Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/706

 682 WISCONSIN part of the state ; and copper ores have been discovered in fissures in Iowa and Crawford counties. Two ores of zinc, associated with the lead, have been smelted at Mineral Point. Limestone suitable for polishing (or marble) has been found; the drift affords clay suit- able for the coarser wares and for brick ; beds of peat and of shell marl occur in the marshes and beds of ancient lakes. Carnelians and agates are picked up among the pebbles of the lake shores, and are found associated with the trap rocks. The mean annual tempera- ture of the southern and more settled portion of the state is 46 F. ; mean temperature of winter, 20 ; of spring and autumn, 47 ; and of summer, 72. The waters of Lake Michi- gan materially affect the temperature of the counties along its shores, moderating both the excessive heat of summer and the cold of win- ter; and hence the temperature of January at Milwaukee is found on the Mississippi river half a degree of latitude further S., and that of July at St. Paul, 2 further N. The N. part of this lake only is covered with ice in winter, which never reaches as far S. as Mil- waukee. The Milwaukee river remains closed on an average about 100 days, from the end of November to the middle of March. Snow always falls in the north before the occurrence of heavy frosts, protecting the ground and the roots of plants from freezing, and accelerating the growth of vegetation in the spring. In the south snow often lies to the depth of 12 to 18 in., but some winters pass almost without snov. The prevailing winds of spring are from N. E. ; of summer, S. W. ; of autumn and win- ter, W. The winters are cold, mostly uniform, with many clear dry days; the springs are backward, the summers short and hot, the au- tumns mild and almost always pleasant. The annual quantity of rain and melted snow is about 32 in. The barometer varies in its ex- tremes from 28 to a little above 30 in., the mean being about 29'5 in. The fauna of Wis- consin embraces the elk, deer, bear, beaver, fisher, wolf, otter, wild cat, porcupine, striped gopher, bat, mole, squirrel, pouched rat, &c. The buffalo, wild turkey, and some other spe- cies are extinct. The larger birds are the gold- en and bald eagles, great white owl, quail, par- tridge ; the spruce, willow, prairie, and sharp- tailed grouse ; woodcock, wild goose, ducks in great numbers and varieties, pelican, loon, &c. Pigeons are abundant. Great quantities of fish are annually caught in Lakes Superior and Michigan, as well as in the smaller lakes and rivers; among these the most important are the white fish, trout, siskiwit, mnskallonge, pickerel, and perch ; the most curious are the billfish and the spoonbill sturgeon. The flora of Wisconsin embraces about 150 species of compound flowering plants (sunflowers, &c.), which formerly occurred so abundantly in the prairies and open districts as often to give a yellow hue to the landscape in the latter part of the flowering season. Nearly all the N. half of the state abounds in pine, balsam, hem- lock, and other cone-bearing evergreen trees, of which the lofty white pine is the most com- mon. The great prairies of Illinois extend into several of the southern counties of Wis- consin, between which and the heavily tim- bered districts is a region of openings, in which the bur oak (querctis macrocarpa) chiefly abounds. A line drawn from Racine on the W. shore of Lake Michigan in a N. W. direc- tion will mark the boundaries between the openings and the heavily timbered lands. The red oak (Q. rubra) is the only species of oak that extends as far N. as the shores of Lake Superior. The ancient earthworks, so abun- dant in the western states, assume in Wiscon- sin imitative forms, being intended to represent the human figure, or that of some of the more familiar animals. These are usually combined and associated with circular mounds and ridges running in straight or curved lines. The most important and best known are those at A/.ia- lan in Jefferson co., where a space of I7f acres is enclosed by a wall of earth and burnt clay (not proper brick), supported at regular inter- vals by mounds or buttresses. Fragments of rude pottery are often found, with arrow heads of flint, and stone axes, pipes, &c. Wiscon- sin is in the front rank of agricultural states. Agriculture is encouraged by annual legisla- tive appropriations to the state agricultural so- ciety, and to each of the county societies. Ac- cording to the federal census of 1870, the state contained 11,715,321 acres of land in farms, of which 5,899,348 were improved, 8,437,442 woodland, and 2,378,536 other unimproved land. The total number of farms was 102,904, and the average size 114 acres. There were 10,955 containing between 10 and 20 acres, 40,064 between 20 and 60, 80,060 between 50 and 100. 15,776 between 100 and 500, 112 be- tween 500 and 1,000, and 32 over 1,000. The cash value of farms was $300,414,064, and of farming implements and machinery $14,289,- 864. The total estimated value of farm pro- ductions, including betterments and additions to stock, was $78,027,032; value of orchard products, $819,268; of produce of market gar- dens, $226,665; of forest products, $1,327,- 618 ; of animals slaughtered or sold for slaugh- ter, $11,914,643 ; of all live stock, $45,310,882. According to the United States department of agriculture, the principal crops in 1873 were : CROPS. Quantity produced. A venire ylfld per en. No. of cm In each crop. Total value. Indian corn, bush. Wheat. lfi.30M.000 20.82:2,000 80 10-6 M:U,.m i :!:. --'T.i $7,175,520 SfiJJBSJMO Rye 1 240000 15-7 7>''-l 7i;> -IK) Gate 18,^62.000 85 538.914 224400 Barley 1,515.000 20-6
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1,080200 Buckwheat Potatoes -'-:>. 4.94,000 11 71 26.278 69,915 265.880 3,971,200 Tobacco, Ibs Hay, tons... 8.750,000 1 870000 sr 8.571 1058846 225,000 13015000 Total
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$58,814,400