River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-08-13
WISCONSIN is A PROSPEROUS
STATE
A FEW REASONS FOR The RAPID RISE IN
PROSPERITY OF WISCONSIN FARMERS
c0NTRASTED WITH THOSE OF
GEORGIA

The prosperity of Wisconsin con-
1rasted with that of Georgia is the
basis of long article in the Home
and Farmstead this month which
explains the reason why n
Wisconsin farmers are worth bill
lion and a half dollars today and
are Joy riding over the face of the
earth in automobiles" Georgia is
a trifIe larger than Wisconsin.
'HoW then does it happen that
Wisconsin farmers in something
like ninety years have been able
to accumulate wealth amounting
to nearly one and one-half billion
dollars" says the article, "while
Georgia farmers in one hundred
eighty-two years have been able
to accumulate wealth amounting
to only five hundred and eighty
million dollars?"
Wisconsin has about two and
one-half times as many cattle as
Georgia, but they are worth six
times as much. She has three and
one-half times as many dairy
cows, but they give six times as
much milk.
wisconsin raises and sells six
times as many more calves and
cattle and her annual dairy pro-
ducts are eight times more valu-
able than Georgia's. The home
raised milk supply in Wisconsin
amounted to 1876 gallons year per
inhabitant; in Georgia it was only
20 gallons. The butter produced,
on the farms alone, amounted to
pounds per inhabitant; in Geor-
gia it was only ii pounds year.
"Wisc onsin produced eggs
amounting to 20 dozen a year per
inhabitant; in Georgia the average
was only rs dozens.
''The annual per capita produc-
ton of meat in Wisconsin was 268
pounds; in Georgia it was 83 lbs.
Wisconsin had a surplus of t w o
hundred seventy million pounds to
sell Georgia had deficit of one
hundred sixty-seven million lbs. to
buy. Some $4O,OOO,0OO worth of it.
"In the census year Wisconsin
farmers had only a few more hogs
than Georgia-about $4,000 more;
but they were worth two and one
half times as much as our hogs
and they sold and slaughtered
during the year nearly twice as
many pigs. Our scrub gifts COM
monty produce two filters a year,
often three-frequently from 80 to
40 pigs all told. We can easily
produce pork in Georgia at 8 cents
a pound. We just don't do it on
any large scale for the simple rea-
son that ours is mainly system
of tenancy farming.
"Once upon a time Wisconsin
was daffy with the all-wheat
mania, and in the seventies her
farmers nearly went into bank
ruptcy. Now her farm prosperity
is bottomed upon diversified farm
ing, mainly by owners, and man
for man her farmers are worth
four times as much as Georgia's
farmers.
"Wisconsin's system of diversi-
fled farming means farm activities
devoted to grains, hay and forage,
tobacco, fruits, nuts and vege-
tables-potatoes, sugar beets, cram
berries, strawberries and the like.
"It means abundant, well devel-
oped pastures, pedigreed work
stock, big beef cattle, high bred
dairy COWS, registered pigs. It
means silos without number and
profitable dairy farming.
ut means winter cover crops,
soils rich with humus, and reliance
upon manures instead of artificial
fertilizers. 1t means that t h e
farmers produce home raised feed
and foodstuffs in ample quantities,
with surplusses for sale. 1t means
a steady income of cash every
week the whole year through.
"Here-in part-you have the
reasons why Wisconsin farmers
are worth a billion and a half of
dollars today and are joyriding
over the face of the earth in auto
mobiles.-Chilton Times.