poor soil found in this area. In general, land of equal productivity has a higher value the closer it is to a center of population. A comparison of the estimated farm value with the size of the farm revealed a tendency for the operators of the smaller sized farms to consider their land worth slightly more per acre than those who operated larger acreages. difference was not significant, however. This In general, smaller farms tend to be valued higher than larger farms within a particular area, and this region is probably no exception. Also, the operators of the small farms may have let the value of their houses influence their estimates, for on a small farm the house represents a much larger percentage of the total investment than it does on a large farm. In both areas the location of the farm had no noticeable effect on the estimated agricultural value placed upon the land by its operator. The average value per acre for farm land, Including buildings, as reported in the 1950 Census for Ingham County was $113. This figure is nearly $100 lower than the average figure for the sample areas. The suburban movement has undoubtedly been a determining factor for this difference in value. Another factor is the time difference in data. The Michigan index of land values was up 10 to 20 percent in 1951-1952 over the index for 1949. Also, the farmers have probably allowed the larger prices being received for 133 building acreages to influence the estimated value of their land for farming purposes. A fourth factor may be the tendency for farmers to undervalue their farms for census purposes. Building Acreage Value A wide range of answers was received in connection with the estimated values of land for building acreage purposes (Table 25). The part-time farmers and rural residents generally gave a higher value than the full-time farmers. Many of the former had had fairly recent experiences in buying land in the two areas and knew what the selling price of a small acreage was. Many of the full-time farmers, on the other hand, were not cognizant of such land values. Also, they were not accustomed to having farm land, which many of them still considered as the best and only use of their farm, sell for as high a price as did many of the small acreages. Fifty percent of the full-time farmers gave estimated values of between $200 and $399 per acre, whereas over half of the part-time farmers and rural residents gave a figure of at least $600 per acre. A classification of the estimates for building acreage values by their location revealed that 50 percent of those within a mile of either U. S. Highway 16 or one of the towns were valued at $600 or more. Less than 25 percent of those 134 Table 25 Percentage Distribution of the Residents' Estimate of the Per Acre Value of Their Farms and Residences for Building Acreages in Williamston and Okemos Areas, Michigan3, Type of Resident 100 No. of to Farms 199 200 to 299 Value in Dollars 300 400 500 600 700 to to to to and Total 399 499 599 699 Above Percent Williamston Full-Time Farmer 23 Part-Time Farmer 12 8.3 8.3 8.3 Rural Resident 20 - 5.0 47.8 8.7 100.0 8.3 50. 0 100.0 5.0 15.0 20.0 10.0 45.0 100.0 8.7 17.4 17.4 8.3 8.3 Okemos Full-Time Farmer 4 ' Part-Time Farmer 4 Rural Resident 23 25.0 25.0 - - - - 25.0 50.0 25.0 4.3 26.1 100.0 25.0 25.0 - 4.3 13.1 - 52.2 100.0 100.0 aData are for 1951 in the Williamston area and for 1952 in the Okemos area. further away from these points were estimated to be worth this much. A review of the actual sales figures for building acreages, as provided by the residents in the areas, showed that since 1945, per acre prices approximately had doubled. This held true when these figures were further broken down by a consideration of the location of the acreages in the two areas. Figures 4 and 5, which show the building acreage values as estimated by those interviewed around Williamston and Okemos, give a pictorial account of the discussion contained in this section. Those figures given in red represent full­ time farmers; those in blue, part-time farmers; and those in black, rural residents. It should be pointed out again that not all persons interviewed gave an estimate on building acreage values. Therefore, the figures shown do not represent the total number contacted. An examination of Figure 4 shows that rural residents and part-time farmers, in particular, placed a much higher value on those building acreages found either on or north of U. S. Highway 16 than were found for the other parts of this area. This coincided with the location of the largest percentage of rural residents who had settled in the Williamsto area. The lowest values were found in the southwest corner of the area, which is the farthest distant from the highway and is the part inhabited by the largest percentage of full­ time farmers. From this it may be seen that the location of the highway, especially this far from Lansing had an effect on the value of building acreages. /OPO *fco S~PO &Tt> *?£>£> /boo VbQ H " = Approximately 1 Mile R e d = Full-Time Farmer Blue = Part-Time Farmer Black = Rural Resident CITY OF WILLIAMSTON J 0fr Figure 4 Per Acre Value for Building Acreages as Estimated by the Occupants Living in the Willia-niston Area, Michigan, 1951* 137 2£ "= Approximately 1 Mile Red - Full-Time Farmer Blue = Part-Time Farmer Black = Rural Resident VILLAGE OF OKEMOS U.S. #16 c>oo {ii>& *joo Figure 5 Per Acre Value for Building Acreages as Estimated by the Occupants Living in the Okemos Area, Michigan, 1952. Figure 5 does not bring out the differences in building acreage values in the Okemos area that were observed for the Williamston area. The closer location to Lansing was probably a factor for this more uniform appearance of value estimates. Several residents mentioned that there would be a difference between the value of a lot on the front and one on the back of a farm. For example, a farmer near the city of Williamston on U. S. Highway 16, who was just starting to break up his farm into building acreages, was asking between $500 and $600 per acre for frontage acres and between $350 and $400 for those further back on his farm. The front lots usually were considered the most desirable, and thus were given the higher value. Two examples may be cited of prices actually received for acreages sold in recent years. One such acreage was in the Williamston area, where the first lot sold for $S75 in 1947. The lots sold in 1951 went for $475. size in both cases was about one-half acre. The average The second example occurred in the Okemos area, where building sites sold for an average of $1,300 per acre. These were improved lots, usually one acre in size. The experience of one rural resident, however, suggested that not all farmers are willing to sell some of their land. 139 This man offered $1,500 per acre for some choice lots on some of the farms around Williamston and was unahle to find a seller. However, he was looking for a particular type of setting and not every farmer was contacted. The suburban movement caused another type of problem for an Okemos farmer. This farmer was thinking of quitting farming and had sold all of his livestock, but was uncertain about the process of subdividing. He noticed how some subdivisions sell fast and how others move very slowly. Before getting all of his farm tied up in such an adventure, he wants to know that he will realize a good return on his investment. but did not. He once had a chance to sell part of an acre He claimed that if one sells a few small pieces of a farm in such a fashion, the assessed valuation will go up and an odd shaped farm will result. In line with this last farmer's remark on the differences in the way sub­ divisions sell, a comment was made by a rural resident from Williamston. He said, for subdivisions." "It needs more than land to sell land A type of promotional activity is important also. Residential Value A large majority of rural residents stated that the per acre residential value of their place was over $800. This high valuation resulted from the small acreages owned by 140 most of them. Those who did not value their land for residential purposes this high were usually the ones with larger acreages. The part-time and full-time farmers gave a residential value that was generally under $400. Here the larger acreages operated account for the lower valuation per acre. A sorting of the estimated residential value by the location of the residence did not show anything significant in the Okemos area. However, a smaller percentage of places over two miles from either the highway or the city of Williamston were in the range of values over $800 than was true for those within the two mile zone. The large percentage of farms in the former zone accounted for most of this difference. The total estimated residential value of each farm and residence is indicated for the two areas in Figure 6 and 7. Although every occupant did not reply, there are enough figures to give a picture of these values. The majority of the rural residents from Williamston lived on property which they valued between $15,000 and $25,000. Those around Okemos usually gave a lower value; although a much wider range in valuations was found in this area. Part-time farmers valued their places for this purpose at about the same amount as rural residents. On the other hand, full-time 141 r /y 2 2 /s' J a /s’ j /g- 2S* /s' o o 1* = Approximately -1 Mile 30 Red. =f Full-Time Farmer B l u e = Part-Time Farmer B l a c k = Rural Resident ■2? V //?■ SSL U.S. #16 CITY OF WILLIAMSTON . Sale value of house__________ 16. Rental value of house______________ ___ 17. Comments; . ___ . We want your reaction to some of the more important suburbanization problems. What effect do you feel the suburbanization movement has on the following, or the need for the following? , 1. Community life___________________________ : ___________ 2. Land values. 3. Taxes on land. h- Demand for public services by suburbanites moving into areg. . ___ _ £. Tenancy and leasing‘of farms__ 6 . Need for zoning of land or building restrictions. 7. Conservation of land by farmers in the area 8 . Problem of weed infestation 9- Pressure to sell your farm. 10. Use of land by other farmers in area. 11. Of those neighbors recently selling, what do you feel was their reason for _____ selling?_________ ; : _________________________________ _ 12. If you are influenced by similar forces, why haven't you sold’ 13. Comments 815 - 7. To be filled in by enumerator separately: 1. Short description of land________ ______ 2. Use type " : _________ ! ______ 3. Highest and best use of .land_______________ _________ _ 1|. Productive capacity of land as compared with present use. jural Residents. Budget Bureau approval waived QUESTIONNAIRE ON LAND UTILIZATION IN RURAL-URBAN FRINGE, WILLIAMS TON AREA MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE in cooperation with the U. S. Department of Agriculture I. General Information; 1. Name _____________________ 2. Address_______________ 3. Township____________ £. Age _____ 6 . Married: ■ ' U . Location_______________ _________ Yes__________ No 7. Number of children (indicate number living at home and their ages);__________ 8 . Ages; ; ___________________ • ____ _____ _____ _____ 9. What is your major occupation?________________________________________■ 10. Other major sources of income, if any?______________________________: ______ 11. How permanent do you feel your job is?____________________________________ 12. How many miles to place of work?___________ ........................... .. 13. Number of years you have lived at this location____________________________ 1U. Farm background of husband__________ ;____________ _________________ 15. Farm background of wife______________________ ; ________ ; _____ _;____ _______ 16. Comments.; • : ____ : _____ ' II. Land Use Data: 1. Acres owned,_____ 2. Acres leased out 3* Acres rented in _ ii. Acres operated Acres of; $. Cropland land_______ ____ 6 . pasture— .____ 8 .Woodland_______ 7» Idle crop and pasture - 2 217 - 9 . Buildings: Condition Good Fair Poor None Idle In Use Exc. Barn _____ _____ _____ _____ ___ _ ______ _____ Tool Shed _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ Chicken House Hog House Granary ■ _____ _____ ■ _____ ___ _ _ ___ _________ _____ _____ ______________ Corn Crib . _____ Garage____________ _____________ _______ _____ _____ _____ _____ ______________ 10. Check items of farm machinery owned: Tractor_______ Plow .H a r r o w ____________ Combine____________ Hay Baler . FieldChopper____ Disk _______ Mower Rake _______ Manure Spreader _______ 11. What are your plans for the future use of this land, if any? 12. Comments:. III. Farm Income Data: 1. Reported net income for 195>0: Below $2,000_____ , $2,000-3,000______ , $3,000U,000_____ , $1|,000-5,000_____ , $3,000-6,000______ , Over $6,000_____ 2. (Omit if no land is rented) What is your income from rent of land? (Percent­ age of total net income is acceptable)_______________________________________ 3* What possibilities have you had or do you have for renting your idle land? . - 3 - 218 I4.. Value of garden enterprise (retail value):_______________ _________________ 3. Comments:_________________________ ____________________________________ IV. Past History of Holding; 1. Years you have owned this holding ____ ) 2. Rented this holding__________ 3- Is this the original complete farm? Yes________ No________ )4. If not, when was it subdivided?_________________________________________ 5. (If interview is with seller) If you have sold a part of your holding, what was the reason for selling it?_____________________________________________ 6 . What was the approximate price? Total_________ Per acre__________ 7* Was land idle season previous to purchase or renting? Yes______ No_____ 8 . If not, and it is now idle, when did it first become idle?______________ _ 9. Comments:. V. Residential Use Data: * 1. Is farm used primarily for residential use? Yes__________ No______ 2. Sale value for residential use___________ 3.Farm value___________ U. Value for building lots________ 5. Taxes: Total________ Status of house: 6 . Size in rooms_____ 9. Condition__________ 7• Age 8 . Construction. 10. Style________________________ Modern facilities: 11. Water lU. Inside toilet________ • 12. Fleetricity Per acre_ _____ 13. Bath----- 219 - u 1$. Sale value of house. 16. Rental value of house 17. Comments:_________ VI. We want your reaction as a suburbanite to some situations and problems that arise because of the suburban movement, lhat is your feeling or reaction to: 1. The roads on which you live and travel in this area_____________________ 2. The isolation and need for two oars when living in the country as you now are 3. Bus facilities that are offered and the need for this service.. i|. The community services offered or need for services not offered $, Schools in this area 6 . Health conditions in the country. 7. Time you have available for the gardening you would like to do. - $- 220 8 .•'What do you feel the optimum use of the land in this area should be?_______ 9. The effect the suburbanization movement has had on the value and resale value of homes (present and future) in the area___________________________________ 10. The effect the suburbanization movement has had on tax. conditions in the area 11. What were your main reasons for moving out into or remaining in the country? 12. Comments:, VII. To be filled in by enumerator separately: 1. Short description of land____________________________ 2. Use type____________ : ___________________ ; ___________ 3. Highest and best use of land_______ ; __________._______ U. Productive capacity of land as compared with present use