rties along the lines of the Land Grant
Railroads, and the more recent examinations by the different
commissions for laying out the several State roads under the Acts
passed by the last Legislature, have removed every doubt in reference
to the subject. The universal testimony from all the sources above
mentioned, seems to be that in all the natural elements of wealth the
whole of the northern part of the Peninsula abounds.

The pine lands of the State, which are a reliable source of present
and future wealth, are so located and distributed as to bring almost
every portion of the State, sooner or later in connection with the
commerce of the lakes. The pine timber of Michigan is generally
interspersed with other varieties of timber, such as beech, maple,
white-ash, oak, cherry, etc., and in most cases the soil is suited to
agricultural purposes. This is particularly the case on the western
slope of the Peninsula, on the waters of Lake Michigan and along the
central portion of the State. On the east and near Lake Huron, the
pine districts are more extensively covered with pine timber, and
generally not so desirable for farming purposes. There are good
farming lands, however, all along the coast of Lake Huron and
extending back into the interior.

A large proportion of the pine lands of the State are in the hands of
the Canal Company, and individuals who are holding them as an
investment, and it is no detriment to this great interest, that the
whole State has been thus explored and the choicest of the lands
secured. The developments which have thus been made of the quality and
extent of the pine districts, have given stability and confidence to
the lumbering interest. And these lands are not held at exorbitant
prices, but are sold upon fair and reasonable terms, such as practical
business men and lumber men will not usually object to.

It is a remarkable fact that almost every stream of water in the
State, north of Grand River, penetrates a district of pine lands, and
the mouths of nearly all these streams are already occupied with
lumbering establishments of greater or less magnitude. Those lumber
colonies are the pioneers, and generally attract around them others
who engage in agriculture, and thus almost imperceptibly the
agricultural interests of the State are spreading and developing in
every direction. The want of suitable means of access alone prevents
the rapid settlement of large and fertile districts of our Sta