PRACTICAL PAPERS. 
✓ 
WHEAT-GROWma IN WISCONSIN. 
BY ELI STILSON, OSHKOSH. 
The question how to grow wheat successfully is one of 
great importance to us and to the “ coming farmer.” The de¬ 
creasing average yield, the worn appearance of the old wheat 
fields, the shriveled and starved appearance of the berry in 
many parts of the state, all these admonish us that if we 
would save our farms from exhaustion, we must all adopt a 
higher system of farming, by a greater diversity of agriculture, 
by keeping more stock, (mixed farming,) and by a more 
scientific and systematic rotation of crops. 
Farming, to be permanently successful, must be founded on 
the principle of returning to the soil the elements abstracted by 
the growing crop. . 
Nearly ten years prior to 1859, Ohio stood at the head of 
the wheat-growing states of the union, and the geological sur¬ 
vey reported her possessed of a fine wheat soil. But accord¬ 
ing to the census based on the crop of 1859, she dropped to the 
fourth rank of wheat-growing states. 
Again, in the year last named, Wisconsin rose to the third, 
and in the next year contended sharply for the honors of being 
the first wheat-growing state. She has now fallen down to 
13 1-2 as the average product; and in the reports of the agri¬ 
cultural department, for October and November, 1869, the 
famous wheat district of Eock county is set down as yielding 
an average of 7 bushels. 
