WISCONSIN 



6332 



WISCONSIN 



erally cold. The summers are warm, except in 

 the northern section. Howi-vrr. the tempera- 

 ture is less le than that of the inland 

 states to t: because of the modifying 

 influence of the Great Lakes. The average 

 summer temperature varies from about 70 in 

 the south to 60 in the northern woods, and the 

 mean winter temperature ranges from 25 in 



the south to 15 in the extreme north. The 

 average rainfall is thirty inches. The pure, 

 cool air, the hundreds of beautiful lakes and 

 well-stocked trout streams and the health-giv- 

 ing pine forests have made Wisconsin one of 

 the most famous summer resort regions of in- 

 land America. Thousands of tourists visit the 

 Mnt( <very year for health and recreation. 



Sources of Wisconsin's Wealth 



Agriculture. The fertile fields of the south 



constitute the chief agricultural region in the 



:iiJ in spite of the fact that nearly all of 



the northern half of the state is timber land, 



is among the ten leading cereal 



states of the Union. About one-half of the to- 



ral value of crops is the income from cereals, 



and about one-quarter of the total value, or 



$40,000,000, is the income from the hay 



and forage crop. 



:'ir the most important grain product is 

 Visconsin usually ranking third or fourth 

 among the states in the production of this crop. 

 Cora is first in importance, and barley, pota- 

 toes, tobacco and rye are other large crops, the 

 state being one of the leading barley and rye 

 sections. The tobacco belt is in the central 

 part of the southern section. The largest part 

 of the crop is grown in Dane and Rock coun- 

 nd although isolated from the principal 

 tobacco belt of the country, Wisconsin is the 

 seventh tobacco state in the Union. Besides 

 potatoes, various other vegetables are raised in 

 large quantities; peas and beans are cultivated 

 on a large scale in the vicinity of Green Bay 

 :md Manitowoc, and in their production Wis- 

 consin is among the first five states. Quanti- 

 ties of sugar beets are also grown. Wheat is 

 comparatively unimportant, but buckwheat is 

 y raised. 



Apples are the most abundant of the orchard 

 fruit.--, though all of the hardy varieties are 

 grown. Small fruits are cultivated with particu- 

 lar success, and strawberries, cranberries, rasp- 

 and loganberries are important prod- 

 'jnsin is one of the three states which 

 produce cranberries in commercial quantities, 

 the other two being New Jersey and Massa- 

 chusetts. 



Dairy Products and Live Stock. The fertile 

 meadows and grass lands of the state furnish 

 excellent pasturage for cattle, and dairying is 

 one of the principal industries. Wisconsin is 

 a leading dairy state; producing over 130,000,- 

 000 pounds of butter each year, it surpasses all 



other states in this product and is second only 

 to New York in the output of cheese and milk. 



The live 'stock in the state in 1916 was val- 

 ued at $266,650,000, the greater part of this 

 amount being the value of milch cows and 

 horses. The average annual wool clip exceeds 

 4,000,000 pounds. 



Forests. The dense forests of the north yield 

 great quantities of pine, and logging and lum- 

 ber milling are the chief industries of that sec- 

 tion. It was one of the earliest industries of 

 Wisconsin, and every spring the swift streams 

 carried thousands of logs down to the Missis- 

 sippi. The state now ranks ninth among the 

 United States in the production of timber. 



State forests cover over 400,000 acres, and 

 there is an annual appropriation of $35,000 for 

 the support of the state forestry department. 

 This department cooperates with the Federal 

 government in forest-fire protection, and pri- 

 vate lands are protected under the fire-warden 

 system. 



Fisheries. The fish caught each year in Lake 

 Michigan, Lake Superior and the smaller lakes 

 and streams provide an abundance of profit 

 and sport, and the state has long been inter- 

 ested in increasing the food fish in its waters. 

 The state fish commission superintends the work 

 of the state hatcheries, which annually send out 

 quantities of trout, pike, whitefish and bass to 

 new homes in the waters of the inland lakes 

 and streams. 



Minerals. Without its great agricultural re- 

 sources, Wisconsin would still be of importance 

 in the Union because of its valuable mineral 

 resources. The zinc deposits in the southwest- 

 ern corner of the state furnish the most valu- 

 able mineral product; the value of the annual 

 output exceeds $3,350,000 and places Wisconsin 

 after Missouri, Montana and Colorado in zinc 

 production. The quariying of stone, including 

 sandstone, limestone and granite, is second in 

 importance, and Wisconsin is among the ten 

 leading stone-producing states in the American 

 Union. 



