THE GENESEE FARMER. 



276 



of more than twelve feet, while in Milwaukee bay 

 the water is as opaque as river water. 



Wood and fish, with a few potatoes, are the staple 

 articles of these islands. At Mackinac we took on 

 100 packages of fish, and four invalid lady passen- 

 gers. These last were anything but the counter- 

 part of the lively fair ones we had received at Buf- 

 falo and Cleveland ; feeble as they were, they had 

 no heart to feel that the noisy little children they 

 now encountered were of the kingdom of heaven ; 

 this brought out the mothers, who did believe it, 

 into sad recrimination, and our ever-vigilant little 

 captain was appealed to, to abate grievances, when 

 all at once a power greater than he, in the form of 

 thunder and sharp lightning closely preceding each 

 loud clap, now stilled every sellish impulse, and 

 effectually relieved the captain from all after re- 

 sponsibility in the premises. 



After passing the Sleeping Bear, on a sandy head- 

 land of Michigan, we take our course by compass 

 for Manitowoc, on the Wisconsin shore, where we 

 arrive early in the evening and leave freight. Be- 

 fore midnight we land freight and passengers at 

 Sheboygan, and are early on our course for Mil- 

 waukee. At ^anitowoc, all were bewailing the 

 present stagnation and low price of lumber ; just 

 as though the late enormous high prices had not 

 brought about that fast living and headlong specu- 

 lation, which is now receiving its only legitimate 

 and truly practical cui-e. 



At sunrise next morning we were in sight of the 

 headland or north point of Milwaukee bay. With 

 a stiff south-easter, sail vessels now laid their course 

 for that harbor, but as we were going eleven knots, 

 the captain would not turn up the tired crew to 

 make sail. As we rose from a breakfast of fresldy 

 corned trout, we Avere gliding into Milwaukee's now 

 matchless liarbor. Tlie late rains, added to the back 

 water of the now high lake, had floated up by the 

 roots the aquatic vegetation from the submerged 

 flats of the Menomouee : and the lower harbor was 

 now full of floating islands, covered with sedge 

 gi'ass, flags, and tall weeds in blossom. 



This is emjihatically a great modern city, as sub- 

 stantial as it is elegant in architectural solidity and 

 finish; the only ])uzzle is, where did the millions 

 come from to build in so short a time such a city of 

 large and costly palaces, public buildings, ambitious 

 mansions, and long streets of tall monster blocks of 

 stores and warehouses ; and above all, a sixty thou- 

 sand dollar schooliiouse, with the semhlements of 

 Bruxelles carpets and French chandeliers included. 

 Here are many mansions whose iron fences or mar- 

 ble vases, and other yard embellishments, cost more 

 money than some of the best houses of an early 

 Western New York village. But Western New 

 York was settled during the day of small things, 

 when wealth was only such by comparison with 

 what would now be looked on as great civilized 

 destitution ; now the subsequent earnings of New 

 York and the whole east have contributed to tlie 

 growth of this great western city. Many brought 

 capital with them ; some brought fortunes made in 

 trade elsewhere; real estate rose in value, trade 

 increased, and the railroads were built. Germany 

 has also added much to the wealth, intelligence and 

 industry of this place ; a large portion of tlie labor- 

 er?, mechanics and manufacturers are Germans, and 

 some of the richest traders. Nearly aU the north 



and west part of the town is German ; yet homo- 

 geneous as these Teutons are, many of the more 

 wealthy families live in elegant mansions inter- 

 spersed throughout the Yankee quarters of the 

 town, where their near proximity is pleasantly 

 made known by the exquisite music which often 

 comes to you on the zephyrs of a summer evening. 



It would seem that the architects here, uncon- 

 trolled by Grecian simplicity, vie with each other 

 in tawdry ornament and finish, to the extent often 

 of putting "Jack on the gentleman" ; but the U. S. 

 customhouse is a noble exception; it is, like the 

 Newhall palace and a few other structures, of finely 

 cut white magnesian limestone, from Illinois, — an 

 improvement on the ordinary coarse marble of this 

 region. But that which here is most admirable, as 

 truly denoting the good taste of the people, is the 

 small number of fine dwellings that are serried to- 

 gether in blocks. Notwithstanding the high prices 

 per foot of building lots, every house of any pre- 

 tentions has space around it for carriage way or 

 flowering shrubs, with its little yard or lawn in 

 front, and trees to shade the broad sidewalk. 



Business here feels the eftect of the late revulsion, 

 but the same causes have reduced the prices of 

 building matei'ials one-half, and labor in proportion, 

 and more dwellings to rent are now being built 

 here than ever. Thus far, house rent has been 

 very dear, from the dearness of building materials 

 and mechanical labor, which checked building ; bnt 

 rents and municipal taxation are now coming down 

 to a level with other values. 



One great clog to the prosperity of the west gen- 

 erally, and farmers in particular, is the extreme high 

 rates of freight and fare charged by these bankrupt 

 railroads. While it costs the fixrmer twelve cents 

 a bushel to send his wheat here, it is taken from 

 here to Bufl'alo, on a $50,000 propellor, for three 

 cents. Lumber is now sold here at $0 the 1000 

 feet; yet the farmer, to take it 70 miles to his 

 prairie farm, must pay railroad freight $3,50 for the 

 same. True, these roads were built by very dear 

 borrowing, and reckless mismanagement and steal- 

 ing has overwhelmed them ; but by Avhat rule of 

 ethics should the public be victimized to make up 

 the loss? 



As two railroads are now finished to the upper 

 Mississippi, this is fast becoming a great shipping 

 port; even the wheat from the Janesville region 

 southwest now comes here for sale and shipment, 

 as it is ninety miles of exposed lake navigation 

 nearer Buflalo from this place than from Chicago. 



The soil at this place is indicated by the charac- 

 ter of the famed Milwaukee brick. On the high, 

 long extended lake bluti" and its inland declension, 

 the clay lies in great depth ; and such calcareous 

 clay this deponent never saw elsewhere; when at- 

 tempted to be ameliorated with sand or gravel, 

 which also abounds in near vicinity, it becomes in- 

 durated in dry weather, so as to resemble calcifer- 

 ous slate, that no hoe can penetrate, or weed be 

 torn from without leaving its roots behind. Con- 

 tinued doses of coarse vegetable matter, tan bark, 

 etc., with draining, much working, and the aid of 

 frost, can only fit such a soil for garden purposes. 

 But in proof of the organic fertility of this brickey 

 clay, grass grows on it as well as wheat; and the 

 few graceful old oaks that are sometimes " spared," 

 as if they had a fee simple in the dooryard here, 



