518 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CROPS, FABMINQ, &c., IN WISCOMSIN. 



Mr. Editor : — Our wheat and oat crops are 

 pretty much threshed out. The wheat, so far as 

 I have heard, ranges from 3 to 14 bushels per 

 acre. I think the average cannot go above 6 or 

 7 bushels to the acre, and that of inferior quality. 

 Oats are very poor, generally yielding 10 to 15 

 bushels per acre. In portions of Illinois it is 

 still worse. In large sections, along the Illinois 

 River, and elsewhere in that State, the oats were 

 not generally harvested at all, and the wheat 

 hardly worth the trouble and expense of harvest- 

 ing. The corn crop is likely to turn out fair, 

 both here and in Illinois. If Jack Frost keeps 

 his distance a little longer, we are safe for corn, 

 as much is already beyond danger. Our potato 

 crop is lighter than usual for this country, so 

 there will be a very light surplus of grain and 

 provisions this year to spare from this country, 

 but there is enough for man and beast until time 

 for another crop to grow, when, through the good- 

 "less of Providence, a more abundant crop may 

 crown our labors. 



I have never been in any part of New England, 

 having been raised in South Western Pennsylva- 

 nia, where I lived until three years ago. I came 

 to Wisconsin to make my fortune quick ; left a 

 pleasant home in the good old East, hoping soon 

 to better my condition in the great and growing 

 West. Here I am in a fertile part of the coun- 

 try, working hard and making but little more 

 than a living, deprived of many comforts I en- 

 joyed East, among which are, sometimes, very 

 bad roads, poor buildings and the loss of fruit ; 

 I speak of those like myself, whose means were 

 small. Men with means can situate themselves 

 pleasantly enough near the large towns and vil- 

 lages of the West. Money will do that in any 

 State in the Union, and what I fear most here, in 

 regard to fruit, is that they never can raise it 

 successfully in this prairie country. The pros- 

 pect is very poor at this time — perhaps more at- 

 tention would lead to more success ; it is evident- 

 ly too much neglected here. The soil is as good 

 In its virgin state as any reasonable man could 

 ask, and lays as handsomely, but that tells the 

 story most in its favor now. It is no hard mat- 

 ter to see any amount of slovenly farming in this 

 country. There are exceptions, of course, but a 

 large portion of farmers waste enough grain an- 

 nually, in harvesting and threshing, to keep a 

 good sized, economical eastern family. There are 

 but few farmers as far West as this, that have 

 fencing enough done to be able to pasture their 

 stubble grounds until after corn gathering, which 

 is hardly ever done before December. Very few 

 have farms and out-buildings to take in their 

 grain, so it is stacked on the ground where it 

 grew, threshed out and the straw burned on the 

 ground, as a general thing, as few have stock 

 enough to consume their straw, so they are ex- 

 hausting their imjjroved lands more and more, 

 every year, by this practice, and the crops are al- 

 ready, in many places, telling the tale of always 

 taking off the land, never putting on. I can show 

 fields, and even whole farms, that have seen their 

 best days, until something more is done for them 

 in the way of fertilizing. 



A large class of Wisconsin farmers are much 



in debt and likely to remain so. The prosper- 

 ous times enjoyed here, the last few years pre- 

 ceding the present one, seemed to have spoiled 

 as many as it benefited. Never thinking a 

 change of times might speedily limit their resour- 

 ces, they plunged in debt to enlarge their farms 

 and possessions, took railroad stocks, for which 

 many mortgaged their lands, and are now squirm- 

 ing to get out of debt, but it seems the more they 

 squirm, the more they don't get out. 



This is a great grain-growing country; the 

 large crops that are gathered, of a favorable sea- 

 son, in the West, are truly tempting to the man 

 who earns his living by the sweat of his brow, 

 and thousands have done well by coming West. 

 But, after having lived and farmed in the West 

 nearly three years, and travelled in diff'erent sec- 

 tions of the country, I prefer an eastern home for 

 our own domestic comfort, and think noAV, it 

 wont be long until the N. E. Farmer will find its 

 way to our own little rocky farm, that we left 

 unsold in the east. We think by taking out the 

 stumps and rocks it will look smoother, and by 

 raising plenty of nice fruit it will be sweeter than 

 ever. As I said before, I was never in New Eng- 

 land, but I like the name, the enterprise of its, 

 people ; I like to read its journals, for when I 

 open one I am sure to find something useful. As 

 the budding place of our best institutions, may 

 her example never be less appreciated. 



T. A. Jackson. 



Broadhead, Wis., Sept. 9th, 1858. 



FARMERS' FESTIVALS. 



NORFOLK AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Norfolk county is favored with men of means 

 and skill, who take a decided interest in whatev- 

 er relates to the farm. Under their influence, 

 the Norfolk County Agricultural Society came 

 into the world full grown, and started off in her 

 first exhibition with a vigor rarely gained by oth- 

 ers in many years. It was not our pleasure to 

 attend the last show, on the 29th ultimo, and we 

 can only judge of it by the reports which we find 

 in the papers ; that they had a pleasant, social 

 time, and that there were many things to com. 

 mend in it, there can be no doubt. But, wheth- 

 er in all respects, the managers have taken the 

 best course to subserve the cause in which they 

 are engaged, there is considerable doubt, judging 

 from the report before us. The report says: 



"The agricultural productions on exhibition, 

 though not extensive, were highly creditable, and 

 embraced nearly everything raised by the farm- 

 ers of the county." 



"The mechanical department was rather limi 

 ted." 



"In the upper hall, the fairest of the Fair of- 

 ficiated at tables ladened with tempting baits, to 

 be secured by adventurers in scramble-bags, and 

 innocent little lotteries ;" * * "and from the 

 throng here all day, * * a round sum must 

 have been realized to the society." 



"There were a few fine horses and some milch 

 cows with^ 'good points.' The number of work- 



