198(5 



WISCONSIN 



tile. Owing to tlif proximity of Laltes Superior and 

 Michigan, tlie climatic extremes are less severe than 

 might be expected in a resio" so remote from the 

 ocean. The skies, while clearer than iu the eastern 

 states, are somewhat more cluurty than in Iowa and Min- 

 nesota. 



numerous lakes an 

 ties for irrigation, 



, .ly small extent, 

 -iiinmer droughts 

 1 III i\ -'. ^i-vere as to seri- 

 piu|jciiy cared for. The 

 offer excellent opportuni- 

 IS. however, received little 



2742. The roof of No 4, t ig 2741. 

 (See Winter Protection, piges 19fil-5 



WISCONSIN 



what higher than the surrounding country, especially 

 tluce inclining to the north or northeast. The principal 

 orchards are located in Fond du Lac, Ureen Lake, Rich- 

 land, Sauk, Door and Waupar-a counties. The first 

 named county has one orchard of about 6,000 trees, 

 mostly Oldenburgh, located near Ripon, and a second 

 of about 4,000 trees of variou.s sorts at Eureka. These 

 orchards are supposed to be the largest in the state. 



The older orchards of Wisconsin are the outcome of 

 a long process of climatic selection. But the farmers 

 who wern iiiM-t H!!xi..ii« to L'n.w :i|.i.|..w continued to 



plant tr.-.'- n- iii- I i li ■ -..mm- tluit w<.h1(I 



prove >Mi I '■ . .. ;.. Imh c iii-cn in 



\Vi 



lukee. Wolf 

 und Newell, 

 hwest. The 

 andard win- 

 ing planted 

 • urgh. The 

 iic-s Oepart- 

 iral College 

 mIIv in Wis- 



are largely of tli. 

 Russian apples ini. 

 ment of Agricultiii 

 have been quite l;n - i\ i 

 consin, but thus far vt-ry tVw if any ..f them hav 

 proved superior in any respect to our best native^ 

 Crab apples are considerably grown for market i 

 Waupaca and Eau Claire counties. The chief hit 

 drances to apple culture in Wisconsin, aside fnmi wii 

 ter-killiug, are the fire-blight, which destroys tin- lip 

 of the growing shoots in early summer, ami suiim':Ui 

 which causes damage to 



1^ h.i 



Th. 



attention a.s yet. The prevailing winds are westerly, 

 hence the influence of the Great Lakes in tempering 

 the climate is less marked than in the southern penin- 

 sula of Michigan, but the climate of the eastern coun- 

 ties, and especially that of Door county, which lies be- 

 tween Green Bay and Lake Michigan, is comparatively 

 mild. 



The winters of Wisconsin are such as to preclude the 

 extensive cultivation of the tree fruits, except of the 

 hardier species and varieties, save in the eastern coun- 

 ties. But the summers are very favorable to annual 

 crops, and to fruits that are readily protected in winter. 

 The change from u-int.-r to summer is often rather 



. ..M iM . viiberant growth early in 

 . I MMiory for most crops, pro- 

 ii Ills. An equally precipitous 

 iMtiiM..- M;iuses damage to nursery 

 I c'liangcs, with the rather frequent 

 . combine to render the Wisconsin 

 ost perennial plants. When au ex- 



abrupt. Tliis I. ill, 

 the season, will 

 motes blight in i 

 advent of wIiin i- -. 

 stock. These sudd. 

 droughts in sumnie 

 climate severe for i 

 ceptionally dry summer ; 

 usual severity, a disastro 

 is likely to occur. The pioneer fruit planters, coming 

 mainly from New York and New England, with par- 

 donable ignorance of the severity of the Wisconsin 

 climate, planted freely of eastern varieties, most of 

 which proved too tender for the new conditions. As the 

 natural restilt, the first orchards were mainly short- 

 lived, and the idea gained wide credence that Wisconsin 

 would never produce the tree fruits successfully. But 

 the experience of a few persistent planters has dis- 

 proved, in a measure, this hasty conclusion. 



Wisconsin is one of the newer states in horticultural 

 development. A lari^e part of its nortliern lialf is still 



for(..-tM.l:Ml. Tl... .-;:i.-- .-ii-M -iI',- .,i.:ill. liMi,..,. lIiM 



local .1 I r . I . ■ .i: M ■■ |. .. ■ , ■ ,. I liii-M.. 



eraily good. 



The hardiest varieties of the apple succeed in south- 

 ern and eastern Wisconsin, when planted on sites some- 



apples of Wisconsin are, as a rule, highly i-< 

 of large size, and the trees are very product! 

 The pear is not grown to any great extent ; 

 sin, owing to the liability of the trees to fire- 

 winter- killing. 'I'liM \-;itiM!ii s iiMpi'ltoii 1r. 

 have not proved ni..i-. i . - 1 -iinii t. . ih... ,-.ii. 



the hardier sorts oi' \mmi-m-: njin.i.r n-.- 



Europe. Pears an- i r.-.|iM-M' !> j i-.i li 



the 



productive and In ■ ! i ' - i I 



perhaps been nior. , i - : . 



The quince is I, - m.i W , ... .n ;.mi 



Trees are occasioii.Ul;> l.iuinl m ^.u.iLH.- in i 

 counties that sometimes bear fruit after ex 

 mild winters. 



The Americanas are the only plums that 

 pended upon to bear fruit regularly in all pa 

 consin. Thehardier sorts of th.. Kun.|.ran plu 

 domestica, and of the Jai>;ni..-.. iiluin. I'min 

 are fairly fruitful iu the easl.i-n pari, noialily i 

 Kewaunee counties. Tlic in . - ..f ili.. la-t t\ 



as of tll.ps.. of r,-:n,M 7m.,. m.'.'m-. mm.; /• 



folia, PTl.lin-.. lIlM Ml... ■! M I .1., IMl 



Thi'.arix Ki.-liiii..n.] a n.l Morello cherries are fairly suc- 

 cessful in \\i-.-. .11-111. in localities suitable to the apple. 

 The flow. T 1. 11.1- ..f tli.-sc cherries appear to be some- 

 what m.M.. liar.lv iliaii those of the European and Japa- 

 nese plmn-. Tlii. tr.-i- are, however, subject to sunscald, 



vari.-iii- ..r /'riniiix i\r'ix)is. iiiir..ilii...-.l from Russia, 

 liav.- In ,1, lM-t,-.l at varioii- l.oilit- in tli.- state. While 

 III., ilow.-r liu.N of lii..^.- .1.1 n.il. a|i|..-ar to be hardier 



over a longer period, which will give them value. Sweet 

 cherries {Primus Avium) are not successful in Wiscon- 



