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STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
INDUSTRY OF RICHLAND COUNTY. 
BY J. WALWORTH, OF RICHLAND CENTRE. 
Richland contains a greater variety of soil than most coun¬ 
ties. The Southern portions, along the Wisconsin River, and 
for several miles back, is a sand prairie, some parts of which 
are thin, light and unproductive ; other portions have been 
found to produce well, with proper and timely culture. 
About three-fourths of the county is heavily timbered with 
a general variety of oak, ash, white walnut, linn, hickory and 
elm, interspersed with large forests of hard and soft maple, 
from which a considerable quantity of sugar is annually manu¬ 
factured. The remainder of the land is what is called loams, 
but is well adapted to wheat growing. The soil of the timber¬ 
ed land is of a very superior quality, and is admirably adapted 
to the growth of corn, oats and grass. The face of the coun¬ 
try is uneven, consisting of ridges and valleys, the ridges often 
terminating near the streams in precipitous bluffs. Some of 
these in the Southern part are nearly destitute of timber, but 
in the Northern part the hills and bluffs are covered to their 
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summits with a heavy growth of excellent timber, and the soil 
is good. 
Notwithstanding the soil produces well all kinds of grain, 
yet from the peculiar face of the country and nature of the 
soil, its principal and most natural product is the grasses of 
various kinds, and hence it may be regarded as one of the best 
stock growing counties in the Sate; and though it is yet com¬ 
paratively new, and its improvements limited, its superior ad¬ 
vantages for grazing have been satisfactorily developed. 
This county is well watered with numerous springs and beau¬ 
tiful brooks of pure water, most of which are well supplied 
with speckled trout — evidence of pure water and a healthy 
climate. Many large and fine farms are now opened, and un¬ 
der excellent cultivation, particularly in the towns of Buena 
Vista, Ithaca, Richland, Richwood, &c., in which improvements 
were first commenced. In the heavily timbered lands, large 
and fine farms may be seen, yielding a handsome remunera- 
