GENERAL AGRICULTURE OF BUFFALO COUNTY 
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CHAPTER VII. 
GENERAL AGRICULTURE OF BUFFALO COUNTY. 
Agriculture in Buffalo County dates back to the first settle¬ 
ments of this region, which were made between 1845 and 1850. 
As was the case in other parts of Wisconsin, the production of 
grain early became the chief branch of farming, and for a con¬ 
siderable time wheat was grown more extensively than all other 
grains combined. As late as 1885 wheat still constituted about 
50 per cent of the grain produced, while oats made up about 27 
per cent and corn about 16 per cent. The history of grain 
growing in this region is similar to that of other parts of the 
State. Fields were cropped to grain continuously for .such a long 
period that the productiveness of the soil was gradually reduced, 
and when the prices began to decline and insect pests became 
troublesome the crop was not very profitable. During the last 
25 or 30 years there has been a gradual falling off in the produc¬ 
tion of wheat, andi in 1910 the total acreage for the county was 
only 4,575 acres. With the decline in wheat growing there has 
been an increase in the production of oats, hay, and corn, and 
the system of farming which is followed at present is a much 
better one than that practiced a half century ago. 
The present agriculture consists of general farming, with 
dairying as the most important and highly specialized branch, 
and the tendency throughout the county is toward a still greater 
development of the dairy farming. With this industry are com¬ 
ing better methods of farming, improved grades of live stock, 
and a greater interest in all lines of agricultural development. 
The general farm crops most extensively grown, in the order of 
their acreage, are oats, hay, corn, barley, rye, and wheat. 
Oats are grown more extensively than any other crop in the 
county, and in 1909, according to the census reports, 1,377,555 
