50 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTUEE. 



liable tinibei", there was nothin<r left to attract tiie settler. As a conscrjuence 

 of this erroneous supposition, men of other States and men of our own State, 

 Avhen seeking for new land? to make new homes, have turned their backs on 

 readv markets, available transportation, schools and churches, security and 

 civilization, to seek in the far west their resting place amid the wild di.-ordor. 

 discomfort, and insecurity of border life. They reached for sunset and 

 grasped a shadow. So far as soil alone is concerned they "have gone farther 

 and fared worse:'' when we take into account the conditions of climate, the 

 want of markets, and above all, the absence of that civilized and orderlv 

 society which alone commands security for all and safety even for the weakest, 

 we see how grave is the blunder which has led them to pass by Michigan 

 while seeking homes in Kansas, Nebraska, Dakota, or, turning their weary feet 

 to "the sunny south," only to encounter the deadly fevers and wasting malaria 

 of that dece))tive clime. The great mass of these restless wanderers have 

 rejected Michigan as a home because they were in absolute ignorance of this 

 region — of its soil, productions, capabilities for cultivation, and its adaptedness 

 to make a desirable home. 



On account of this wide spread ignorance in regard to our nortiiorn counties 

 even among our own people, I called the attention of this honorable Board to 

 the desirability of taking steps to bring the Agricultural capabilities of the 

 northern counties to public notice, and, "by and with the advice and consent" 

 of the State Board of Agriculture 1 devized a plan to gather representative 

 specimens of soils from these counties; these soils to be chemically aiuilyzed, 

 and then exhibited at the State Fair, in order to draw public attention to the 

 quality of these soils, and to afford a scientihc basis for estimating their agri- 

 cultural capabilities by exhibiting their chemical composition. By placing 

 these soils side by side, an opportunity for comparison is afforded seldom found 

 when the soils are in their natural position. 



In order to awaken interest in this subject and to secure specimens of soil 

 from as many re]iresentative points as ]wssible, I issued the following circular 

 which was })rinted in the Lansing Kepublican, and was copied into nearly every 

 paper in the State. Tiic press have taken a deep interest in this work, and 

 afforded me every assistance within their power, for which I desire to express 

 my sincere gratitude : 



MICHIGAN SOILS. 



To (he La)i(I-nwners of our State : 



So little is known to the i')ul)lie of the kind and (jn;ility of the soil in the northern 

 counties of tlie lower peninsula that the tide of innnigration is sweeping hy Michi- 

 gan to occupy i)oorer lands farther from good markets. To hiing to public notice 

 the undevelopcil a^rricuitural resources of our State, 1 am gathering;- specimens of soil 

 to be analyzed at tliis laboratory, and then to be exhibited at the State Fair in De- 

 troit. It is my plan to arrange these specimens of soil in large glass jars, side by 

 side, a label attached to each jar statin<j the locality from whicli the soil comes, the 

 kinds of timber growing on ir.and the chemical analysis of the soil. In tiiis way it 

 is hoped that persons attending the Fair may directly compare soils from a large 

 number of places in om- State. 



To carry out tliis design, 1 am obliged to ask the aid of persons of energy and 

 public spirit in the various sections of our State in gatherins; imd forwarding to me 

 specimens of soil for this purpose. 1 want a fair specimen of the surface soil fi-om 

 each county north of the base line. I do not want soils selected for their extraordi- 

 nary properties, but only a specimen which shall fairly represent the average soil of any 

 given county or district. It is very easy to select soils which will misrepresent the 

 avera<i^e quality of soil in a district, but such selection will be of very little value. 



In sen(Hng tlie soil 1 want at least one bushel of surface soil to be placed in a 

 clean box or keg, and marked so that 1 can identify the place from which it comes. 



