146 WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. ' 
without such protection, as they take in all the rain, be they 
ever so well made. 
The system of rotation which we have developed above, al¬ 
lows of all the branches of farming being carried on at the same 
time: grain raising ; pasturing and dairying; stock raising, in¬ 
cluding sheep, and the growing of fruit. We give the prefer¬ 
ence to that mode of farming which markets hay and corn by 
first converting them into beef, hides, pork, butter, cheese and 
wool; that is to say, into their greatest concentrated market 
values, retaining the bulky raw materials on the farm in the 
shape of valuable manures, thereby arresting the deterior¬ 
ating tendency of cultivation as much as possible. 
This course is also the most economic, for the reason that 
the larger proportion of the marketed agricultural products of 
our state are transported to great distances before they reach 
the consumer. The cost of that transportation is a very seri¬ 
ous item. We hardly think it an exaggeration to estimate the 
cost of delivering a bushel of corn or of wheat in European 
ports, from average distances in Wisconsin, including insur¬ 
ance, interest and profits of forwarders, at not less than fifty- 
five cents, which is equal to the full value of the corn and 
about two-thirds that of the wheat, where produced. These 
expenses lessen the price paid to our farmers by just so much. 
Now a bushel of corn will make just as much pork or beef 
here as it will in England. It will produce as much cheese or 
wool; and as these articles are worth much more a pound than 
corn, and cost but little more to transport, it follows that by 
feeding the corn at home, a large percentage is saved, which 
accrues directly to the profits of the farmer. Could we have 
sufficient manufactories to consume all the agricultural pro¬ 
duce of Wisconsin, this worse than useless tax for transporta¬ 
tion would be saved to our people. Eew persons realize the 
vast difference to our material prosperity which such a state of 
things would cause. 
While we regret to perceive by the last Eeport of the Secre¬ 
tary, (Yol. IX., Trans., page 33) that the proportionate culti¬ 
vation of the grasses to other crops is not larger in our state 
