INDUSTRY OF COUNTIES. 
347 
lands were entered by speculators, on account of the pine and 
other valuable timber. In this fact is to be found the princi¬ 
pal reason why the northern portion of the county is so sparse¬ 
ly settled. How long this difficulty will be continued, is not 
easy to determine. Every winter witnesses the felling and 
removal of a large number of the stately trees to distant places, 
thus abstracting the primitive value, and leaving behind no 
corresponding benefit. Probably it is the design, when the 
timber has been taken off, to turn the land over to the actual 
settler, who will pay the taxes. But this is an evil incident to 
most new countries, and to the unjust policy pursued by the 
General Government in disposing of the public domain. 
Soil and Agriculture. —The timber lands differ very little 
from the openings and prairies in the quality and strength of 
the soil. Throughout the county, the more elevated lands are 
generally of a sandy loam. In a few locations, however, the 
soil is quite tenacious and heavy. The dry bottoms are deci¬ 
dedly alluvial. 
The low lands produce excellent grass, and the high lands, 
where they have been cultivated, have proved themselves well 
adapted to the growth of wTieat, (both winter and spring,) rye, 
oats, corn, and other grain. Potatoes, turnips, carrots, etc., 
etc., always grow admirably, when properly cultivated. 
Much of the land in town twenty-one, ranges eleven and 
twelve, appears, to the passing traveler, of a sandy and thin 
soil; but these poorest lands contain a sufficient amount of 
lime to prevent “ leachingconsequently, the cultivator of 
them gets the full value of his manures. 
The poorest lands in the county were entered upon and im¬ 
proved by the first settlers, simply because they were the most 
easily brought under cultivation. The more tenacious and 
richer soils, requiring more labor and expense to remove the 
grubs and stone, and subdue the land, were left to a later day. 
In the absence of manufactories for furnishing necessary 
farming implements and machinery, and also for furnishing 
necessaries for a comfortable subsistance, the agriculturalists 
of the county have been, and are still under the imperative 
