its banks. There are still numerous excellent locations open to pre-emptors along the railroad. For the benefit of those who imagine that the soil of the Lake Superior country is unfit for cultivation, we subjoin several very interesting letters published in the "Chronicle," from persons who visited many of the settlers, for the purpose of obtaining information in regard to the quality of its soil, and its adaptation to raising grass and vegetables. It must be borne in mind, that the ground was broken up with the hoe, and only in one or two instances a plough was used, and the vegetables were merely raised by way of experiment. William Mann, Esq., in a letter dated October 14, 1856, says: Feeling a strong interest in the progress of agriculture, I have made it my business to examine the crops on the Nemadji river, where, until this season, nothing was grown. I find about thirty acres planted in potatoes, which average one hundred and five bushels to the acre. The Messrs. Wright have about three acres of winter wheat, of a quality better than three-fourths of the wheat grown in the United States. They have raised, also, a good crop of oats. On the river there are crops of turnips, and ruta bagas, that cannot be beat in any part of the Union; and also of most kinds of garden vegetables. I measured onions, grown from seed, that were thirteen inches in circumference, and a crook-necked squash that measured twenty-seven inches long by eleven in circumference; oats, heavily-corned and fully ripe, sixty inches in height,` and tomatoes weighing one pound each. "We must bear in mind that, as yet, the crops have been put in with the hoe, and I know of but two small spots where the plough-share has touched the soil. We may call this the first year's planting, and it has been demonstrated that we can raise large crops of hay, wheat, oats, peas, beans, salad, radishes, cucumbers, turnips, beets, carrots, and parsnips." Another correspondent, T. L. F., in a letter dated Oct. 21, 1856, says:— "I have taken the liberty of placing before you a few reliable facts concerning the progress which is being made upon claims on the banks of the Nemadji river alone, passing over, for the present, the "many openings" between this and the St. Louis river. During the past week I have visited all the claims (or, I might say, farms) upon the banks of the Nemadji, upon which clearings have been made and crops raised this year, and from a close personal examination of the same, and from information derived from the occupants, I am enabled to give you an accurate account of the different crops raised, the amount of each, and the number of acres cleared. "I will first ask your attention to the claim of Mr. Patrick Fay. Here I found some twelve acres of land well cleared, and upon it three good hewn log houses, which are occupied by his mother, sisters, and three brothers. The amount of potatoes raised upon this place was three hundred and fifty bushels; turnips, about fifty bushels; and a small patch of beets and onions. The onions were raised from the seed, and the day I was there Mr. Fay pulled for me two that measured each thirteen inches in circumference. "From this place I went about two miles down the river to the claim of Mr. T. L. Fitch, who has about eight acres under cultivation; he commenced clearing his land the first day of June, and, by the time it was ready to plant, the season was almost too far advanced; however, he has raised about sixty bushels of potatoes, and fifteen of turnips, besides eight tons of hay on a meadow near the river. The next claim, half a mile below, is the one upon which the old warehouse' of the American Fur Company stands. This house was used long ago by the Company for storing their supplies, but is now deserted, and in a very dilapidated condition. This claim is owned by Mr. James Wright, who has cut forty tons of hay from a meadow near the river. "Two claims a short distance back from the Nemadji are worthy of notice. One of them, belonging to Mr. E. C. Clark, is a very promising farm, the land being well adapted to agricultural purposes; over five acres are cleared, on which he has raised sixty bushels of potatoes, besides a promising crop of oats and turnips, which were entirely destroyed by cattle, the fences having been broken down in several places. "The next claim I visited was that of Mr. Daniel Wright. Here I found a farm in real earnest. over sixty acres of land cleared, and a great portion of it in crops. He has raised, of wheat, sixty bushels; of oats, thirty bushels; turnips, fifty bushels (some of them weighing ten pounds); parsnips, seventy-five bushels; potatoes, four hundred bushels; onions, two bushels; and hay, ten tons. This is the largest clearing in Nemadji township, and better land cannot be found anywhere. I have seen Mr. Wright dig a bushel of potatoes from seven hills, and I think the average of his crop will yield a bushel to every ten hills. From one hill he dug fifty-eight potatoes, and this, from new land, which has never been ploughed, I think is a very fair yield. "From the Wrights I went to the claim of Mr. W. F. Robinson, who has a little over two acres cleared, on which he raised twenty-five bushels of potatoes, one hundred bushels of turnips, and two tons of hay. "Adjoining Mr. Robinson is the claim of Mr. Wm. Crawford, who has two acres cleared, and cut eighteen tons of hay from one meadow on his place. "From this I visited the farm of Mr. Wm. E. Slayton. The river runs through this claim, and he has a house and a clearing on each side; upon one side eight acres are under cultivation, upon which were raised two hundred and fifty bushels of potatoes, nine hundred heads of cabbages, and fifty bushels of turnips. Crossing the river, I examined the other clearing of over three acres; here he had raised six hundred bushels of potatoes, and larger potatoes I never saw. On the 18th of June, Mr. Slayton planted some peas, beans, and corn, all of which came to maturity, and looked well. He also raised half a barrel of large and fine cucumbers, ten bushels of beets, five tons of hay, and small quantities of pumpkins, squashes, carrots, parsnips, vegetable oysters, lettuce, etc., for the sake of experiment, all of which came to maturity, and grew large and fine. One parsnip, which was pulled up for me last Saturday, measured thirty-two inches; this was not its entire length, as the end remained in the ground; a beet pulled at the same time measured twenty inches. The next place I visited was that of Mr. Ira F. Holt, who has eight acres of land cleared, on which he raised four hundred bushels of potatoes, one hundred and fifty of turnips, and two of tomatoes. He also cut sixteen tons of hay on one meadow. "But I fear I am trespassing on your good nature, and will therefore close this for the present, although I have not yet spoken of Mr. Burbank's place, upon which he has raised a large crop of potatoes, turnips, pumpkins, etc., nor that of Mr. Nettleton, and others. "From a recapitulation of these few claims, we find that of Land cleared, there is........ 66 turnips......... 118 acres. 2130 240 "You will perceive that potatoes and turnips are the principal crops raised-all the others being pretty much for the sake of experimenting." Mr. F. H. Chasseur, horticulturist, in a letter dated March 24, 1857, says: "Having, like many other fortune-seekers, travelled over all your great republic, I finally, by the advice of a gentleman of Kentucky, steered my course to Superior, where I found everything more satisfactory than I expected. I did not come to this place for the sake of speculation, but to get a home to proceed in the works of nature. "Many times I have been astonished to hear individuals coming from still further northern climates say, "but it is no farming country." I would beg strangers not to judge the dog by his hair;' examine first, and you will find your error. The soil in and around Superior contains from ten to twenty-five per cent. of marl, and a far better alkali than we find in the animal manure, and a property you will not find in your black soil. Yes, gentlemen, in a soil like the one we have here, when properly worked, one is able to produce almost anything. I think, for my part, that in the many fine species of vegetables that were exhibited at your office last fall, we already have had satisfactory proof of this assertion. They were, indeed, a grand show; and far better than I have seen or raised myself in the older States, where I followed gardening for fourteen years. Farmers well know that snow is a fertilizer, and small grain protected during the winter months is sure of pro |