The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-11-04
LAND CLEARING IN RUSK
COUNTY.


plete without reviewing the work of
her $1,OOO,00O Land Clearing Con-
test. 1t has been called Million
Dollar contest because they feel that
it is worth that much to the county.
The realization of her slogan of three
more cleared acres per farm would
mean an increase of 5000 clea ed
acres. This amount of land planted
to potatoes with yield of $50 bu-
shells per acre would bring 5000 coo
if sold at $1.0e per bushel. This is
only one of the many examples that
might be drawn to show the magni-
tude and value of the project.
With 1000 farms in the county,
the average amount cleared per farm
last year was 1.3 acres. This year
on averaging up the reports of the
800 contestants the amount cleared
per farm up to August 1st, was as
follows: brushed, 3.3 acres; stumpted,
I2.7 acres: broken. 2 acres. Spet. 1st,
the average was follows; brushed
I4.3 acres. stumped, So acres; brok-
en-, 3 acres; or an increase of ap-
proximately one acre cleared per
farm during the month of August.
The enthusiasm in not confined to
the contestants alone, it is county
wide epidemic, and the land clearing
germs are virile. Many farmers not
in the contest have cleared as much
as 80 acres this year, they are all do
ing what they can, so that these fig
ures are fair index of what is being
accomplished in the county.
Using the carload system of dis
tributing dynamite, thus saving the
farmer five to eight cents pound
on his explosive, 100000 pounds of
explosives were sold in the county so
far this year. Last year the sales
amounted to but 100000 pounds.
More dynamite than was sold in any
other Upper Wisconsin County this
year or any year previous, six times
as much as was sold in the county
three years ago. This is added proof
of undue activity nthe county.
With per cent Of the tillable
land in the county under cultivation,
Rusk County realized that her big
problem, was not pure bred cattle,
pedigree seeds mad grains, as much
as it was land development; of maxi
ing room for the practice of 10th
century agriculture.
Accordingly the business men of
the county raised $4,000 to carry
on county wide land clearing con.
test in which the county is divided up
into twelve districts so that everyone
would know what was going on in
has particular district and to make
the competition keener. Fourteen
prizes were offered in each district
besides county sweepstakes prize of
40 acres Of land.
The contest closed the 1st day of
November at which time the work
of the contestants will be scored by
competent outside judges, who will
take into consideration the number
of acres cleared, difficulty of the
clearing, thoroughness of the work,
and the resources Of the contestants,
that is, his labor and financial stu
alton and the tools he is working
with, The idea being to give the new
settler who has not and cannot afford
team and whose money is limited
just good chance as the man
who has plenty of money and help
at his command
The land cisa ing problem in up
per Wisconsin is q big one. 1t is
the major problem, Rusk County is
meeting it with a land clearing con-
test as is southern Sawyer County,
western Taylor County, southern
Ashland County ana Marinette Coun-
ty with her Land Clearing Associa-
ton. Others should fall in line,
"Know Your County" You will find
it worth developing. Upper Wiscon-
sin must go either forward OF back
ward, and the State Motto is For
ward