Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-08-25
MARATHON'S PIONEER DEVEL-
OPMeNT.
Continued from last week.

county in 1878 and settled at Colby.
1t was complete forest then and there
were but six shanties in town. The
railroad was built one mile further
north than Colby and logs were brought
into town on it. Mr.. Blanchard went
into the lumber business first, then into
the mercantile business. In 1897 he
bought a large farm. This is now his
place for expending his time and
thought. His farm produces all the
cereal grains Cora was at first a fail
ure on account of the smallness of the
clearings but it is now grown very sue
cessfully-even dent corn usually ripens
fully. Ir. Blanchard does not think
that the climate has undergone any
great change. Glover and timothy
grow in great abundance and the
country is pre-eminently adapted to
stock raising and dairying. Seven but
ter anu cheese factories are in opera
tion in the immediate vicinity of ofColby
Some of these factories are combina-
tion factories, i. e. they make cheese
part of the time and butter part of the
time
Many years ago, a Frenchman who
understood the method of curing
tobacco properly, came to Colby and
D62dH IdlSlu2 lb I1C SOlO
that was excellent ia quality to the
stores and directly to the consumers.
Sugar beets are grown very success
fully at Colby and also at Dorchester
Apples and small fruits are very sue
cessfully grown Hay has been shipped
from Colby for many years. 1t is No.
quality. Ian bark and excelsior bolts
are dealt in by the agents of companies
who purchase these products.
Edward Brehm has begun the breed
ing Of pure bred Leicester sheep. The
abundance of grass in the locality
should make the raising of mutton
sheep profitable. The pure water and
cool nights of Marathon county aid the
stock raiser in no small degree.
Among the old and successful farmers
of Colby may be named, Hiram Hut
toon, j. Z Borden, Dan. Mahoney,
Peter Beckins, D. B. Hull, f j.. Davis,
Albert Provinski, Edward Brehm, and
VIM. Lisinton.
A. Lamont came to Marathon county
IN 1875 and settled at Colby, going at
once into the lumber business He be-
gan farming soon after and has now a
fine farm a little distance from the
town. He has raised the various cereal
crops on his farm and has never met
with failure. He thinks the county es-
pecially adapted to dairying, as the
grass is very luxuriant and nutritious,
and the fodder crops always do well.
Glover and timothy are grown very
profitably for hay and much hay has
been shipped from Colby. Both flint
and dent corn grow very well of late
wears although they did not do well at
first. MIR. Lamont thinks the flow of
in, Sfr nal IC HnnPaa Gj m
somewhat as the county grows older.
He has raised tobacco successfully.
Hops he has grown for home use.
j. w. Stalter came to Unity in Mara
thon county in 1880 from West Bend,
Wisconsin. He organized the Unity
High School and was its principal for
three years. In 1882 he became inter
ested in the mercantile business and in
1888 he was appointed postmaster of
Unity and in 1857 he bought his farm
He raised wheat at first but now has
turned his attention to stock raising.
He has sixty head of Red Poll cattle.
With an abundance of clover and
timothy and large yields of oats and
corn, stock raising and dairying are
destined to be the leading industry of
Unity. Tobacco grows upon Mr..
Salter's farm and it would appear that
it might be made profitable crop. 1t
was tried at Fenwood by the G. ). Curtis
Co. in 1902, but on account of the un-
favorable weather of the season 1t did
not attain the highest quality, although
a large shipment was made. MIR.
Salter has four hundred acres in his
present homestead and it is one of the
finest farms in the county.
Under the present conditions the
- 4ba1oF hn fs.llnxr arrriani.
ture for their avocation are engaged in
system of general farming This
kind of farming is safer for those of
limited means and only general knowl-
edge. 1t is seldom that season, so un-
favorable as TO destroy all OF the crops
of farm carried on under the general
system, occurs, while 1t not frequently
happens that the crop under the special
system is an entire loss.
Rotation in cropping is practiced TO
some extent, but this Is done IN some
what blind way, and little thought IS
given to the best order in which crops
should follow each other. The existing
coudition Of the soil, and the size and
convenient location of the field, togeth-
er with the condition of its fences,
determine in large measure the crop
selected for production Many farmers
persist IN growing the same crop sue
eessively for many years from the same
field
The care and use of manuse is in its
infancy in Marathon county. At the
/ lumberman's stables 1t IS still con-
sidered a nuisance. The majority OF
the farmers haul il out upon their fields,
but more thought is given to the getting
/ il away from the stable doors than 10
placing il where It's benefit would be
realized most fully. Mr.. Rietbrock. in
I his stables at Athens, has given the
/ farmers OF his locality an object lesson
in the use and care OF manure. he has
Ia covered shed with q cement floor IN
which all the manure made IN the
stable is carried by an ingenious device
of track and carrier. Ia this shed ne
stores the manure until it is needed on
the land.