Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1915-12-03
Reconnaissance SOIL SURVEY
OF NORTHEASTERN WIS
CONSIN.

| Of NOkIHEAS kNN WIS.,
coNsIN.
| A reconnaissance soil survey OF
northeastern Wisconsin has recently
been concluded by the United States
| Department of Agriculture in cooper
alton with the Wisconsin Geological
and Natural History Survey. The
area surveyed includes the counties OF
Forest, Langlade, Florence, Marinette,
Oconto and Shawano, the total area
being 6,O9s square miles. The results
of the survey have been published in q
report of 1O1 pages, with a large map
In colors showing the location of the
different types of soil encountered in
the area surveyed, 8 other plates, and
Q sketch maps.
The greater part of the area survey
ed is a PLAIN sloping from northwest
and having an elevation from 10000
feet to 600 feet. ALI stages of agricul-
tural development are represented in
this area, the southeast and southern
portions being well settled and highly
improved, and the northern portions
still covered to large extent with
hardwood forests.
The chief crops grown at present
are oats, hay, corn, potatoes, barley,
rye, wheat, peas, sugar beets and buck
wheat. The type of agriculture most
common is general farming in con-
junction with dairying. The latter in
dustry 10 being gradually extended
and there are at the present time 43
creameries and 116 cheese factories in
the six counties surveyed.
Hay and oats are the most impor-
tant money crops, hay being grown
more extensively than any other crop.
Over half of the hay consists of mixed
clover and timothy the remainder be-
ing made up Of these crops grown
alone and of marsh hay, millet. grain
cut for hay, some coarse forage, and a
little alfalfa and pea vine. The aver
age yield of hay for the entire area is
about one and half tons per acre. On
the light, sandy soils, however, the
Yields are lower than this. while on
the best farming soils, yields of to %
tons of timothy and clover are very
common. The acreage of alfalfa is
gradually increasing. as this crop can
be grown successfully in every county.
Lining may be necessary. however, if
the soil is in an acid condition and in
oculation with nitrogen-gsthering
bacteria is also required.
Oats occupy the largest acreage of
the grain crops. The yields on the
light, sandy soils are low, but on soils
as heavy or heavier than fine sandy
loan. yields of so bushels per acre are
common. The crop is grown most ex-
tensively on the Kewaunee fine sandy
loan, loan and clay loan, the Merri-
mae silt loan, the Gloucester silt loan
| and fine sandy loan, the Spencer silt
loan, the Miami fine sandy loan, the
Superior fine sandy loan, and the Fox
fine sandy loan.
Because of the Importance of dairy
ing large quantity of corn is grown.
| The Kewaunee fine sandy loan, the
Miami fine sandy loan, the Gloucester
silt loan, the Spencer silt loam and
the Merrimac silt loan are used most
extensively for this crop, but it is
planted on all of the other soils. The
heaviest soils of the area are rather
"cold" and "late" for the crop and are
not so well adapted to it as soils with
sandy or fine sandy loan surface and
porous subsoil.
New settlers depend largely upon
potatoes for quick money returns.
These are grown practically on all of
she soil types found in the area, but
in the southern part where dairying
is we'll developed. the lighter soils
are used chiefly for them. In fields
of from 10 to 10 acres, with careful
management, yields of 900 to $50
bushels per acre are not uncommon.
Potato growers associations are now
being formed in order to facilitate the
placing upon the market of potatoes
of uniform size and quality. Peas are
grown both for seed and for canning
purposes. The best quality are pro-
duced on the Merrimac silt loan, the
Kewaunee fine. sandy loan, and the
Miami fine sandy loan.
No line of intensive agriculture has
become highly developed in this part
of Wisconsin. Sugar beets are grown
successfully though on a small scale in
the southern portion of the area. The
yields range from 6 to Is tons per acre
and the average on the soils best
adapted to the crop is IL to IL tons.
The beets produced in this region are
said to have a higher sugar content
than those grown farther south
In Langlade County ginseng is quite
extensively grown, the county, in fact
producing more ginseng than any
other in the United States. Most of