ITI 



north by Bark River. These are characterized by :nlarli alluvial burface soil, 

 mixed with sand and varying to quite sandy, the substratum less tenacious than 

 that of the prairies, and varying to gravelly clay, and rarely to sand and gravel. 



Next, the black or red oak openings, surface sandy loam ; tenacious subsoil, 

 varying to sandy. 



White oak oj^enings, generally occupying the most elevated portions west of 

 Hock, and south of Bark Rivers; soil tenacious, like the suBsoil of the prairies. 



The burr oak lands south of Bark and near Rock River, are more sandy than 

 those above described, and are pretty freely sprinkled with granite boulders in 

 different places. 



East of Rock and north of Bark River, the soil is generally sandy, or clay 

 loam covered with leaf mould, with all the variety of subsoil described above, 

 intei-spersed with marshes and tamarack or larch swamps ; easily susceptible of 

 improvement by ditching, and seeding with timothy or red-top. The wpland was 

 orignally nearly all covered with a dense growth of miscellaneous timber, in- 

 cluding the sugar maple, from which nearly all the sugar is made used in that 

 portion of the county. The same description answers for the larger portion of 

 the tract lying between the Rock and Crawfish Rivers. The sub-strata is gene- 

 rally composed of less compact materials than other portions, giving the roots 

 of grasses access to the subsoil. 



The general practice of our farmers has been to crop our uplands with wheat, 

 corn and oats; wheat being the principal crop relied on for market. 



The prairie and burr oak lands, as a general rule, have proved best for corn ; 

 the white oak for wheat ; the timbered and marsh lands for the grasses. Clover 

 has been successfully grown in favorable seasons on the prairies and more com- 

 pact soils, but will doubtless pi'ove more reliable on the more light and sandy 

 portions and the timbered lands. 



Oats has been a heavy crop in all parts of the county the past year. This 

 crop has generally, except in our driest summers, been good. Spring wheat has 

 generally been a fair crop. Winter wheat has proved a failure more or less for 

 the last four or five years; previous to that time the crop was generally a heavy 

 one, and of fine quality. The failure is mostly attiibuted to want of snow, and 

 dryness of the wintei-s. This cause has doubtless operated to produce the result; 

 but it is not, in my opinion, the only cause, if it is the chief one. The continual 

 cropping in succession with wheat has done more to produce the disastrous re- 

 sults which have of late been generally experienced. Covering a portion of any 

 field with a coating of straw would prevent winter-killing, and cause as good 

 crops as formerly, if the latter cause has not had effect. 



The substitution of sheep husbandry for exclusive wheat-growing, will doubt- 

 less be found profitable on our best grass lands, if not in every part of the 



