Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-03-28

UPPER MICHIGAN.

UPPER MICHIGAN.
Mining regions are proverbially bar
rem and rocky, and the Upper Peninsula
OF Michigan-at least that portion Of it
which is 80 productive of iron and cop
performs no exception to this rule. 1t
il old-older than most Of our hills, for
it was the first land that was attached to
the original Laurentian nucleus about
which our continent has been formed.
1t has, in consequence, always been
favorte field for geological study, and
its novel industrial features make it no
less interesting to the ordinary traveller.
The face OF the country is rugged and
scanned and worn. Were it not for its
mineral wealth it would remain perman-
emily wilderness. Lumber companies
would invade here and there, and retire
after having robbed the forest Of the
pine which is found in few scattered
patches. 1t would be an eddy where the
stream Of Western migration had left
q few Indians and woodsmen to subsist
by the methods of primitive life. The
land is generally valueless from the farm
er's point of view, for the soil is light
drift-too light for wheat-and the eli
mate winter modified by season Of
summer weather too short for Indian
corn to ripen. Hay, oats and potatoes
yield the farmer fair return, but the
climate is so rigorous that the securing
OF shelter and fuel calls for so large an
amount of energy that little is left to de-
vote to cultivation. 1t is proof of this
that a very inconsiderable fraction Of the
population attempts to subsist by farm
ing, although the freight from Chicago
is added to the price Of all the staple ar
ticles of production-hay, for instance.
being from 500 to $25 ton, and
milk 10 cents quart. Curiously enough
strawberries and currants reach q per-
lection unknown IN more hospitable
ATTITUDES, Marquette strawberry re-
sembling in size Seckel pear and in
flavor wild strawberry. This is owing,
no doubt, to the fact that in northern
Acknowledgements is about as far
north as Quebec-the few summer days
have from eighteen to twenty hours Of
sunlight and after-glow, and vegetable
growth is virtually uninterrupted by
darkness. Light, the botanists tell US,
bears the same relation to aroma thai
heat does to sweetness. Such strawber.
ries as these must be seen to be appre-
ciated, and must be visited to be seen
for they are TOO large and too delicate
to bear travel themselves.
I have spoken Of the climate as {
winter modified by short summer
The July and August weather 1 car
vouch for as delightful. Even when thu
sun is hottest you feel instinctively tina
there is no Frustrating power in it, ant
the nights are invariably cool. In Jul,
the mean daily range was 10 deg, ant
the monthly range so deg, the loves
recorded temperature being 80 deg
Near the lake the presence of so large
bodyof water, which at Marquette neve
falls below 80 deg, and ON the extrem
northern end of the peninsula neve
below 48 deg, acts an equalizer, an
restricts the range within comparativel
narrow limits. This low temperatur
Of the lake water, which is higher tina
that of any of the streams entering il
precludes the idea of bathing. As
consequence few of the lake sailors CO
swim, and it would be of little avail I
them as means Of saving life if the
could, for the most robust man il L
falls into Lake Superior chills and die
in few moments. The numerous trol
streams in the woods are of an icy coli
ness. The snow, which falls to dept
Of six or seven feet, melts and sinks I'M
the sandy ground, to reappear fro
deep-seated springs with temperatu
OF 80 deg, which is exactly equal to Il
average annual temperature OF the plac
The thick forests prevent the sun fro
warming the ground or the water. Al
finally the lake is 30 deep-.its bed reac
ing several hundred feet below the lev
Of the sea-that the summer mir has |
lie effect on it before it is again CO
cred with ice. There is no other pla
OH the globe where 80 large body
cold fresh water lies at IN elevation
six hundred feet above the sea. T.
air in contact with this deep, chill
water seems to acquire peculiar vivii
ing and refreshing quality, quite impc
sible to describe, but very easy to a
preciate. Here must be the great SUI
mer sanitarium or cooling-off place (
Chicago and Milwaukee,. JoilnsO
T., IN Harper's Magazine.