Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1915-04-17
RAPID DEVELOPMENT SHOWN.
Men Who Took Farms Ten Years Ago
Are Prosperous Farmers
Now.
BY A. ID. Campbell.

going on at this time more rapidly
than at any time in the past Thou
sands of settlers have gone there in
recent years. The vast majority of
these people had little or no means
and at the start they were working
men with ambitions to become farm
ers. Whole settlements could not
raise the cost of modern house
when they went into Upper Wisconsin
ten years ago-they all have good
houses now and other buildings, clear
ed fields and herds-they are no long
er workingmen in the sense in which
that term is commonly used.
And others followed in the subse-
quent years, most of them in the same
situation as those who had gone before
as far as financial matters are con-
cerned. They have made good, and
each year have needed to work out"
less of the time and on their land
more. The result is that progress
along development lines is much more
rapid than in the past, and those who
make trips into that portion of the
state are surprised to find pretty well
developed communities where few
years ago was continuous wood or
burned over lands.
SETTLERS HAVE MORE MEANS.
Another reason for the more rapid
development that the Upper WiscOn-
sin counties have recently seen is in
the fact that the settlers now going
there have more means than the pre-
decessors. Frequently we learn of
men selling their farms in Illinois,
Iowa and other states at $500 per acre
or more and going into the cheap land
districts of the Upper Wisconsin CO.
unties to develop farm from the cut
over or burned over lands. OF course
they are in position to make" farms
in year or two. and have most of the
money received for their former farms
still in the bank.
Recently a man who could have
sold his farm in Northwestern Iowa
didn't do SO, but came to Upper Wis
consin with $500 that he had on hand
and team that could be spared from
! Iowa farm. He came to Wisconsin in
March, 1912, built house of hewed
logs and proceeded to clear up farm.
He now has thirty acres in clover pas
ture. This was done by clearing off
the brush and seeding. The usual
process is to harrow with spring
tooth drag, but this man says that UNI
! der the conditions that prevailed. he
did not have to do even this and has a
complete stand of clover. He now has
six cows and some young stock, and
is on the road to become the owner of
fine Upper Wisconsin farm.
This man says that pasturage Is
good from May until December and
| that is good in the heated period -
the bane of stock raising in many sec
tions. He says that his corn ripens -
given the date of planting as May 20
and of ripening as August 30. In
answer to a question as to whether
the various garden products do we'll.
he answers: Eyes, especially tOma-
toes" This will listen we'll to the
average housewife, for there is no bet
ter test of suitable garden country
than to produce tomatoes we'll.
He says that the winters are cold
with little wind, that the summers
are warm and that spring and fall
comes gradually. 1t may be added
! that the falls come very gradually.
Writing on the 22nd of October
/ about the climate, he says: As write
mosquito is singing about my ears
make your own deductions. The fact
is that Upper Wisconsin fall are long
and delightful. and they can afford to
an occasional mosquito in the Octob-
er. He says:
This is natural clover country
and never heard of it freezing out
which, perhaps. accounts largely for
another statement that he can keep
twice as much stock to the acre as
where he came from. The statement
looks little strong, but he ought to
know. | will say in this connection
that others to whom the same blanks
have been sent make the same state
ment.
The situation in Wisconsin is pecu-
liar in that the owners of vacant lands
are in no rush to sell them, but do de
sire good and industrious settlers who
will build up successful communities.
This las been the policy in the past
and will continue to be in future.
The condition to be met by the home
seeker in Upper Wisconsin now are
much better than they were when
those came who now own the $4,000
| farms in the northern half of the state