42 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WISCONSIN. 



for the growth of vegetation. The mineral and other native resonrces 

 are discovered and made known; they are the material for various man- 

 ufactures, and their development creates a home market — the best of 

 all markets — for farm products; thus deciding the great question, 

 now so much agitated, relating to cheap transportation, by avoiding 

 the necessity of any transportation of these products. 



The barometrical measurements of the heights and depressions, 

 required of the survey, will show in many cases the sources of water 

 supply upon which we are dependent for this life-giving element. 

 These are taken as data in the topographical survey, which is to show 

 the general contour of the ground, the extent, elevation, aad slope of 

 drainage basins, or river valleys ; the amount and value of water power 

 afforded by these rivers; the proportion of timbered, open, and prairie 

 land; the uplands, the swamps, and marshes; all such detailed inform- 

 ation is of importance to various interests, and especially to the agri- 

 culturist. The geodetic survey, which has, through the instrumen- 

 tality of the geological survey, been extended into "Wisconsin by the 

 general government, will also aid in the development of the topo- 

 graphical features of the state, and will show with greater accuracy 

 the exact position of the principal lines of the government surveys, 

 from which are derived and established the boundaries of farm lands, 

 thus often preventing litigation and neighborhood quarrels. 



It is further made the duty of the survey to search for and properly 

 examine all mineral fertilizers that may exist in the state; to analyze 

 the clays, peats, marls and other natural products useful, either in 

 maintaining the richness of the soil or of restoring it when exhausted 

 by the injudicious management of ignorant and selfish men. The 

 soils and subsoils are to be made subjects of study, and observations 

 are to be made upon the animal and ^-egetable products with refer- 

 ence to their agricultural interest. Specimens are to be collected ex- 

 emplifying the geology of the state, which are to be deposited with 

 the various institutions of education, from which the youth of our 

 state may hereafter acquire that more definite knowledge of our local 

 geology which will enable them to prosecute their future labors in farm- 

 ing with greater advantage both to themselves and to the country. 



It is now very generally admitted that the chemical analysis of 

 soils does not lead to all of the beneficial results that were formerly 

 anticipated from this source. The healthy growth of farm crops is 

 dependent upon too many varying conditions, besides the mere quan- 

 tity of plant-food that may exist in the soil, to enable the chemist to 

 detect the cause of any given failure, by soil analysis. It was once 

 supposed that we had only to analyze a soil before and after a crop 



