River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-05-02
BY PROF. E. J. DELWIcHE,

Wisconsin College of Agriculture.
Success in farming in any commu-
nifty involves many factors, some OF
which are not always within controi
of the individual. AS rule the most
important element Of success is the
man himself. We cannot help out
realize this when we note how, IN the
same neighborhood under very similar
conditions, some farmers are succeed
ing not only in making good living
but are making money, while right
across the road perhaps another
farmer can scarcely exc out a pare
living. Thus it is not at all possible
to predict what any one man is going
to accomplish before his ability as
manager and as a worker is shown.
Another factor of great Importance
to success is the selection of the land.
Many people have attempted to farm
in northern Wisconsin and have talI-
ed to succeed because they spent their
energies in developing land which was
not suited to agriculture. Most of the
land in the northern half of the state
of Wisconsin is capable of being made
into good farms, but there are areas
here, as elsewhere, which are not at
all suited for farming, which should
be either used for pasturage or al
lowed to grow back into forest.
If you are looking for land in which
to engage in potato raising in connec-
ton with dairy farming, then your
chances of success are better II you
select land possessing soil of sandy
loan character or clay loan pos
sessing good drainage. II, on the
other hand, you intend to grow small
grain or peas as a cash crop, you will
do better to select soil of heavier
type. Would you engage in fruit
growing, then you have to see to 1t
that you have an exceptionally good
location with reference to marketing
facilities, and climate and soil condi-
tions. 1t is needless to say that loca-
lions for this latter class of farming
are much more restricted in area than
is true of dairy or even potato rails
ing. The average man who comes to
upper Wisconsin will succeed best
and insure a good living for himself
and family If he engages in some
branch of livestock farming, and
and after everything is said and done,
dairy farming, when rightly managed,
is unquestionably the surest branch
of farming to engage in. One reason
for this is that there is usually an
abundance of wild pasturage avail
able for stock during the summer
months and that so far as winter
feeding is concerned, this can easily
be provided from a few acres OF
cleared land we'll titled, especially if a
silo is used to store corn silage. One
great trouble with new corners is that
they think that unless they have a
large farm cleared and free of stumps,
they cannot make good living. 1t is
possible to make a good living on 20
acres of cleared land free from
stumps, with some wild pasturage for
summer feeding. In order to do this
one should build up good herd of
dairy animals and feed silage, clover
and crops of that nature.
One of the things to guard against
is the growing of crops without at.
tempting to maintain the fertility Of
the soil. Because land will produce a
crop of $50 or even zoo bushels of
potatoes a year is no evidence that 1t
will continue to do so. This yield has
often been obtained on the better
class of new land, particularly on
hardwood soils.
AS soon as possible adopt system
of rotation in which clover is grown
at least once in four years. This
clover should not be sold from the
farm but should be fed to livestock.
There are many localities in the
north where it pays to grow clover
for seed Where this is true the
farmer should avail himself of the op-
portunity A thorough study of the
conditions and opportunities in a Civ
en- section should be made and sys-
tenn of farming worked out which is
adapted to the conditions that obtain.
In selecting land avoid so far as you
can very swampy, billy or rocky land
Better pay few dollars more and get
the better class of soil. Wherever
possible. better select a piece of land