CLIMATE 
75 
SUMMARY 
Buffalo County is situated midway along the west State line 
of Wisconsin and comprises 687 square miles, or 439,680 acres. 
It may be divided broadly into two divisions, the valleys and 
the uplands. The topography of the valley is level to undulat¬ 
ing, becoming gently rolling in a few places, and in the upland 
the surface is gently rolling to hilly. The slopes are usually 
steep and rocky. On the ridge tops and gentle slopes are found 
the most extensive areas of highly developed soil in the county. 
The first settlements in the territory embraced within the 
county were made between 1845 and 1850. All parts of the 
county are now well settled. 
Three railroad systems enter the county, and these with the 
Mississippi River provide adequate transportation facilities, 
except for interior points. Alma, the county seat, is 353 miles 
from Chicago, over the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, 
and 89 miles from Minneapolis. 
The mean annual temperature of the county is about 45° F. 
and the mean annual precipitation about 30.5 inches. The 
length of the growing season is about 150 to 155 days. 
Over practically all the county agriculture is well developed 
and prospering. The leading type of agriculture is general 
farming, with dairying as the main feature. The crops most 
extensively grown are oats, hay, corn, barley, rye, and wheat. 
The steep slopes afford excellent pasture and are usually kept 
in grass to prevent erosion. 
Buffalo County lies within the unglaciated portion of the 
State and the soils have been derived largely from the disin¬ 
tegration products of the underlying limestones, shales, and 
sandstone, although probably there has been influence in places 
by wind-blown material or loess, and from the material washed 
down from the slopes, transported by the streams, and deposited 
as terrace formations. 
Including Rough stony land, Peat, and the Genessee Soils, 
19 types and 3 phases of soil are recognized in the county. 
The Knox silt loam, with its steep phase, is an extensive type 
and is found throughout the upland portion of the county. It 
