The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1888-02-10
Michigan, ~ ,e,sasssa,
A paper read by r. M. Shepard at I
Farmers' Institute.


Turn your eyes upon the map Of
the United States and you will see
away up near the northern boundary
a group Of three large lakes, two OF
them enclosing large body of land
shaped something like a horseshoe,
and the other stretching away al
nearly right angles toward the north
vest and partly enclosing another
large and irregularly shaped tract OF
land, the two forming the justly cele
brated penipsulas, Of which the beau
tiful and appropriate legend has been
adopted for our State coat OF arms:
'.If you would behold beautiful
peninsula, look around YOU" These
two peninsulas extending from where
the Montreal River pours its dark
food in single fall OF one hundred
feet into Lake Superior, this being
It's extreme northwestern point, to
Lake Huron on the east, with only
four miles of water between the two
at the northwest point Of the Straits
of Mackinaw, and from Lake Erie on
the southeast to the shores Of Lake
Michigan on the west and northwest.
have a geographical position nowhere
else to be found and to which the
State is indebted for good share of
the reputation which she now enjoys
The word Michigan, from MfeA1s,
meaning great, and Sagiosan Lake. IN
the Chippewa language signifying the
land or country of great lake, and
truly, how many of us have ever
thought of the magnitude Of these
lakes and the influence which they
must exert upon our climate
Imagine body Of water covering
an area Of 10000 square miles,
territory larger than tina, Of the Two
great states Of Ohio and Indiana, and
of depth of from 100 to 900 feet
and you will have some idea of the
immense amount of water contained
in the lakes which surround the State.
These large bodies of water becoming
warmed by the Intense heats of sum
mer and giving off that heat more
slowly than the surface of the land,
must have a great influence on the
climate of the interior of the State
These lakes Of pure water, which
have been we'll named the unsalted
seas, lying as they do upon the west.
north and east and fencing US off
from the terrible storms which rage
over other parts of the continent,
temper the excessive cold and heat
and give US climate to be found
nowhere else except upon the sea
coast. The people of the STATE Of
Michigan have no need of cyclone
cellars or tornado insurance CO n
panies and though we have cold
weather, aud enough of it too, still it
is as nothing compared to that of the
far west where the "Frost King"
claims his victims by the thousand.
The area Of the State of Michigan
is given as about $4,000 square miles,
or nearly as large as the six states of
New England taken together, and
considerably larger than the entire
area of England and Wales, larger
than either of the states of New York.
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana or H.
inois with the largest body Of fresh
water on the globe for its northern
boundary and the second largest for
its western, with about 1000 miles Of
lake shore line around which vessels
Of 1000 tons burden may sail without
losing sight of land. With any guam
tity of good harbors and navigable
rivers from which every point Of the
State is accessible at distance rarely
exceeding a hundred miles. With
this water navigation a continuous
line SO that ships may be loaded with
the products of the county and taken
to any part of the world without un-
loading; with climate that has no
equal on the same degree Of latitude,
/ doubt ii you can find anywhere
upon the habitable globe a country,
that IN point Of favorable location
will compare at all favorably with
that of Michigan.
Perhaps the most important thing
to be considered in speaking of the
advantages of state. i, its relation TO
agriculture and for various reasons the
State of Michigan can take leading
position as a farming State 1t is a
well known fact that while the more
western states and especially the
prairie country possess soil of won.
derful fertility. still being of nearly
the same quality over large tracts Of
land and capable of producing bui
few varieties Of produce and some
time those of but little money value
the real worth of this sol. is but small
when compared with those Of our
State, whose great diversity enables
the farmer TO raise all the varied pro
auctions of the temperate zone.
For instance in great portion of
the prairie country the soil is black
loan VIII oh is adapted principally to
the raising of corn while here NAV