386 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
In tlie south central part of the county, the northern limb of Empire 
Prairie projects far, out like a great bay through, the southern, and into 
the second tier of townships. In the south-east part of the county lies 
Fountain Prairie, and in the north-east are Welch and Portage prairies. All 
these prairies are fringed, deeply indented, and sometimes dotted with 
beautiful groves of timber and oak openings, and are, without exception 
beautifully rolling, of a rich, deep, friable, black, and exceedingly fertile soil. 
Along the Wisconsin and Baraboo rivers, on one side, or both, nearly 
■throughout their whole length in the county, is a belt of heavy timber of 
■several kinds of oak, basswood, elm and hickory, with some butternuts and 
soft maple. There are a few groves of heavy oak-timber in other parts of 
•-.the county. 
The remainder of the county, comprising the greater part, is covered with 
. oak openings. Along the creeks and rivers and in low places, are excellent 
grassy marshes or natural meadows of sweet tender grass, affording the best 
pasturage, and ample opportunities for cutting an abundance of excellent 
wild hay. 
The surface of the burr oak openings is rolling and undulating, and 
differs from the prairies in no respect except that the soil of the latter 
seems a little more loose and friable. In the other oak openings the soil 
is poorer; the white oak being generally clayey, and the red and black oak 
inclined to sand. 
-The crops generally grown are wheat, Indian corn, oats, rye, barley and 
potatoes. During the late hop mania, many farmers and many men who 
were not farmers, tried their hands at raising hops to their sorrow; but 
the hop yards are now rapidly disappearing before the plow-share. Wheat 
is the great staple crop of the county and is generally grown successfully 
and profitably; although not on so large a scale as in some parts of the 
western country, yet there are many farmers in the county who raise yearly 
from one hundred to five hundred acres, and whose garners are annually 
•..well filled. 
Spring wheat is the kind generally raised. But little winter wheat is 
sown on account of the great liability to winter kill. The quality of this 
cereal grown is superior, especially that raised on the lighter openings, in 
the central and northern portions of the county. 
Indian corn, of both dent and flint varieties, can be raised any where in 
the county, when the farmer will take pains to properly prepare and plant 
his land, and cultivate his crop. 
Potatoes are raised successfully in all parts of the county. The quality 
of those raised in the light sandy soils along the Wisconsin river, and the 
lighter soils of the county, can’t be beat in the United States, This is also 
true with all garden vegetables. They grow remarkably quick, and of an 
excellent quality, and can be matured in the vicinity of Portage, and in the 
valley of the Wisconsin, at least tw'o weeks earlier than on the shore of 
Lake Michigan at Milwaukee. 
