Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-07-27

gate of arabic SOIL Yet rich as Clark
county is, advanced as it is for it's few
years of good agriculture, less than one
fourth of it's soil is cultivated and but
trit1e over twO-thirdS of it's broad acres
are in farms. 1t has a population of
but 21.54 to the square mile, while, to
illustrate by the older counties, Rock has
1888, Dane $40, Walworth, 52.06, JEFF
ferson, 63.4S, and Washington 55.76.
But Clark county increased in popula-
ton from 1890 to 1900 almost 46 per
cent. and it is attracting settlers from
year in large numbers. It's population
has more than doubled since 1880, when
railways opened its principal northern
and southern portions to markets.
According to the census of 1900, Clark
county contained over 5000 homes, 3402
of them being the homes Of farmers, of
which but PA were rented. The farms
averaged 94.3 acres each, and with live
stock upon them valued at 81, 1853, 104,
produced III excess of products fed to
stock, an income value of 81 ,3O4,21O.
There were owned 1852 horses and 49,
500 cows, and the county produced l.
335, 900 pounds of butter, and in round
figures 1900 pounds Of cheese. Sheep,
hogs, poultry and bees were also impor-
tant sources of farm income, the county
producing, for example, almost 100000
pounds of honey.
The rivers and streams of Clark coun-
ty and all the wells abound in what is
known as ''soft water" There are nu-
merous water powers, as rule unde-
Yeloped. The climate is healthy and
while the winters are cold they have d
steady cold and fuel is plenty and cheap.
But the mean monthly temperature of
NeilIsyille in December, January and
February, III, 1913 and 1874, respective
9th Of Wisconsin, Tn foil
for the growing season, Neillsville's rec
ord is 22.19 inches, the largest average
reported between there and Lake Michi-
gan, following it's latitude eastward.
Wisconsin as whole, has larger rain
fall than Illinois, southern Michigan or
Minnesota, and is exceeded by less than
an inch by Iowa.
more as to Clark county than may seem
necessary in writing for a well-informed
constituency of Wisconsin farmers, like
the readers of The Agriculturist, but l
have seen and known the development Of
Clark county from it's early days and
realize the full force of its achievements
as we'll as the abundant opportunities
yet open. for it. / consider it, moreover,
as typical Of the best that is and is to
be- in the agricultural sense, in northern
and central Wisconsin. | know, because
I first saw Clark county when it was a
Wilderness, that WnaC experience mas
demonstrated there, will be much more
rapidly accomplished on the similar soils
and with the similar opportunities that
abound in the newer counties to the
north, where land is still cheap, as it
was in Clark county but few years
since.
When Gov. G. c. Washburn died a
few years ago his estate included a large
amount of cut over land and hardwood
land in Clark county that was sold to
men of my acquaintance at large lump
sum. 1t has, most Of it, increased in
value over five times within the twenty
years, and this case is one of number
with which everyone acquainted with
Clark county since it began to develop
agriculturally is familiar.
What [ have said about the part Of
central Clark county over which I drove
last month applies also to the eastern
part along the Wisconsin Central road
and to the northern and northwestern
portions, along the Central from Withee
to Stanley [ drove through newer por-
tons of northwestern Clark county from
Stanley that showed the same evidences
of growth and progress that [ found
along the Neillsyille road to Withee