The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-29
Conditions Indicate That Northern
Wisconsin Will Become Such.
AN AMPLE COLD WATER SUPPLY
And an Abundance OF Foods for
Both Summer and Winter
Feeding.

Northern Wisconsin, says student OF
the region, will some day become one OF
the great dairy regions of America, II
only the people will bend their energies
in the right direction and concentrate
their efforts upon the production OF high
grade dairy products. Let us look care
fully into the requisite of true dairy
country, and see il Northern Wisconsin
meets the demand.
First of all there is that prime requ1-
site for fine butter and cheese, namely, an
ample supply of pure, cold water, every
where accessible. Northern Wisconsin is
uneXcelled in the great abundance OF pure
cold water in her thousands Of lakes, her
many rivers, brooks and springs; indeed,
the water. supply will meet the require
ments of the most exacting in its guam
tity, purity and GOODNESS.
The second requisite is an abundance OF
wholesome stock foods, in good variety
for summer and winter feeding. In sum-
mer time the dairy cattle OF Northern
Wisconsin will find in it's pastures the fin
est of grasses and clOyers, for the crop
ping. Red and white clover flourish, and
timothy and bluegrass pastures are as
prevalent and productive as anywhere
further south. The pasture season for
cattle is not SO long in the far north by
about one month as in the extreme south
ern part of the state, but while they last,
these pastures are not eXcelled by those
in any her part of our country. For
winter forage the dairyman can provide
an abundance of fodder corn, clover and
timothy hay, pea straw, oat hay, root
crops and silage from corn and clover.
This gives him a list OF coarse forage
equal in variety and quality to that pos
sessed by dairymen farther south. The
abundance of these crops is only measured
by the ambition OF the farmer in pro-
ducing them.
Grain Grows, Too.
But dairy COWS must have grain as we'll
as coarse forage; here the farmer suffers
nothing in comparison with dairymen
elsewhere. Over much OF the north In
dian corn will ripen. giving that feed in
abundance. Then there are oats, which
give a sure crop Of fine grain, and barley
yields an abundance of grain excellent for
COW feeding. The yield of peas at the
north is far in excess of what can be
gathered from this crop farther south,
and pea meal furnishes a cow feed of the
strongest character. The railways lead
to the milling centers of Minneapolis and
Superior, making it an easy possibility for
dairy farmers to secure bran and shorts
to supplement the grains grown on the
farm.
A Cheese Country.
No one who has carefully studied the
subject and observed what has taken place
In other countries, and what is occurring
In a small way at present in our new
\, north. will seriously deny the assertion
that some day Northern Wisconsin will
rank as the foremost cheese district in
America. if not in the world. The fine
cheese districts of Europe and America
are not in the warm regions, but rather
in those where the nights are cool, the
waters pure and cold and the grasses
possess a high nutritious value. While
southern Minnesota, southern Wisconsin
northern Illinois and Iowa may remain the
great centers Of butter production for this
country. these districts cannot hope tc
complete with northern Wisconsin in the
quality of the cheese which may be pro-
duced there for the reason that the most
nutritious of grasses, the coolest of wat
ers and the temperate sun of summer
are all necessary for the production OF
milk which shall go to make cheese carry
ing the purest flavors, and northern Wis
consin has all of these in marked de-
gree. This adaptation to the production
of fine cheese is a heritage to this regior
from which it can never be parted; anc
when northern Wisconsin shall have its
cheese industry properly developed there
will be millions Of dollars flow into thi:
section each year from the sales of thi:
one line of dairy products.
Favorable Climate.
The climate itself will prove of tn
strongest aids to successful sheep hus
bandry in this favored region: The stead
cold of winter gives appetite, tone ant
vigor to men and animals-more, indeed
to the sheep than any other farm animal
Sleet. slush and mud in winter-the curs
OF the flock in the middle states-ar
quite unknown here. The winter feedin
season is not a week longer than il
northern Illinois, and the reliable graz
ing season not ten days. shorter. The sum
mer, with it's bright, warm days, and cool
restful nights, is a benediction. The mer
curry averages no higher in summer an
no lower in winter than 500 or 800 mile
further south, for the good reason tina
the climate gives greater tone, stimulus
vigor and appetite. For the same reason
the food consumed gives decidedly bette
returns to the feeder. Better still, tn
food required for sheep in this region i
far more cheaply grown on these rich
ltme-laden, virgin soils, where lands ar
but notch or two above government
prices than on high-priced lands 300, so
or 800 miles southwark.