Ladysmith news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1906-1907, 1907-03-02
LEADS IN MANY PRODUCTS.
Wisconsin Soil More Productive Than
That of Other States.

HdI OF OLnSF SIdLGSs
That no state in the Union has more
productive soil, with the same amount
Of cultivation and fertilization, than
Wisconsin, is the statement made in
the twelfth biennial report of the bu-
reau of labor and industrial statistics
recently issued. That is not the only
remarkable fact about the state. 1t
leads all the others in the Northwest
ern group in it's agricultural earnings
an acre, Michigan being second. The
average earnings for Wisconsin an
acre, according to the census of 1899,
were $1S.71; Michigan showed $3.50;
Illinois, $1651; Indiana, $17,83; Iowa,
$16.48; Minnesota, $10.69; Kansas,
$10.92; Nebraska, $10.72, and North
and South Dakota are below $40.
In the production of wheat it leads
all states in the Union, and has a
yield of two bushels more to the acre
than the average for the country. In
potatoes it stands second to North
Dakota, and secures an average OF
eighteen bushels to the acre more
than the entire United States. Ohio
is the only state that exceeds Wiscon-
sin in oat production. In corn it is
fourth, sixth in rye, fourth in buck
wheat and first in barley and tobacco.
Wisconsin leads all other states in
the number Of cheese, butter and con-
densed milk factories. 1t produces a
larger output of these commodities
than any other state, about One-sixth
of the entire output of the United
States. and twice as much as the COM
,bined output Of the New England
states.
The manufacturing industries, with
an output of $500 Or over year, have
increased from 7,841 to $500, or 81
amount of capital invested has in
creased from $287, O6O,566 to $416,447,-
051, or 45.6 per cent.
Wisconsin occupies third rank in
the manufacture OF beet sugar in the
United States, producing $1,000 tons in
1906. Up to the year 1900 no produc-
ton of beet sugar was reported. About
one-fortieth of all the wool and one
fftieth of all the wooden goods pro-
.duced in the United States are from
Wisconsin. The same is true of wheat
and -four and the meat packing prod
ucts. Wisconsin produces about one
twelfth of all the wheat in the United
States, and little less than one-tWen-
tieth of the flour, while it raises one
.thirtieth of all the live stock. In lum-
Der and planning mill products Wlscon-
sin again leads the Union.
Large deposits of mari in various
lportions of Wisconsin have caused a
rapid development in manufacture OF
Portland cement and the state BIDS
fair to become one of the most impor-
tant in the Union in that product. The
value of the output of mines and quar-
ries in 1902 was s4,427,S13, and 1888
wage earners were employed.
In addition to these facts the bulletin
sets forth the undeveloped resources
of the state, including the hundreds OF
acres of land in the northern part
which have been cleared Of timber,
but are as yet guiltless of any form OF
cultivation. The wonderful water
power resources of the state make 1t
most attractive to manufacturing IN
dustries. Various other undeveloped
possibilities are enumerated, which
show that Wisconsin has by no means
reached her zenith as yet, but has
great possibilities in store.
The report embraces about 9OV
pages Of closely printed matter ana
contains a vast amount OF valuable sta'
tistics and information. 1t was COM
piled by J. D. Beck, commissioner OF
labor, and his deputy, William }. Ha'
genah. Edgar T. Wheelock of Milwau'
kee. secretary of the Wisconsin I'M
migration and Development assocla'
ton, gave valuable assistance to the
department in compiling and prepar'
ing some of the material used IN the
book.-W.