The new era., 1860-03-15
Minnesota Climate, Soil. Pro
ductionS.

ductions.
We last week copied several para
graphs from Judge Meeker's well writ
ten letter to Hon. Horace Greely, il
relation to the climate, soil and produc
tions of Minnesota. We copy again a.
follows:
The Upper Missippi BY this / near
so much of the Valley Of the Upper Mis-
sissippi as lies north ofthe Falls of St
Anthony. On the east side, or left hano
of this river, from its source to the Fall:
the s,il is generally superior. and ye'
there are many portions of it that a re
good and yield well. On the west side,
however, the soil is not only good but
generally excellent. The Sauk River
Valley, the Crow River valley and its
branches, are not surpassed in fertility
and productivenesss in any Western
State. This region is not only well
settled but populcus, and is very pro-
ductive in wheat, rye, oats, corn and
potatoes, which are shipped in large
quantities from the Falls to St. Louis,
the most accessible and best market.
The ST, Peters or Minnesota Valley
This is an immense district OF agricul-
ture and grazing lands. stretching south
westerly first, and then north westerly,
embracing tract Of some five hundred
miles, fertile in corn wheat barley, oats,
and potatoes, all of which are easily
and cheaply foated to the Mississippi,
thence South to the best market.
Lower Minnesota, or all that country
lying west of the Mississippi and south
of the St. Peters or Minnesota River,
including the very rich and fertile
country drained by the Blue Earth
This whole country is well settled and
very fertile in corn and wheat.
The crops that do best in Minnesota
are wheat rye, barley, oats, potatoes,
and corn-the latter not always a cer-
tain crop. The average yield Of wheat
this year is supposed to be twenty five
bushels to the acre, the largest average
of any State in the Union.
OF the Lake Superior region he says:
The Lake Superior region or the
region extending some sixty miles
around the head Of the great lake that
bears that name. This district is for
the most part woodland. Most Of the
soil is thin, low, and wet with here
and there fertile locality of hard
wood, as ash, sugar-maple, and elm,
having clay or hard-pan aubsoil.
But little Of this region is at present
settled. and it is generally unknown to
the emigrating public, as no road has
yet been compIeted-from Superior City
to the Mississippi-a distance Of eighty
miles only. 1t is to be regretted, and
the Government is to be blamed, that it
has never constructed this road either
for military postal purposes, as well as
for calling into requisition and settle
ment large tract of the public domain
thus uniting, by comparatively small
expense, the two great valleys Of the
continent, the Lake and Mississippi 1t
would be essentially National High
way and would speepily force into settle
ment all the cultivable land between the
two mighty waters. This too, is the
mineral. the copper, and iron district IF
Minnesota-tt.e only region in America
where copper is found in massive purity.
When the slumbering wealth of this re-
gion shall be appreciated and capital
and operatives shal! have found lodg-
ment in this portion of Minnesota, ag-
riculture in this vicinity will find an
inc xhaustible market and rich reward
at the head of the lake.