Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-01-11
Superior Telegram Puts
Out New Farm Paper
THE FARMERS TELEGRAM WILL
MAKE EFFORT TO UPBUILD-
ING UPPER COUNTIES

ands of readers in the cut-over terri
tory tributary to the Head of the
Lakes harbor cities. We may truly say
that this publication is fathered by a
want, long and strongly felt There
are, of course, a number of farm publ
cations, some of them, circulating in
some strength in this region, and
which have been doing as well as con
ditions would permit.
But the fact outstanding is that
each farming section has problems
peculiarly it's own, and demands spec
iaI attention both as to industrial and
general news service. The grain grow
er has his problems, spread as he is
over the vast prairie states to the
foothills Of the Rockies and stretching
into the great commonwealth of North
western Canada The fruit grower
has his problems as well, calling for
mediums devoted to his best local and
regional needs, conditions and expert
ences.
Thus also the dairy farmer has his
own problems to solve and they are
not the least important in the farming
industry. The Head of the Lakes
tributary territory is prominently a
dairy region which during the last
couple of decades has risen from al
most a joke to become the most i'm
portant dairy unit in the United States
in the three mid-western states, Wis
consin, Minnesota and the Upper
Michigan peninsula. The farm prob
lem in Upper Wisconsin, Northeastern
Minnesota and the great Upper PENN
sula are the same, only differing in
degree of development, and each re-
gion growing by leaps and bounds. 1t
is to this territory that The Farmers
Telegram hopes to devote its efforts
towards further development and up
building.
During the better part Of quarter
century the writer has travelled over
the territory described and especially
in the fifteen counties forming the
extreme northwestern portion of Wis
consin. Twenty-Five years ago farming
was not considered very important
nor as having much of future before
it. The dread stumpy, cut-over lands
seemed obstacles almost insurmount-
able. In nothing was that fact shown
more clearly than in land values.
From the early to after the middle
nineties cut over lands, now selling.
cleared and improved for up to 5000
the acre, were offered for the proven
bal song. The vanishing lumber bar
on was glad to palm them off on the
fellow who was willing to pay the
modest taxes.
How different are conditions today!
The despised cut over regions in
the three states have grown to be rich
est dairy sections in the nation, IF
not in the world In the fifteen coun-
ties comprising the farming region of
Northwestern Wisconsin, i. E.: Ash
land, Barron, Bayfield,, Burnett, Chip
pewa, Douglas, Iron, Lincoln, Oneida
Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Villas and
Washburn, the number of new farms
have increased by more than 1900
since the year 1900 not to mention
the immense new acreage opened on
old farms in the territory during the
same period. The fact is that during
the last quarter century this section
has come to lead the world in dairy
products.
Only one county in it, Barron, has
in it's midst the largest cooperative
creamery in the world. 1t also has
one of the biggest single operators in
the world, doing business of nearly
$500, 100000 during 1919. In the cheese
industry the growth during the last
half dozen years has been wonderful
almost beyond belief One single gath
ering and forwarding agency located
at Cameron, Barron county, and serv-
ing a couple of dozen factories in it's
neighborhood and along the 500 rail
road into Rusk county, during the very
first twelvemonth of it's history did a
business of over one and one half mil
lion dollars. This is only typical ex-
ample of the growth of the cheese in
dustry in this section.
In this connection it must not be
overlooked that most of the aforesaid
fifteen counties are T. B. proof, re-
suit of a concerted campaign against
bovine tuberculosis during the last
four years. What this means to the
value of the big purebred dairy herds,
now having almost completely driven
out the genus Scrub Cow, formerly So
common, can scarcely be estimated.
The result of this anti T. B. campaign
alone is crystalizing into hundreds of
thousands of dollars paid into these
counties every year for T. B. proof
dairy stock, shipped to all parts of
the United States and to the lands
beyond the seas.
Surely, this great dairy region has
it's own problems that may best be
served by periodicals specially devot