Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1902-06-21
FARMING IN THE NORTH.

The northern half of our state, says
the Wisconsin Agriculturist, is now
settling up rapidly with thrifty, pro-
gressive class of people for the most
part. If these settlers will only from
the beginning direct their attention to
the right lines of industry, there will
be prosperity and contentment from
the start; if they choose the wrong
lines they will not succeed. Northern
Wisconsin is pre-eminently grass and
clover country, and this fact is the ba-
sis of it's prosperity.
Kentucky bluegrass, timothy, orch
ard grass and redtop all flourish in an
amazing degree. Red clover, alsike
and white clover grow as freely as
they do in the southern part of the
state, and red and alsike clover do not
kill out in winter nearly so frequently
as with us, because the north SHOWS
more uniformly cover the ground and
there is less freezing and thawing dur
ing the winter season. Let the settler
begin to rely upon grass and clover as
one of his first aids as soon as he be-
gins farming. Oats and rye are good
grain crops for the north. No farmer
should think of regularly growing
timothy for sale. although it is we'll
enough to part with some timothy hay
for cash when prices are good. How
49, Gov 1uh fo1lnus hoU
growing as business will make fall
ure of farming in the end. He should
raise hay to feed his cattle and sell
their products, and not sell hay di-
rectly.
Dairying is found to be the leading
| industry in northern Wisconsin. This
is made possible because of the abund-
ant grasses and clovers, cheap building
material, pure, cool waters in abund-
ance, and climate which makes GER
tain the highest grade of dairy pro-
ducts where intelligent management
prevails. While both butter and
cheese can be made most advantageous
ly in our new north, [ urge cheese pro-
duction as speciality. 1t requires bet
ter and purer milk to make high-grade
cheese than to make high-grade butter,
aud the highest grade of cheese will
command relatively more money than
butter because of the more limited
area in which such cheese can be sue
cessfuly manufactured. Every time
hear of a cheese factory being built in
our new north, | feel assured that the
farmers of that region will in time
take out tens of thousands-yes, hun
dreds of thOusands-of dollars from
this undertaking. It means cash IN
come month after month throughout
all the growing season to the farmers
who patronize such an institution. Let
/ the Northern Wisconsin farmer deter
/ mine at once that he will keep COWS
and have some cash income every
month in the year. This will enable
him to meet all the ordinary expenses
of his farm
Root crops flourish to an amazing
degree in the New North. This is be-
cause of the excellent combination of
| favorable soil and climatic conditions.
Potatoes will always be the lea ding
money crop in the north. Let the far
mer arrange to plant a given area OF
potatoes each year, regardless OF
whether the market for that crop is
high or low, Occasionally the crop
will have to be sold for less than the
cost of production, generally it will
bring more money than it costs to pro-
duce, and occasionally there will be ex-
ira large returns. But the potato
grower must always be a clover grower
and keeper of cattle, in order that
the fertility of the farm may be main
tanned and large crops of potatoes pro-
duced.
The writer is often asked if Indian
corn can ever be grown in our New
North proftably. The time was when
the early settlers of Grant and Keno
sha counties discussed the same ques-
ton. The early settlers wondered
whether or not corn could ever be sue