Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-12-03
Wisconsin and Michigan.

Some one has written to the State
Journal the falling comparison OF the
two States
: Two states like Michigan and Wis
consin, lying side by side, ditFeringin
longitude and but little in latitude,
separated about so miles only b. a
great lake, present many striking
differences to those who think.
Their surface reliefs are not great
ly variant. TIE General attitude Of
this state above the ocean is scarce
loo feet less than Wisconsin. Its
river basins differ in running to the
east and west, instead OF north and
south. 1t has no high lands ike the
Platte and Blue Mounds. It's dense
" timbered SO nearly throughout
that its small amount OF prairie lands
are scarcely worth notice as such.
Its northern margin, like Wisconsin,
is open to the sweep OF Polar winds.
Its western coast is lined with a
margin of sand and its eastern with
Il heavy clay. The general tread of
its coast line corresponds nearly with
! that OF the west side OF the lake
The great geological agencies that
scooped the bed Of Green Bay and
Lake Winnebago, and probably of
Rock River, also scooped the bed OF
Saginaw, and OF Grand Traverse, but
! failed to indicate river courses to-
wards The South Yet, in general
contour OF surface, the states are not
| dissmiIar
/ What chiefly marks the two states.
/ is their total dtierance in soil and cli>
mate--a difference not assignable to
the innumerable small lakes, or beds
OF lakes, which are equally common
to both None of the rock strata Of
Wisconsin are found in Michigan; or,
if any, too insi gnificant to be noticed
in this connection. As consequence,
all soil in Michigan differs in some
degree, and especially chemically,
from Wisconsin. While Madison is
but about 500 feet above the prima>
~ rock, Saginaw is, doubtless, nile
| above it, The old rock ribbed ridge
OF granite that MARKS the centrl axis
4
ancient land marhs-apd upon whose
TANKS are grouped the successive
strata OF the state, upon all sides, has
no counterpart here-nor is it known
TO have in the whole valley of the
Mississippi Indeed, Wisconsin was
young "when the morning stars sang
together was dry land count
less ages before tie adjacent states
emerged from the sea.
In climate the two States ditf,r
quite as much as in other things
The northwest winds, so cutting and
dry in Wisconsin, are warm and
moist here. The eastern margin of
| Wisconsin can scarce produce a crop
Of the hardest apples, the western
margin Of Michigan 10 a point as high
as Grand Traverse, north Of Green
Bay, produces in abundance, the fines
peaches, and all kinds of fruits
Upon the immediate lake margin,
and 10 the midst of sand, there is
rarely an exception, or failure from
frosts. Like Wisconsin, The western
side OF the State is the warmest; and
unlike it, it is not the coolest -
Peaches can not be grown in eastern
Michigan, yet most kinds OF fruit can
be grown anywhere in the State
The climate of Michigan is more
moist than Wisconsin with winds
from any direction but the south. On
that side. the same causes act in both
States alike, and drouth in Wiscon>
sin is drouth in Michigan, as wei
as the States south. Michigan, also,
has double the number Of cloudy days
that the other side OF the lake has
Her atmosphere, IN winter, while
not so biting cold, is more raw and
disagreeable, and her permanent
winter snow line extends 100 miles
on an average farther south than
Wisconsin.