Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-03-09
uISC0NSIN'S
GRAIN CROP

GRAIN CROP.
Following are extracts from an ad-
dress delivered by G. G. Julius Spoerri,
before the Wisconsin Agricultural Ex-
pertinent Association, in convention.
assembled at Madison, Wis, February
8, 1904.
Wisconsin's Farms
According to latest q. S. Census
figures there are 169, 795 farms in the
state of Wisconsin comprising H.
$50. 927 acres. Eighty seven per cent.
Of these farms are operated by the
owners; per cent. are worked oy
tenants who pay cash rental; per
cent. are farmed by those who work
on shares This indeed is a very
credtahle showing.
Wisconsin farmers are no doubt en-
gagged in all Of the different branches.
but the one which [ wish to direct your
attention to in particular is the pro
duction of grain. with special stress
upon barley and oats.
While Wisconsin does not lay claim
to be ,'topnochern as a grain produc-
ing state, she does rank first in the
production Of rye. In round numbers
: her acreage yields:
Oats 95, 900. 900 bus.
Barley IA, 900, 0C0 bus.
Wheat. .... 5000 900 bus.
Rye .... 5000, 900 bus.
Corn - 40. 900, coo bus
Barley.
The interest in the cultivation Of
this cereal has greatly increased in the
past decade. In some sections OF the
country the acreage has doubled.
Seventy five per cent, of the barley
within the borders of six states. There
is considerable room for improvement
in Wisconsin's rank as barley pro
ducer.
Barley no wever, is very tender
plant and is easily damaged at any
stage of its growth 1t is a crop that
responds very quickly to a generous
diet. yet when food is lacking, it Ian
quishes equally as rapid No grain is
more affected by soil and cultivation,
than Barley. Heavy land, unless ex-
ceptionally well titled. is unfit for
barley. Light, rich. friable loan is
best suited for this grain.
The earlier barley is sown the bet
ter, and this crop has great merit in
that its term of growth is short, that
is, it natures in a shorter period of
time than any other cereal. Barley
must be sown at q dry time, for a wet
or muddy seed bed is sure to diminish
the yield considerable. Being shall
low rooted plant, barley suffers severe
ly from draught. while on the other
hand an excess of rain would cause
the crop to run into strong growth OF
straw.
Barley is classed as two-rowed, four
rowed and six-rowed, according to the
number of rows of kernels on each
side. Wisconsin produces almost en-
tirely six-rowed barley
The barley best adopted for mailing
purposes coming from Wisconsin,, is
grown in the eastern part of the state,
in the counties of Calumet. Ozaukee
Washington, Fond du Lac and Sheboy-
gan. Wisconsin barley acreage for
1903 is estimated at 48O, 900 acres with
an average yield of 293 bushels per
acre, which amounts to 13, 300, 900
bushels.
1t has often been said that oats
will grow on most any soil that can be
ploughed and narrowed for the oat
Gao struggle against greater difficulty
than other grains. There is great
difference in the quantity of oats
grown per acre, as well as the quality
Wisconsin's oat production is some
thing like 81, 900. 900 bushels, but this
amount could be increased fully 15 per
cent. if farmers were not so Indifferent
to the Smut question. The loss to
Wisconsin farmers from this source is
from four to five million dollars. But