396 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The land in the county is timbered with maple, beech, elm, oak, iron- 
wood, birch, basswood, pine, hemlock, tamarack, cedar, spruce, balsam and 
other varieties of timber common to this part of North America. The soil 
is generally a clay loam, interspersed occasionally with soils more or less 
mixed with sand. Scattered through the county is a large portion of rich 
bottom lands, of alluvial deposits, with an average depth of six feet, of the 
richest black soil. On the uplands the average depth of the soil is ten 
feet, resting on a foundation of limestone rock. The land is well watered 
throughout the county by numerous small creeks, and springs of pure liv¬ 
ing water are abundant. The surface of the’county is gently rolling and 
well adapted to farming purposes. 
In the county are 58,000 acres of wild lands owned by the state, which 
will be sold in quantities to suit purchasers, at an average rate of one dol¬ 
lar per acre. These lands embrace some of the richest in the county, and’ 
when cleared of the timber, will make some of the finest farming lands in 
the country. Of land owned by the United States, there are about 8,000 
acres that can be entered under the Homestead Law, which gives to every 
man for $10, 160 acres of land on condition that he will live on and im¬ 
prove it. 
Wheat, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat, corn and other grains, and potatoes, 
turnips, beets, and all the root crops and hay are grown in the county, and 
yield rich returns to the farmers. Some of the best wheat land in the 
state is located in this county. All of the grains mentioned are a sure 
crop. Fruit, such as apples, pears, plums, crab apples, grapes, currants, 
blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries and other varieties grow in profu¬ 
sion, and, when properly cultivated, yield large crops. The position of this 
county, between two large bodies of water, is peculiarly favorable to fruit, 
and many thriving orchards in the county bear witness to its facilities for 
fruit growing. 
There are ample school facilities in this county; each settlement having 
a school house in close proximity, and there are Protestant and Roman 
Catholic churches. The roads in the county, and the facilities for getting 
them are good. 
A large number of the inhabitants of the county are engaged in cutting 
their timber into cord-wood, saw logs, railroad ties, telegraph poles, fence 
posts, &c., for which a ready sale is found. Many farmers devote their win¬ 
ters to this work, clearing up their farms and selling the timber thus cut 
down. 
The large bodies of water on each side of the peninsula abound with fish, 
and furnish employment to a large number of men in catching them. 
Trout and whitfish are caught in large quantities, salted and sold at re¬ 
munerative prices. 
The population of the county is between 5,000 and 6,000, and embraces al¬ 
most all European nationalties. Belgian,German, Norwegian, French,Irish, 
Dane, Dutch, Swede, English, and people of other nationalties, have come 
