184 GEOLOGY OF ILLINOIS. 



Agricultural and Horticultural Qe 



Enough has already been said about the agricultural resources and 

 capabilities of the county. They do not differ greatly from those of 

 surrounding counties. Perhaps they are better than those of most 

 other counties in this part of the State. The soil seems to have in it a 

 little more fine silt to be lighter and warmer than that of some of its 

 neighbors. As a consequence of this it is largely and uniformly pro- 

 ductive of the staple products of Northern Illinois. 



Fruits, and especially the hardier varieties of the apple, do remarka- 

 bly well. The orchards about Princeton are among the oldest and best 

 in Northern Illinois. According to the reports of the various ad interim 

 committees of the Illinois Horticultural Societies, the apple orchards of 

 Princeton are among the best in the State. I know not to what extent 

 grape culture has been carried on in the county ; but the nature and 

 properties of the soil would justify the planting of the vine to a large 

 extent. Some of the Illinois river bluffs on the east side of the county 

 could be turned into profitable vineyards. Wine making might be 

 made remunerative in many places where the land is now considered 

 almost worthless. The small garden fruits, such as gooseberry, cur- 

 rant, strawberry, raspberry, etc., do well almost anywhere in this part 

 of the State, and of course flourish luxuriantly in the warm light soil 

 of this county. 



EXPLANATORY NOTE. The geological map of Northwestern Illinois, prepared by Mr. SHAW, to ac- 

 company this report, including a section of the formations outcropping on Rock river, was in the 

 hands of the Western Engraving Co., in Chicago, at the timo of the great fire in Oct., 1372, and was 

 utterly destroyed. The map is often referred to in the preceding pages. A. H. W. 



