446 WISCONSIN AGEICULTUEE. 



We have every variety of soil from sand througli all tlie 

 gradations to stiff clay. On the Pecatonica branches, we have 

 Walnut, Hickory, and all the family of oaks ; on the Wisconsin 

 branches, we have beech, birch, maple, pine, hemlock, and white 

 and black oak. 



We have level prairies, rolling prairies, wooded bluffs, and 

 well watered valleys. In fact, the diversity of soil, of tempera- 

 ture, of capacity for satisfying every taste is so great, that the 

 farmer who could not be suited in some part of the county, would, 

 probably, be hard to please. 



During the past year, there have been, in the opinion of those 

 who are well informed, eight thousand acres of corn, three or 

 four thousand of meadow, eight or ten thousand acres of oats, 

 fifteen thousand acres of wheat, and a thousand acres of field 

 potatoes, cultivated within the county. 



Judging by the exhibits at the fairs, the soil seems specially 

 adapted for fruits, and roots. Turnips, j)otatoes, beets, carrots 

 and parsnips of fabulous size, were objects of much attention at 

 the last Fair. A pumpkin weighing 183 pounds, grown in the 

 southern part of the county, would be a rarity anywhere. 



Should the next State Fair be held at Madison, we hope to be 

 able to convince some skeptical pioneers of Milwaukee and 

 thereabouts, that southern Wisconsin has really " room enough 

 to raise a bushel of potatoes between the sucker holes." 



More attention is being paid to stock farms, than formerly. 

 The official report of 18,598 cattle, 8,634 hogs, 3,154 horses and 

 mules, and 3,207 sheep, with a total valuation of $583,739, is 

 considerably below the mark except, perhaps, in the item of 

 sheep. 



A large number of sheep have been brought into our county 

 lately, of which, the French Merino, seems to be the favorite, 

 although a Leicestershire, on exhibition at the last Fair brought 

 more enconiums and attracted more attention, than any other. 



Our Society, organized in June, 1856; is doing what it can to 

 promote improvement in agriculture, and the kindred arts and 

 sciences. Our people appreciate the value of organization for 

 Buch purposes, and the County Society is a fixed fact. 



