Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1871-06-16

ishinR SoOd mill powers. From 6acl
of these streams small lateral bran
ches extend into every portion OF tn
country, forming system of drain
age so perfect that not a single marsl
swamp, or scarce stagnant pool o
water can be found any where In tn,
county. These streams not only
form a good system of drainage, bu
they also serve to supply every quar-
ter section with living stock water
an advantage but few portions of tn,
western country enjoy, but oil,
which the farmer knows well how Il
appreciate. Along many of thu
principal streams we have mention
ed, as well as along many of the
smaller ones, run a belt of timber on
either side, varying from few rod,
to mile and half i'm width, anC
composed of the various kinds o.
oak, maple, ash, hickory, walnut
and many other varieties. The bot
tom lands are generally narrow, ant
form the best of meadow lands
From the margin of the streams the
ground rises gradually 10 an altitude
of one hundred feet, forming what Il
termed In this country "the divides
These divides are smooth hills of up.
land prairie, lying equal distances
from the streams on either side, sften
extending many miles without any
perceptible elevation OF depression in
them. Good springs are numerous,
and an abundance of pure water can
be obtained by digging from ten to
thirty feet almost anywhere on the
prairies.
THE CHARACTER OF THE SOIL.
The soil is from one to three feet
deep, ablack, vegetable mould, with
slight mixture of sand, and of al
most inexhaustible fertility. Many
peices Of land near Cedar Falls have
produced many crops Gf corn and
small grain without manure, vet
they produce from forty to sixty
bushels of corn TO the acre, during
anything like favorable seasons
There are thousands of acres of ne
good land az these yet uncultivated,
which can be bought at surprisingly
low prices. a.-aasaaaa-sSg
The wild prsiries arc covered with
rich growth of grass of a very nu-
tritious nature, upon which the
farmers herd their fiocks during the
summer seasons, and from which
hay Is made 70 winter them on, but
little inferior to timothy ;at a trifiilig
cost.
GOOD BUILDING STONE
IL found In many portions of the
county, the best quarries being loca-
ted along the banks OF the Cedar river
These quarries are inexhaustible, the
quality Of stone being the best for
building purposes.
We learn from the Geoloay of
Io,oa that ,"Blaek Hawk county il
underlaid by the Deluylap formation
of rocks. mostly belonging TO the
Hamilton group, aud toward the
western part of the county the Che.
meng makeitsappearahcc.n Z !
p "rhe Theological appearance of
these roekss is that OF maeilasian
limestone. some are Of concretion-
ary nature which makes them unfit
for fner building stone, others again
are susceptible of beautiful polish
which appears suitable for litho-
graphic purposes."a FhsaSo" .'.'''t'' y,
"The ancient organic remains
found In the limestone rock of the
Cedar river are Of peculiar interest TO
the paIeontologist ana consist of
corals, shells. sea-weeds, and spines,
teeth, plate, ETC., OF ganoid fishes !;
also reptiles tseth and jaws of those
sword fishes so prevalent throughout
the world during the era Of the old
red sandstone formation. In digging
for water on the high rolling prairies
of Black Hawk county, mass of
ancient soil and timber is found
thirty feet beneath the surfsce. -
From the partly carbonized appear
ance of the timber, IL Is hard to de.
termine Its varieties; but willow,
cedar and oak seem to have grown
there prior to the diluvian formation
Of our prairies." sa,
"Some beautiful specimens of Gale
spar are found among the concretion-
airy limestone, very pretty cornelions
and agates are found among the
river gravel"
"The boulder rocks found on the
prairie are composed Of granite.
gneiss, mica, chist, quartz and green
stone, and must have been carried to
their present position from the north
western mountain ranges by means
OF Ice.
PRODUCTS.
Owing to the great fertility of the
soil and Its light fertile nature, II Is
peculiarly adapted to raising all
kinds of cerials, such as coin, wheat,
oats, rye, barley, fax. etc. Vegeta-
hes grow luxuriently here when
properly cultivated. Most Of our
farmers are planting orch, rds, and a
few Of them are beginning 10 bear.-
Some difficulty Is experienced In
raising some' Of the fruits such as
peaches. but most others do remark
ably well. Apples, grapes, cherries
and all the small fruits grow to great
perfection and fine flavor. The
county Is not excelled in this latitude
for the production Of these fruits.
Besides affording all the require
ments for manufacturing, consisting
Of water, timber, etc.,
\ THE AGRICULTURAL, cARAOlTY
of Black Hawk county is great. The
present figures, below. speak
more eloquently than words can do
In that direction. This statement is
given for the year 1868, and the in
crease having been greater for the
past two years than at any previous
period, statistics for the present year