392 • ANNUAL EEPOKT. 



twenty square miles in the Lake of the Woods, extends but to 

 parallel 49^, the northern limit of the United States ; to the east, 

 Pigeon Point extends but a mile or so eastward of meridian 89* 

 30^, and to the west the 97th meridian line passes through St. Vin- 

 cent township. 



The area included within the commonwealth is so beautifully di- 

 versified in character, that of the 84,286 square miles of surface 

 within its boundary lines, 78,648 square miles only is land : the 

 other 5,638 square miles being made up of numberless small attrac- 

 tive lakes scattered over its face.* 



This estimate of water surface does not include the portion of 

 Lake Superior lying within the Minnesota borders. 



The 78,648 square miles of land, equivalent to 53,943.379 acres, 

 furnishes 45,000,000 acres which are thought capable of being 

 brought under the plow. 



This vast extent of country is further diversified by forest and 

 prairie, giving an aggregate of near 48,000 and 31,000 square miles 

 respectively, and exclusive of the water area. Although the forest 

 regions lie chiefly to the northeast and the prairies stretch away 

 with broader expanse to the south and west, yet the division is by 

 no means sharply defined, large prairie district? being seen within 

 the timbered area — as Long Prairie River valley, in Todd countyi 

 and Long Prairie in Morrison county; while the "Big Woods," a 

 large forest belt, forty to fifty miles wide, extends from the forest 

 regions of the north as far to the south as Blue Earth county, 

 and belts of timber are not infrequent upon the plains, especially 

 around the lakes and marshes and along the river courses. 



Watonwan and Minnesota rivers, and Crystal Lake in Waseca 

 county, furnish notable illustrations of this fact. 



The pursuits of agriculture are gradually effecting a change in 

 both the flora and fauna of Minnesota; the wild grasses and sedges 

 and the brilliant prairie flowers are slowly but surely disappearing 

 toward the west and giving place to the cultivated species already 

 so abundant in the settled portions of the state; while the wild 

 beasts, once valued for their rich fur and sought as food, no longer 

 inspire terror in the hearts of the settlers and are only occasionalh' 

 seen as they stray from the haunts where they have found retreat. 

 The forests furnish both hard and soft wood ; oak, maple, elm 

 and birch, bass-wood, soft maple and cotton-wood are found in 

 greater or less numbers. The evergreens grow abundantly, pine 

 taking the lead; it is to the state of greater economic value than 



*Hon H. H. Young, Secretary of the State Board of Immigration. 



