250 
returned being $6 per acre. In Williams county, in the northwest, these lands 
are slightly rolling, covered with a thrifty growth of beach, sugar, ash, elm, oak, 
hickory, walnut, basswood, poplar, &c.; soil chiefly a sandy loam, interspersed 
with limestone gravel, rich in quality, and capable of producing heavy crops of 
wheat, corn, oats, grass, &c. Fulton, timbered land; rich clay loam and sandy 
oak openings, suited to wheat, corn, &c. Lucas, lands generally good; soil 
variable, from rich vegetable mould to light sand, the bottom lands very produc- 
tive; the high lands especially adapted to fruit; prices range from $5 to $100. 
Wood, heavily timbered mostly ; excellent soil; surface nearly level; produc- 
tive when cultivated. Henry: the greater part of this county is included in 
the famous ‘ Black swamp,” reaching over an extent of 120 by about 40 
miles, said to be unsurpassed in the State for fertility of soil; surface high 
and level, with dense growth of forest trees ; soilfrom 3 to 12 inches deep, com- 
posed of decayed leaves and vegetable matters; subsoil a yellow clay loam, 
rich in lime, potash, and silex. Hancock, wild lands; generally poor quality ; 
good capabilities for pasture. Hardin, quality of land from good to best, the 
larger portion very rich ; will grow all the crops grown in that latitude. Logan, 
large tracts in the “ Virginia military reservation ” are held by non-residents. 
Van Wert and Clarke, timber land; rich, deep soil, best adapted to grazing, 
but will produce the cereals. In Ottawa, on Lake Erie, the wild lands are 
chiefly marsh and timber, there being not less than 20,000 acres of marsh in this 
county, valued at $1 to $5; the timber averages $20 per acre; soil excellent. 
In Sandusky, also, these lands are wet, but suited to grain when drained. Lorain, 
less than 500 acres of wild land; marsh; rich muck, one to three feet deep ; 
needs ditching, when it will produce grass, corn, and potatoes. Marion, mostly 
timber, worth $30 per acre. Union, soil a loomy clay; no swamps; when 
cleared is good for grain and grass. In Stark, with the exception of 1,000 or 
1,200 acres of tamarack swamp, the timber lands are owned in small tracts 
attached to farms. Morgan, well timbered; soil rich; in some parts of the 
county the surface is broken, but abounds in coal, petroleum, and salt. Wash- 
ington, the unimproved land is of the poorest quality. Athens, mostly inferior 
for cultivation, but affords good pasturage for sheep and cattle. Vinton, most of 
the wild land is poor and rough, though there are some good lots held by specu- 
lators; there is excellent timber on the land ; light alluvial soil, adapted to stock- 
raising and fruit culture. Jackson, hilly and broken; thin sandy soil, capable 
of producing corn, wheat, oats, fruit, pasture, &e. Lawrence, wild land; broken 
and hilly ; well timbered. In Fayette the unimproved lands are equal in fertility 
to the improved lands, but require draining. In many counties the only unim- 
proved land reported is in wood attached to farms and reserved for fuel, fencing, 
and building purposes. 
3. Beside the rich and generous soil which renders Chio pre-eminently an 
agricultural State, she is possessed of great mineral wealth, and is still rich in tim- 
ber in many sections. Iron and coal of superior quality and in great abundance, 
the former being reported in Lucas, Lorain, Columbiana, Jefferson, Tuscarawas, 
Athens, Vinton, Jackson, Lawrence, &c.; and the latter, in Lucas, Medina, 
Portage, Wayne, Stark, Columbiana, Carroll, Jefferson, Tuscarawas, Holmes, 
Morgan, Washington, Athens, Vinton, Lawrence, and other counties. It has 
been estimated that the amount of iron ore along the course of the Little Beaver, 
from three miles above New Lisbon, would be equivalent to a continuous bed 
ten feet thick on both sides of the stream to its junction with the Ohio river. 
In Jackson and Lawrence counties, in the southern part of the State, the iron 
interest is quite extensive, each county having 13 furnaces in successful operation. 
In most counties the coal mines are not worked beyond the requirements for 
furnaces and domestic use, though the deposits in some localities are almost inex- 
haustible and of superior quality. In Vinton the veins are from two to five feet 
thick, and in Athens they are said to be six feet in thickness, accessible at a 
