into the facts, would find it was produced through the effects of this peculiar chemical material, in its action through the grasses and water of this region. * * * *Any one looking on Prof. Owens’ geological chart of his government survey of this state and Minnesota, will see a small area, colored and marked metamorphic shades. It is no great extent of territory, includes this and Buffalo county, and a portion of Jackson, and about us much in Minnesota. It has been badly cut up through the agencies of erosion, corrosion, and denudation, and probably one-fourth of this area is now composed of arenaceious valleys, practically inexhaustible.” Clover fields, “flowing with milk and honey,” how appropriate. A Wisconsin Dairyman took the first premium on butter at the Worlds fair, at Philedelphia, in 1876; at the World’s Exposition at New Orleans, in 1880, in dairy products, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota stands at the head; and the head centre of which, when once developed, is our palestine. In cheese products, at New Orleans, out of 84 premiums, Wisconsin took 71, amounting to $2,838. On butter, out of 69 premiums, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin took 54, amounting to $3,364, thus leading the world. Thus who can predict the future greatness of our garden, and the region around it; naturally exempt from cyclone—which is beginning to be one of the great terrors of man-kind—as it would require a miracle to leap a cyclone from the top of our southwestern wall, down 600 feet, on to the broad Mississippi river—and into a decidedly different atmosphere, the reason already given—and keep a whirling. Thirty years of observation has taught me, that small, single storms pass around us, and larger ones, often, divide, and, no matter how portentous they look, as did the one the other day—since the St Cloud cyclone—which, at first sight, approaching from the southwest, at the right time of day, and frightful blue black color, made the timid ones tremble: but on approaching the garden, it naturally divided, and passed around us, as usual; thus confirming our statement. Not being a believer in the speculative vague theories of modern geologists, I shall leave the discussion of the geological age of our garden to those wiseacres. But simply notice, that according to standard authorities, our hanging garden contains the veritable Potsdam sand stone of the primordial age. And my stone door step, taken from another strata, is a mass of Molusk shells of the tribe of Brachiopods—specimens of the earliest life on earth—the shells “less in size than a finger nail;” (see Dana’s geology page 81) related to the modern Lingula; thus composing a Lingula flag, or Lingula sandstone, of which mine is a slab over 5 feet long, 2 feet wide and six inches thick, the finest specimen I have ever seen, and lies at my front door, free for inspection.