6i 



• "From remarks made by many Eastern farmers witli whom I have 

 r conversed during the past and present years, I am confident that nothing 



has operated more to the prejudice of this State than has this mistaken 

 idea, deterring, as it does, many of the better class of farmers at the 

 East, and dairymen in particular, from emigrating to this State. 



" From my own practical experience, and from the experience of 



■■ others, I am satisfied that the difficulty has arisen, not so much from 

 any defect in our soil and climate, as in the system of husbandry prac- 

 tised by too many of our farmers. Through a mistaken economy, many 

 of them have thought that by no possibility could their land be spared 



.from active and exhausting cropping, and a portion of it set aside for the 

 purpose of stocking it with grass. This course has often been pursued 

 until the land has become covered with pigeon-grass, cow-tail and other 

 noxious weeds ; and then, when they can no longer succeed in raising 

 grain from the much abused field, they have resorted to timothy and 

 clover in order to 'bring the land to,' as they term it, and not with any 

 thought of getting a good crop of hay. ' Oh no,' say they, ' we have 

 plenty of marsh from which to cut grass, without having our good land 

 lie idle, and we have seeded this down merely to give it rest.' Carrying 

 out this idea, they have procured a barrel of timothy seed or clover, 

 and this quantity must perforce be amply sufficient to sow ten or twelve 

 acres ! With autumn, comes their disappointment and chagrin at seeing 

 a few stalks of clover and timothy scattered amid a wilderness of 

 weeds. 



" Another mistaken idea is prevalent among our farmers, and that is, 

 that ' ^Yisconsin land will never wear out.' I know of no latitude 



' where the following extract from an humorous communication published 

 by Solon Robinson, of Indiana, in 1838, will apply more forcibly than 



♦ it does here. In conversation with his neighbor upon the subject of 

 farming in America, he says : ' Squire, though our people don't seem 

 to be sensible of it, and you and I may not live to see it, yet, if this 

 awful robbin' of posterity goes on for another hundred years, as it has 



- for the last, among the farmers, we'll be a nation of paupers ! Talk of 

 the Legislature doing something ! I'll tell you what I'd have them do : 

 paint a great parcel of guide-boards, and nail 'em up over every state- 

 house, church and school-house door in America, with these words on 

 'em in great letters : ' the best land in America, hy constant croppijig with- 

 out manure, will run out !' And I'd also have 'em provide means to 



