414 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
to which the original contiguous surface has evidently yielded, and they 
enclose and shelter some of the finest prairies and richest valleys in the 
state. 
I have been a little particular in giving the geological formations of the 
county, as it naturally precedes an account of the soils, and furnishes an 
indication of their character and of the agricultural advantages of the county. 
These advantages embrace fertility and variety of soil; a diversity of ex¬ 
posure arising from configuration of the surface; an ample supply of 
timber for fuel and fencing, and of water for stock and household pur¬ 
poses. The prairie soil is a deep, nearly black loam, with a large admix¬ 
ture of vegetable mould, resting upon a grayish clay loam of several feet 
depth. A narrow belt on the eastern border of the county is to be except¬ 
ed from this description. This is that portion of the Sugar River Valley 
where the soil is a light, sandy loam, and derives its character from the un¬ 
derlying and surrounding sandstone. The soil of the timbered lands is a 
deep clay loam, producing when cultivated abundant crops of every variety 
grown in this latitude, but specially adapted to wheat, fruit and to grazing 
purposes. 
Timber .—One of the great advantages of Green county, and indeed one 
of its most striking peculiarities, is the extent and remarkable distribution 
of its forests. Timber and prairie, prairie and timber everywhere. Origi¬ 
nally much more than half the surface was covered by forests; a large por¬ 
tion of this was what are called oak openings, which have now disappeared. 
There are fine belts of heavy timber in various parts of the county; in fact 
nearly every town has forests of greater or less extent. Sometimes this 
timber occurs in isolated groves of five, ten, twenty, forty and eighty acres. 
White, red and black oak, sugar and soft maple, basswood, black walnut, 
butternut, poplar, hickory, elm, black and white ash, are found in near¬ 
ly all these groves, in quantity about in the order in which they are named. 
The value of these forests cannot be over-estimated; they constitute, in 
fact, one of the most notable and attractive features of the county. 
Besides the two rivers mentioned, there are several tributary streams of 
considerable size, most of which furnish valuable hydraulic power, utilized 
for grist mills, saw mills, carding mills, etc. 
There are also numberless springs and small rivulets scattered in every 
part of the county. And here we- discover the utility of those hills in the 
northern and western sections, which are generally regarded with disfavor 
by those who judge of the value of farming lands by the level prairie 
standard. They are the sources of innumerable springs and streams that 
give an unfailing supply of pure water to hundreds of farms. Besides 
this they unquestionably modify the climate beneficially, not only increas¬ 
ing the rain-fall, but furnishing shelter to stock, and fruit farms. But few 
of these hills are not susceptible of profitable cultivation, and even where 
they are not, they are covered with valuable forests which still more favor- 
