Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-11-03
Our University Letter.

A variety of corn that yields from
rs to 100 bushels of ,shelled corn per
acre has been developed at the Uni
versity of Wisconsin college of agri
culture experiment farm by Agrono-
mist Ransom A. Moore. This corn,
which is known as wisconsin No. ="
or "Silver King" is the triumph of
four years experimentation by Pro
ressor Moore, and shows the possibility
Of producing phenomenal results by
careful methods OF selection. Twenty
two acres of this corn have just been
harvested on the university farm, pro-
ducing Is bushels, shelled, per acre.
The Importance of this variety is
evident when this yield is compared
with the average yield of the United
States, which is only % bushels, or the
average of the state of Wisconsin,
which is but 80 bushels. Members Of
the Wisconsin Agricultural Expert
ment Association, who are graduates
of the short course in agriculture,
have been growing this corn under
the direction of Professor Moore on
their farms, and have obtained from
80 to loo bushels per acre. Last year
275 graduates of the short course in II
counties of the state tried Silver King
corn, and reported an average yield of
59.2 bushels, shelled, per acre. against
an average yield of 1872 bushels for
the best Of all other varieties.
PRODUCTION OF CHEESE DOUBLED.
One-hundred and ten million pounds
of cheese were made in Wisconsin last
year, almost twice as much as was pro-
duced five years ago, according to the
University of Wisconsin Agricultural
Experiment Station bulletin on "The
Development of Factory Dairying in
Wisconsin," which has just been pre-
pared by Professor II. l.. Russell OF
the Wisconsin college of agriculture
and u. S. Baer, assistant dairy and
food commissioner. Besides the in
crease in production from 100000
pounds of cheese in 1900 to llO,OOO,OOO
pounds in 1905. the statistics show the
addition of 118 new cheese factories,
or nearly 40 new factories each year.
The amount of butter manufactured
in creameries of the state has increased
20 per cent in the last five years, the
figures showing 55,50O,O00 pounds for
1900 and SS,5O0,OOO pounds in 1905. The
butter made on farms has grown from
$4,000, 900 pounds in 1900 to 34.5OO,OOO
pounds in 1905, an increase of 80 per
cent. 1t is evident from this that
factory dairying is increasing relative
" faster than the home production OF
the farms.
CENTRAL WISCONSIN BOOMS.
The most vigorous factory develop
ment during the last five years Is
shown to have been in central Wiscon-
sin. In Shawano, Oconto, Waupaca,
Portage, Wood, Marathon, Clark, Eau
Claire, Chippewa, and Barron, the ten
counties located in the central part of
the state, the number of cheese factor
les has grown from 141 to 206, an in
crease of IS, and the number of
creameries from III to 191, an in
crease of 70. By virtue of its natural
advantages this new dairy portion of
central Wisconsin is peculiarly
adapted to dairying. Undoubtedly a
prominent facter of the development
of this region has been the introduc-
ton of the small landowner, general
ly of foreign birth. In developing
their little clearings in the cut-over
land, these farmers have taken up
dairying, to which the country is well
adapted, rather than the raising OF
grain or other agricultural products.
The most phenomenal growth Of the
cheese industry is to be noted IN
Shawano county, where the number
of cheese factories has increased from
IA in 1900 to 81 in 1905, an addition OF
40, or 300 per cent.
INCREASE IN SWISS CHEESE.
The most distinctive area, because
of its rapid growth as well as OF the
character of its product, is the region
of the Swiss cheese industry in south
ern Wisconsin. Centering originally
in Green county, it has extended
rapidly to Iowa, Lafayette, Dane, and
Rock counties. The most remarkab bic
increase has been in these surround
ing counties, in which the factories
have increased in the last five years