River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1925-07-09


Agriculture in Wisconsin has not
been confined solely to dairying. 1t
is also state of diversified crops.
The value of the 81 leading crops in
1919 was $3S9,00O,0OO The total
value of the livestock production in
that year was 1912, 100000. There
are in Wisconsin today 176,24S farm
ers. According to the census of 1920
every one of the Middle West states
showed decrease in the number of
farms in the ten year period begin
ming in 1910 with the exception of
Wisconsin, which showed an increase
of 1909 in that decade. 0ne-eighth
of the new farms opened to cultiva-
tion in that time in the entire United
States were opened in Wisconsin.
One feature of farming that bodies
we'll for the future of the state is
that there are few tenant farmers.
Eighty-five per cent of the farms are
owned by the men who operate them.
20 Counties Free of T. B.
Wisconsin leads in the yield per
acre of flax; in the production of
clover seed; has more cow testing
associations than any other state;
has moro community breeders as
sociations and leads IN the number
of tuberculin tested cattle. One of
its counties, Barron, was the first
county in the United States in which
every cow was tested and all the
tubercular animals eliminated. To-
day there are 20 counties where all
the cattle are free of disease.
When we think of tobacco our
minds naturally revert to Kentucky,
North Carolina, Virginia or other
southern states. 1t will be some
what surprising to most people to
lern that Wisconsin stands sixth
among tobacco growing states in
acreage planted and that it occupies
first place in the production of to-
baeco for the making of cigars.
From a fifteen-acre crop in 1860 it
grew to $4,000 acres in 1920, with a
crop value of $16,210,000.
Cans Peas for Everybody
One is likely to think of New
York when canned pears are men
toned The fact is that Wisconsin
packs more peas than any other
state, that its product is so per cent
of the total pack in this country.
Ter pea-pack in 1920 was 4,975,0OO
cases of 119, 100000 cans, enough to
furnish can for every man, woman
and child in the Anited States and
have few cans left over for supper.
Wisconsin is the leading hemp
producing state, having superseded
Kentucky. She also leads in the
number of silos-104, 430-those
great round preserve jars" that sit
beside most barns in the state, in
which fresh green fodder is pre-
served for the winter use of the
herd, much the same as the house
wife uses the "cold pack" method Of
preserving green garden vegetables
for her family's winter use.
Team Work Indispensable
The main reason for the success of
Wisconsin in agriculture is team
work or group effort under the
splendid leadership of the College of
Agriculture of the state university
which cooperates with the United
States Department of Agriculture,
the State Commissioner of Agricul-
ture, and other agencies. The coll
lege devotes its efforts to three lines
of development-teaching research,
extension.
As an indication of what is being
done in Wisconsin through the eff
forts of these combined agencies it
may be stated that there are 600
herds of cattle in the state officially