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own country, and nearly at our own dooi's. The lumber trade; the Indian trade 

 and annuities; the miUtary posts at the north and west of us, together with the 

 continued tide of emigration; to which may also be added the mining interests; 

 all together, bid fair to consume the most of our surplus produce, except, perhaps, 

 ■wheat. 



Within two or three years past, the produce of wheat has been larger than the 

 demand in the country. But the facilities for transportation by steam-boat on the 

 Mississippi, has supplied us with a market in St. Louis. Our merchants pur- 

 chased the wheat, cleaned it thoroughly, had sacks made of coarse domestic cotton, 

 holding over a bushel each, and sent it to St. Louis, where its superior quality 

 and clean state commanded the highest price, making it pi'ofitable for both the 

 producer and the merchant. 



The opening of the navigation of the Wisconsin and Fox Rivers, already gives 

 us a choice of markets, between St. Louis and the Lakes, for all we have to spara 

 over and above the up river and home demand. And if, as is expected, the Mil- 

 waukee and Mississippi railroad should reach the river at this point, we should 

 have an additional facility for reaching an eastern market. Nor will it make 

 much difference, if any, whether that road reaches the river at this point, or not, 

 so far as the surrounding country is concerned. The road must reach the river 

 somewhere, but if not, some other one will, within a short distance, by steam; 

 so that before our surplus produce gluts the market on this great river, we shall 

 have the double facility of steamboat and railroad whereby to reach an eastern 

 market, and that too at but a trifling expense. As it is well known, that the 

 average of our crops exceed that of the eastern part of our State, after deduct- 

 ing the expense of reaching the Lake, we shall have equal, if not greater profit, 

 per acre, than will our more eastern neighbors. 



" Our Stock" is that which is most common to the country. We have no ani- 

 mals of special note, unless it is the pony breed of horses; and not many of them. 

 Our early French settlers came to the country by water, and in bark canoes, or 

 Makanaw boats, and could not bring with them the real Canadian or Norman 

 horse. Indeed I do not remember of seeing one of that breed in this country. 

 If there is one, or more, they must have come by land from some State border- 

 ing on Lower Canada. The original stock of horses here, probably came from 

 the South and West, and were from the stock introduced by the Spanish into 

 Mexico, Santa Fe, &c., and from thence spread among the Indians. Carver 

 mentions an expedition of the Winnebagoes towards Santa Fe, and the capture 

 of eighty horses at one time, which they brought home with them. The French 

 settlers here may have obtained horses from their brethren at Kaskaskia, or in 

 Missouri. But in either case they were onginaliy obtained, most probably, from 

 the Indians to the south and west of them. 

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