Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-01-16
POSSIBLE WATER SUPPLIES
For Cranberry Culture in Adams,
Portage, Wood, Jackson, Mon
roe and Juneau Counties.
SUPPLIES
by Prof. f. II. King, of Madison

y y
Monroe counties the equivalent
OF from fifteen to twenty town
ships of what in former years
were marsh lands, wet enough
to require drainage in order to fit
them to produce native marsh
hay, and large areas of which
were naturally supplied with
water in such quantity as to in
sure remunerative crops of cram
berries.
1t seems to be the nearly unani-
nous verdict of those who are
familiar with the needs of the
cranberry plant that the only
obstacles standing in the way of
developing a large and highly
productive acreage of cranberries
on these lands are the scarcity of
water and lack of intelligent
management. All, too, appear
to be equally unanimous in the
conviction that with the water
which is likely to be available
from natural sources it is useless
to think longer of pushing this
industry anywhere in the region
III other than exceptional locali-
ties.
On the other hand, these lands
have SO far dried out during the
past five years as to render a
large proportion of them firm
enough for agricultural purposes
without drainage and enough
has already been done in the way
OF testing their general produc-
tiveness under present conditions
of moisture to furnish a fair
foundation for hope of reason
able success in this direction,
provided the water conditions
remain as they now are.
Ought therefore the cranberry
industry in this region to be
largely abandoned and attention
be directed mainly to problems
of general farming? A correct
and early answer to this import
ant question is greatly to be
desired, and not simply by the
people Immediately interested in
these lands but by the state at
large and the whole country as
well, for the cranberry is an I'M
portant fruit.
WHY THE MARSHES HAVE BE
COME DRY.
Let us first inquire into the
conditions which have brought
about q general lowering of the
water table of the region to the
extent of three to six feet. That
such a change has taken place
there can be no question; and
several factors have worked con-
Jointly to bring it about.
The first factor in the order of
magnitude, without much doubt,
is a falling off III the amount of
the mean annual rainfall. We
have accurate and continuous
records of the rainfall at various
places surrounding the region
under consideration, as at Du-
buque, La Crosse, st. Paul,
Duluth, Marquette, Milwaukee
and Madison, extending over a
period OF nearly twenty-five years
and when we compare the mean
annual rainfall of these places for
the whole of this period with the
rainfall of the past five years at
the same places there is seen to
be mean deficiency of about 46
IN. per annum, or a total de-
tclency for the five years of %. As
inches. 1t is safe to assume that
a shortage equal to this has
occurred in Central Wisconsin.
With such a shortage i'll the rain
tall, when the drainage outlets
have not been diminished, it is
evident that the level of the
ground water must subside and
must continue to do so if the
rainfall does not increase, Or the
deficiency be made good in some
other way.
The second factor which has
tended to lower the level of the
ground water is the very large
destruction of the moss, hunus
and underground both upon and
to the north of the region, which
has resulted from fires and the ak.
The destruction of these materials
has largely reduced the impound-
ing OF the rain and melted snow,
allowing it both to drain away
into the streams and to evapor-
ate much more rapidly than was
possible under the earlier con-
ditions. These are permanent
changes which the future must
tend 70 augment rather than to