PLATE XTT. 



MOWER COUNTY, 1884. N. H. WINCHELL. 



The prairies, which begin to be continuous in the western part of Fillmore county, 

 extend westward through Mower county, 'interrupted only by narrow fringes of 

 trees which accompany the streams. The valley of the Upper Iowa river at Le Roy, 

 and those of Bear and Deer creeks, are of the nature of the pre-glacial valleys men- 

 tioned in connection with counties further east, but they are insignificant in com- 

 parison with them. The valley of Cedar river, south from Austin, also exhibits some- 

 what the same gorge-like pre-glacial character. In general, however, this county 

 affords a broad, moderately undulating expanse of elevated prairie, the basis of 

 which is g-lacial drift with a good loam-like soil. 



The highest point in the county is about a mile east of Dexter, 1,412 feet, and 

 the lowest is at the exit of the Cedar river, at the southwest corner of the county, 

 probably about 1,100 feet. 



Although the Devonian occurs at several places in this county, and is supposed 

 to underlie a large part of it probably the southern half yet this formation in 

 Minnesota is not well known. It should have further study before any positive con- 

 clusions as to its extent and nature can be given. 



Patches of Cretaceous have been discovered, as represented on the map, and some 

 fossil Cretaceous leaves have been described from Austin. These beds are of clay 

 and sandstone, the former frequently kaolinic, the result of local decay and leaching 

 of the older formations, followed by wash and redeposition by the Cretaceous ocean. 

 It is very probable that the Cretaceous underlies the drift extensively throughout 

 the county, and contributes largely to the general evenness of the surface. 



In the southern part of this county, at several points, a peaty vegetable layer 

 is known, lying between two till sheets. N. H. w. 



