10 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
$26.73 per acre; the ratio of increase in value, during the past 
decade, being greater than the ratio of increase in quantity. 
That our relative progress in the occupation and improve¬ 
ment of lands as compared with the progress of other states 
may appear, we have prepared the following tabular view of 
the like development of the four states adjoining Wisconsin : 
Land in Farms, and its Value — Michigan, Illinois, Ioica and Minnesota. 
States. 
Improved 
Lands. 
Acres 
Improved. 
Total. 
Value. 
Michigan, 1850. 
Michigan, 1860. 
TYIi rbi o’n/n 1 870. 
1,929,110 
3,476,296 
2,454,780 
3,554,638 
4, 383,890 
7, 030, 834 
$51, 872, 563 
160, 836,495 
Illinois, 1850. 
Illinois, 1860. 
Illinois, 1870. 
5, 039, 545 
13,096,374 
6, 997,867 
7,815,615 
12,037,412 
20,911,989 
96,133,290 
408,944,033 
Iowa, 1850. 
Iowa, 1860. 
Iowa, 1870. 
Minnesota, 1850. 
Minnesota, 1860. 
Minnesota, 1870. 
•824, 682 
3, 792, 792 
6,109, 743 
5,035 
556, 250 
2,314,488 
1,911,383 
6,277,115 
8,174,930 
23,846 
2,155,718 
4,118,850 
2,735,064 
10, 069,907 
14, 284, 673 
28,881 
2, 611, 968 
6,433,338 
16, 657, 567 
119,899,547 
161,948 
27,505,922 
97,621,691 
In the character of the improvements made upon the lands 
credited to the several states as “ improved,” it may be said 
that Wisconsin compares favorably with the foremost of the 
western states, and far excels some that are much older, and in 
some respects farther advanced. This is apparent from the 
statistics illustrating the relative rates of the increase in the 
value of the taxable real and personal estate in the several 
neighboring states: 
States. Per cent, of Increase. 
Minnesota. 163 
Wisconsin. 112 
Missouri. 105 
Illinois. 96 
Michigan. 79 
Iowa. 50 
A still greater difference in favor of Wisconsin would be 
observed were we to compare her in these respects with the 
older states, most of which fall greatly below the lowest of the 
states above enumerated, and one of which (New Hampshire) 
falls as low as three per cent. 
