The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-07-24
Farming in the North

The northern part of our state is
now settling up rapidly with thrift
ty, progressive class of people for
the most part, If these settlers will
only from the beginning direct their
attention to the right lines of indus
try. there will be prosperity and
contentment from the start; if they
choose the wrong ones, they will not
succeed. Northern Wisconsin is
pre-eminently a grass and clover
country, and this fact is the basis of
its prosperity Kentucky blue
grass, timothy, orchard grass and
redtop all.fourish in all amazing de-
gree. Red-clover, aslike and white
clover, grow as freely as they do in
the southern part of the state and
red aslike clover do not kill out near
ly SO frequently as with US, because
the north snow more uniformly
covers the ground and there is less
freezing and thawing during the
winter seasons. Let the settlers
begin to rely upon grass and clover
as one Of his first aids as soon. as he
begins farming. Oats and rye are
good grain crops for the north. No
farmer should think of regularly
growing timothy for sale, although
it is well enough to part with some
timothy hay for cash when prices
are good However. the farmer
who follows up hay growing as a
business will some day make fail
IRE to the end He should raise
hay TO feed his cattle and sell their
products, and not sell hay directly.
Dairying is found to be the leading
industry in Northern Wisconsin,.
This is made possible because Of the
abundant grasses and clover, cheap
building material, pure, cool waters
in abundance. and climate which
makes certain the highest grade of
dairy products, where intelligent
management prevails. While both
butter and cheese can he made most
eously III our New North, I
urge cheese production as q special
ty. It requires better and purer
milk to make high-9rade butter, and
the highest grades of cheese will com
mand relatively more money than
butter because Of the more limited
area in which such cheese can be
successfully manufactured Every
time [ hear of a cheese factory be-
ing built in our New North, [ feel
assured that the farmers of that re-
gion will in time take out tens of
thousands yes, hundreds of thou
sands-of dollars from this under
taking. It means a cash income
month after month throughout all
the growing season to the farmers
who patronize such an institution.
Let the Northern Wisconsin farmer
determine 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 eff his farm.
Root crops flourish to an amazing
degree in the New North. This is
because of the excellent combination
of favorable soil and climate condi-
lions. Potatoes will always be the
leading money crop in the north.
Let the farmer arrange to plant a
given area of potatoes each year,
regardless of whether the market
for that crop is high or low. Occa-
sionally the crop will have to be
sold for less than cost of production,
generally it will bring more money
then it costs to produce, and occa-
sionally there will be extra large re-
turns. But the potato grower must
always be clover grower and keep
err of cattle, in order that the fertili-
ty OF the farm nay be maintained
and large crops of potatoes pro-
duced.
The writer is frequently asked if
Indian corn can ever be grown in
our New North proftably. The
time was when the early settlers of
Grant and Kenosha counties dis
cussed the same question. The ear
" settlers wondered whether or not
corn could ever be successfully
grown in southern Wisconsin. Lat
err the same subject was discussed in
Dodge and Calumet counties. Now
it is going on much further north,
with probably the same result as in
the past. The writer has in his
Office ears of we'll ripened corn
grown by the Indians ia Forest
county. This corn was ripe the
first of September. In the little
clearing of the settlers there are Of
ten midsummer frosts. When these