Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-02-11


These clay beds are not impprvions
aud by capillary attraction water
is drawn through them from below
and in IL measure the plant growth
is thus supplied with water during
the dry se;lson; hence grazing holds
out during the mid summer SEA
son. AS il does not in IA eouutrs
where the soil is uuderltid with
gravel beds. Ii seems 10 be Il
generally accepted idea that our
pasture season is IA good deal
shorter than I hat of southern Mis-
consin. | believe tins Is ~ mis-
taken idea, 50 far as The southern
portion of Northern Wisconsin is
concerned There IS really very
little difference in climate. The
atmosphere is dryer in winter and
the cold and wind are not feltaS
they are in the more open country
south Of us. On November 10Th
last / drove several Fond ,lu Lac
and Green Lake county farmers
over part of Marathon county.
Everywhere we went they won
dered To see the cattle feeding on
good pasiurage. They had little
idea of the country but what sur
prised them most WAS the good
pasturagP. They told me their
pastures had given out some time
before.
Oats and barley, very necessary
crops for dairy and stock country,
are among our best crops, l will
speak of them more fully later on.
All root crops do we'll clear TO the
northern limits of the state. Pump
kins, squashes, and vegetables of
that kind are also Il sure crop, as
are flint and forage corn.
So we have all The essentials for
II great dairy county; water in
abundance, the best of pasturage
and winter feed. During the past
six Years more and more attention
has been paid TO dairying and all
through our southern district
creameries have been put in, many
of them on the cooperative plan.
All are paying Investments and
great source of education to our
farmers. Wherever located, they
have melted the farmers on to
better methods of farming and TO
an improvement and enlargement
of their cattle herds.
To show how the co operative
creameries are working, | have the
figures Of the amount of butter
manufactured in the four months
of April. May, June and July, 1900
and 1901. in four Marathon county
creameries. For these months, III
1900, 62,50l pounds Of butter were
manufact ured; in 1901 the record
was I00,4 pounds. | took these
months because they were the only
ones for which | had The figures for
all these creamerieS. The first
cooperative creamery built in our
county was in 1898. We now
have about fifteen. At first none
of them ran during the winter
months; today "a number run the
year round and the output is CON
tinually increasing. " hat is,true
of Marathon, is true, | understand.
of a number of the counties in this
southern belt. Cheese factories
are not so numerous, although
few have already established
name for their products. In 1895
Prof. Henry predicted that north
ern Wisconsin would rank as one
of the greatest cheese centerS in
America, if not in the world. He
based this prediction largely on
the pure cold water supply in
which we excel the districts fur
Their south, while at the same time
We have all the otherrequirements
which they have for Il cheese coun-
try. He says further. "while
southern Minnesota. southern Wis
consin, northern Illinois and Iowa,
will remain the great centeIs of
butter production for this country,
these districts cannot hope to com
pete with Northern Wisconsin in
the quality of cheese which may
be produced there, for the reason
that in this great butter region the
summer days are hot and the
waters which the cows must drink
becomes quite warm; these con
ditions shut this region out for
ever from entering into serious
competition with our new north in
the manufacture of cheese of the
highest grade" | do not dare set
myself up against such high au
thority rs Prof Henry, but from
what expert butter buyers tell me
about our home butter, think we
are going to join you southerners
and become IA part of "the great
center of butter production" More
of our farmer boys will have to at
tend the agricultural school at
Madison before We can hope TO be
annexed to this center.
Stock raising for beef requires
corn in addition to the crops
spoken of as requisite for dairy
country. We have always raised
flint corn with succrss as far back
AS can remember. but it is only !
in recent years that our farmers
have realized that they could raise
dent corn To advantage However, |
for "a number of years The sue
fr1l Il
have Increased. Three years aga
at the state fair had e,eral |
varieties of this corn from Mara
lhon county One day | found my /
wifi, " no was helping to look after
the exhibit, ready To fight with "A
southern Wisconsin farmer, who |
accused her OF packing caucus, by |
importing this corn. lie said he |
had been in Northern VI l>,unSin /