FARMERS' INSTITUTE WORK 393 



ment named Yalmar. Here the party stopped for dinner at the hospitable home 

 of Mr. Gustav H. Bahrman, who has well cleared fields and good crops. Mr. 

 Bahrman has in operation a portable sawmill. In the neighborhood is a com- 

 fortable Lutheran church, and a good sized schoolhouse. Here are evidences of 

 prosperity which compare well with many communities in lower Michigan. 



IRON COUNTY. 



The soil conditions in Iron county are entirely different from those in Mar- 

 quette county. Here the surface is underlaid with granite, in which occurs the 

 iron bearing series of rocks, so that the hills may be said to be literally full of 

 iron. The soil which covers these rock masses and the multitude of hard-head 

 boulders scattered about, is a fine sandy loam of good quality and everywhere 

 alike in composition, which seems to show that it must have been derived from 

 the Mississippi valley waters after glacial times. This soil is very finely divided, 

 of a rich brown color, and is easily cultivated. A portion of four townships lying 

 east and north of the village of Iron River was examined. The country is much 

 broken, being traversed by a series of hills and valleys lying between Iron river 

 and Paint river. In many places the hillsides are very stony. 



On the hills is a fine growth of sugar maple, the most abundant of all the forest 

 trees in this part of the country; next in abundance and value are the yellow and 

 cherry birches, which attain a large size. Hemlock is frequent, as well as bass- 

 wood and water elm. Ironwood is common and of large size. Rock elm is seen 

 occasionally. White spruce and balsam are frequent. The commonest shrubs 

 ai*e mountain maple, the beaked hazelnut, red-berried elder, and moosewood. Red 

 raspberries are very common. No black raspberries were seen, and few black- 

 berries. 



The soil conditions and forest growth in the part of Iron county examined show 

 that good crops may be raised here in favorable seasons. 



DICKINSON COUNTY. 



The soil conditions which prevail in Marquette county are continued into south- 

 eastern Dickinson county except that the drift and gravels are mixed with a 

 larger percentage of limestones and the forests are taller. The two tracts of land 

 are so nearly alike in all material respects that it will be unnecessary to describe 

 the county further, except to say that since the passing away of lumbering many 

 good farms have been cleared and the crops on the ground indicate that business 

 principles applied to agricultural operations will bring success here as well as in 

 the lower peninsula. 



C. F. WHEELER. 



[Ml-. Wheeler was unable to visit Menominee county.] 



MR. BALL'S REPORT. 



Superintendent of Farmers' Institutes: ' 



Dear Sir— Agreeable to your request that during the Institute work in the upper 

 peninsula I should learn as far as possible the agricultural conditions affecting farm 

 operations in counties where Institutes were held, the following is submitted: A 

 day was spent in driving over portions of each county where an Institute was held; 

 and while no great amount of territory could be traveled over in so short a time, a 

 general idea of the country was obtained, and with the specimens of the different 

 productions shown at the different Institutes one could form a fairly intelligent 

 opinion of what each county is capable of producing. 



It is well known that the upper peninsula as a wiaole is very rich in its mines of 

 iron and copper, with prospects of silver and gold in quantities sufficient to warrant 

 investments in mining them. Large quanties of valuable pine lands have furnished 

 untold quantites of lumber, and much remains imused, while large tracts of hard- 

 wood timber remain. M^hich when relieved of the lumber and wood values will con- 

 stitute the farming lands in a great measure of that portion of the State. 

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