Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-07-29
LETTER FROM MINNESOTA.

It will be my object in this letter to
give those who may read it, description
of the soil and profile of the southern
part of Minnesota. Starting from the
city of Winona on the Mississippi river,
we will pass through the several eoun,
ties to Mobiles county, in the southwest
part of the state, thus getting the roll
ing prairies of the eastern and the large,
level plains of the western part of the
state. e
The city of Winona is situated on the
bottom lands of the Mississippi, with high
bluffs on either side of the river; those
on the eastern side rising into irregular
and stony hills those on the western
are regular and not so high, and bound
the broad, rolling prairies that lay be-.
tween the Mississippi and Des Moines
rivers. These prairies are intersected
by the Minnesota, Blue Earth, and sew
eral other rivers and creeks and dotted
with innumerable lakes and ponds.
The eastern prairies are well watered,
and the larger streams are lined with
heavy growth of timber, consisting prin-
cipally of black walnut, cottonwood, elm,
oak and white maple. Maple, cotton
wood and elm are used mostly for fire.
wood, while the other varieties are used
for lumber and fencing,
After passing the northern part of the
Des Moines river the prairies, become
more level until we are west about eight
miles, when it becomes almost dead
level as far as the eye can reach. The
lakes decrease in number and increase
in size, and the creeks are small and
crooked. Timber is found only on the
borders of large lakes, and then it is of
an inferior quality and in small quanti-
ties.
In going across the southern part of
the state we find variety of soils; yet
all seem equally fertile and well adapted
to the raising of grain and grass, We
find the soil on the Mississippi to be a
black sand, composed principally of slick,
limestone and argalicious chist colored
by decayed vegetable matter. AS We
ascend the bluffs on the west and 60 out
ON the prairies the sand disappears, and
black alluvial soil is found almost en-
tirely free from grit, and when dry will
burn similar to the swamp muck of YER
mont. The subsoil is of blueish yell
low color, composed of clay and loan,
with very few stones. This soil is dense
and absorbs moisture very slow, thus
preventing the soil from teaching. In
many places we find large beds of par
TALLY decayed sea-shells, which furnish
abundant proof that what is now dry
prairie was once the bed of large body
of water. This soil is found between
the Mississippi and the big bend of the
Minnesota, and in the valleys of the lar
ger streams in the southeastern part OF
the state. The high prairies back from
the streams have similar soil, with
more sand and few stones. Along the
Minnesota there are high rocky bluffs
containing silicious limestone. The rocks
here are found in regular horizontal lay.
ers, with seams running through perpen.
{ dicularly, so that in many places they
, represent walls of masonry. These rocks
are easily quarried and make excellent
building stones, many of them requiring
, no dressing. A few miles back from
the river we find red sand stone, anC
back of this the black mucky soil. Ou
{ on the level prairie. in the western coun
, ties, the soil is lighter colored. owing t.
; the presence of considerable white sane
I which renders the soil more lively ant
DRYER Thus it is evident to all that n,
soil can be better adapted to agricultur
q than that of Southern Minnesota. |
S contains every element necessary for tn
cultivation of the cereals as we'll as man,
fruits.
f In my next | will give description
. of the methods of building up home il
); the West
f g. H. DEwING