Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1846-02-28
LANCASTER, SATURDAY. FEBRUARY %, ls4e.

the kishwaukie in Illinois, which saw
myself. Now if the frost on that night
at the falls of Chippewa proves tina,
country to be too frosty for corn, does
it not prove the same thing as to Kish-
waukie But will any one believe that
corn and potatoes cannot grow for the
frosts, in the Kishwaukie country p
We all know that 1912 was an unusual
and unfavorable season. But will any
one condemn our entire country on
that account SIS
If Mr.. Spencer alludes to any other
year than 1912, for his frosty residence
at the falls of Chippewa. the testimony
of Lyman w. Warren fatty contra
diets him, for he informed me that
ls42 was the only season for five years,
that he farmed it there, that the frosts
injured his crops.
Mr.. S. says "the soil is of too light
a nature to be well adapted to farming
purposes" Isupposc he means,in his
Judgment. Well, if his judgment as to
the quality OF the soil is as good as his
Judgment as to the size and navigabil-
ity Of the river, the reader is prepared
by this time to duly appreciate it i
have never said that the soil in that
region was equal to that south of the
Wisconsin. The latter | conceive to
be the best ever saw in any country.
But the former is far better than much
soil / have seen cultivated in States
east of this, where people became
wealthy by cultivating it; and ] there
fore infer that they may do SO in the
Chippewa country. The only light
ness was able TO discover in the soil,
is from the mixture of sand (Which is
very necessary in northern climate
to warm the soiD with the mould formed
by the decay of vegetable matter, I'M
less it be on the sandy plains which
border to some extent on the river be-
low the falls. If he alludes to these,
he is correct. But then, in that case,
he alludcs to one place and another.
Those plains do not cover the whole
country.
Mr.. S. speaks of swanps," and OF
/" almost impenetrable forests of quak-
ing asp" ! wish he had told US where
they are. / have travelled by land
from this place to those falls and from
those falls north to the Lake, and west
to the Cedar or Menominee river, and
| saw no such thing as he describes. /
found some swamps and some thickets
of quaking asp, but not worse nor as
bad to pass as swamps and thickets |
have found in Ohio, Pennsylvania, In
diana, Michigan and Illinois. But l
never dreamed that those States could
not and would not be inhabited on that
account. Nay, when the Chippewa
country becomes as densely populated
as the swampy aud forest regions of
those States are, we shall see the weight
of population Of our State north of the
Wisconsin and Fox rivers.
Iwish further, that Mr.. Spencer had
told us what business he was employed
in during the year of his residence at
the falls Of Chippewa he might, there
by, have given US clue to the reason
why he suffered such spain" in eva
ding swamps" and in breaking, crawl
ing and tearing, through those terrible
forests of quaking asps." Ipresume he
was engaged in the lumber business,
because this is what most men are en-
gagged in, in that country. If this be
the fact, then the cat is out of the
wallet !" he was after logs, or possibly
hunting deer. And who does not know
that to get pine logs and hunt deer, a
man may, may must, go through swamps
and thickets, and where the soil is not
good for farming purposes Twill ask
Mr.. Spencer if he found those dread
fui swamps and forests on the prairie,
which extends ten miles south of the
falls, or on that which extends twenty
five miles north OF them? | will ask
him if he ever saw the crops on Mr..
Warren's farm in any other season
than that frosty one Of 1912 ? or if,
even in the frosty season of that year,
he saw and ate of the -four hundred
bushels of potatoes Mr.. Warren raised,
as 1 did
Dir. S. says "between the Mississip.
p; and Kickapoo, and nearly as far
north as the head" of the latter, {" the
country is too broken for farming pur-
poses" Did he ever see or travel that
country since there was road opened
through itl If go, must say the
iaundiced eyes through which he look