Buffalo County, Wisconsin - Chapter 11: Agricultural Development, 1919

From the log-cabin to the modernly equipped farm house, from the straw-shed to the up-to-date barn, from the scythe and cradle to the mower and selfbinder, from the flail to the steam thresher, from the ox-cart to the automobile, the tractor and the auto-truck, and from the message car¬ ried by the barefoot boy to the one transmitted from farm-house to farm¬ house by rural telephone, is a far cry, and yet all these changes have taken place within Buffalo County during the past sixty years and most of them during the last half century, or since the Civil war. It is true that al¬ though these changes came on gradually, the contrast to one who has lived through all of them is nevertheless so great as to seem almost marvelous, while those of the younger generation seem to take all these things which they enjoy, in a matter-of-fact way and seldom if ever stop to think how they were brought about and what were the strifes and struggles, the pri¬ vations and hardships endured by their ancestors to bring about the condi¬ tions that exist today.

That they may be brought to more clearly realize all these things and better appreciate the many comforts and conveniences which they enjoy, the present generation may profitably spend a few minutes in reading about what their ancestors did, and therefore it seems not out of place in a work of this kind to devote some little space to conditions as the early settlers found them on coming here and the first attempts at developing the agri¬ cultural resources of this section. That they were necessarily crude and progressed slowly is due to many adverse circumstances, among them the scarcity of money and everything else necessary in carrying on the work.

The topography of Buffalo County, of course, had much to do in de¬ termining its adaptability to agriculture and although the broken nature of its surface, in some ways, detracted from the advantages offered along that line there were other compensating features which tended to bring to a realization the expectations of those who had faith in the agricultural possibilities of this region. The many streams which drain the surface, cut up the county into valleys which are separated by high hills, locally designated as bluffs, hence the tillable land is found in these valleys and on the ridges of these bluffs where they are not too narrow and rocky. Although there is some slight difference in climatic conditions between the valleys and uplands the products are practically the same.

Before the date of settlement "prairie fires," as they were commonly called, although they occurred in places that could not properly be desig¬ nated as prairie, were of frequent occurrence and left a large part of the county, especially the wider valleys, free from trees and brush, while the shaded slopes and uplands or ridges of the bluffs were generally heavily timbered. This, of course, tended largely to induce the first settlers to make their homes in the valleys or in the open country, since clearing a piece of land from heavy timber was by no means an easy undertaking. Other features that favored settlement in the valleys, were the proximity of water and the fact that the market places along the Mississippi were more easily reached by following the creeks and rivers to their mouths. We therefore find the earliest settlements close to the Mississippi or near the mouths of its tributaries, where the soil was perhaps neither so fertile nor the land as level as farther inland and the determining factor was evidently proximity to market and ability to communicate with the outside world.

Although the so-called prairie lands, above referred to, yielded readily to cultivation, those who settled upon them, nevertheless, were confronted by many difficulties and had obstacles to overcome that to the present day farmer would appear insurmountable. In the first place they had no roads, for although they followed the watercourses, there were swamps and marshes, steep banks, fallen trees and ledges of rock, besides boulders, etc., to obstruct their passage and oftentimes they were forced to unhitch their oxen, unload their loads and not unfrequently to take apart their wagons in order to cross some of these obstructions. Railroads there were none within a hundred miles and without roads or bridges transportation was a serious problem indeed. However, this was but one of the difficulties that the pioneers met with. There were houses to be built and fences to be put up and all the material had to be brought some distance, as timber was scarce in the valleys and what there was, was unfit for building material.

"A young man, who in Switzerland had followed the occupation of weaver, located near one of the principal streams in the county, consider¬ ing the place well adapted to a prospective millsite. He came there prac¬ tically empty-handed and without a cent of money. All he had was an axe and two augurs, one of them, I think, being a borrowed one. Thus equipped, he set about to build a house and manufacture his furniture. The walls of his cabin were of small logs, chinked and plastered with clay. The roof was of slabs and bark, thatched with pine boughs and grass, while the floor was of puncheons, hewn with the axe. The door had hinges made with the axe and the two augurs. Not a nail was used in making either the cabin nor any of its equipment. The table and chair were made by hewing a block on one side and by inserting stakes for legs on the under side, while the bed was a bunk of puncheons, built against the wall, covered with twigs of white pine, of which there was a grove surrounding the cabin. This, with a few wooden pegs driven into the wall, completed the equipment. Deer in large numbers disported themselves in the prairie across the creek and in the woods back of the cabin, prairie chickens and partridges were abundant, while wood pigeons by the million flew by, but all this tended only to make the young pioneer's mouth water, for he had neither gun nor ammunition, nor trap nor snare. In the waterfall below his home, were splendid trout in large schools, but as he had neither hook nor line they were safe from him, his knowledge of woodcraft being about equal to his resources for hunting and trapping - a minus quantity. He did not remain there very long and the spot where his cabin stood is today still a wilderness, for although the mill was built, it is located farther down the stream and was built by one more experienced and more blessed with this world's goods, our friend locating on some of the fertile lands in the valley where by frugality and industry he amassed a comfortable fortune which he is now enjoying in his old age, a retired gentleman-farmer."

Such were some of the conditions that confronted the pioneers and although not all of them started in this primitive way, the log cabin and the trusty axe played a major role in the history of every pioneer.

Coming as they did mostly from Europe, although in the northern part of the county the early settlers were from the East, they found things vastly different from conditions in their old homes. There they had fairly comfortable houses, good roads, cultivated fields, schools and churches, and their homes were in or near villages or hamlets. They were not used to improved farm machinery, hence they were in this respect, at least, not handicapped. Many of them were professional men, tradesmen and factory workers from the cities of Europe, but taking counsel of their more experienced neighbors, they soon adapted them¬ selves to the new circumstances, for they had come here to make homes for themselves and their families. They exchanged work and clubbed together in various ways. A breaking plow was a fortune and its pos¬ sessor was a man much esteemed and sought after, and a yoke of oxen often made the rounds of the neighborhood helping out here and there. Oftentimes two settlers who owned an ox apiece would work together. The grain was cut with the cradle bound by hand and often threshed .with the flail or trampled out by cattle, several neighbors clubbing to¬ gether for that purpose; but one of the first farm machines to make its appearance was the threshing machine. It was, of course, a primitive affair, driven by what is known as a horsepower, only that oxen were first used instead of horses, and a little later on it was often a mixture of both that yielded to the long whip of the driver.

J. P. Stein is said to have raised the first grain in Buffalo county. He broke some land in the summer of 1851, procured .two bushels of wheat from Galena, Ill., sowed it in the spring of 1852, and raised a crop of seventy-four and a half bushels. The threshing was done with a flail. The first barley was also raised by Mr. Stein. He secured a gallon of seed from Wabasha and raised seven bushels. Mr. Stein resided between Alma and Fountain City and kept a stopping place for travelers.

Among pioneer threshers were Balthasar Carisch, Florian Schneller, the Meulis, the Ochsners, the Walds and others in different sections of the county. The machines were often kept a-going as long into the winter as the deep snows would permit, and to lug an outfit from one valley to another on bobs was not less common than for a man to carry a borrowed breaking plow across the bluffs on his back. Mills were also among the early conveniences that the pioneers were blessed with, although some of the very early ones were forced to grind their grain by hand in a coffee mill. Flour was available only at river ports, being brought from Galena, Ill., by boat in summer and by teamsters who toted to Ft. Snelling, in the winter. This, however, could be procured for cash only and the price was about twelve dollars a barrel and "thereby hangs a tale," for few were the fortunate ones who had that sum in solid hard cash, as gold was the only currency acceptable among strangers. Wild-cat money, issued by irresponsible banks, there was an abundance of, but as it was little better than a promise to pay, given by a stranger in some far-off state, it was rather a handicap than a convenience, for no one would accept it for fear that it might become worthless over night, which was too often the case. Farmers paid their hands in goods or merchandise which they got in exchange for the grain they took to town and wages were as low as fifty cents a day for harvest hands, the price of grain being correspondingly low. But to return to the subject of mills, they were established at Holmes Landing, now Fountain City, at the Bear Creek, now Misha Mokwa, and on the Mill Creek, near Alma, at a very early date, while Gilmanton, Modena, Waumar.dee and Mondovi were thus blessed soon thereafter, for a mill was indeed a blessing to a community.

As before stated, in order to reach the market or mill, farmers fol¬ lowed the water courses, and in order to cross the bluffs, wended their way up one ravine and down another, but soon, as towns were organized, roads of some kind were built, and although they were of a primitive nature, they answered the purpose for a long time, being better than no roads at all, and although some good bridges were built and an occa¬ sional stretch of permanent roads was constructed, it was not until the coming of the automobile that the state and county took a hand in the busi¬ ness and a system of roads was planned, and although this is, at this time, in its infancy, it promises to become one of the most important steps in the advancement of both the agricultural and social interests of the county.

Shortly after the introduction of the threshing machine the reaper made its appearance - not the self-binder of today, but a machine that cut the grain which dropped onto the platform back of the sickle and was raked off in sheaves by a man who clung to a kind of seat fastened to the rear of the platform, a herculean task, indeed. This was soon superseded by the self-rake, a reaper with a raking attachment that deposited the sheaves, which were tied by hand. Harvesters which were equipped with a stand and elevator on which two men rode and bound the grain, were, in the seventies, equipped with wire binders, which, however, were not quite satisfactory, while the self-binder of today, which was invented a few years later, is as perfect a machine as man can make, doing the work of half a dozen men better than it was ever done by hand in the days of the reaper or the cradle. With the self-binder came a new era in the history of agriculture.

In the early days marsh or swale hay was considered the only hay, and those who lived on the bluffs and in the valleys where no marshes were near, drove for miles after that hay, which in reality was little better than hundreds of tons of straw and cornstalks which went to waste on their farms. Timothy as a cultivated hay crop was early introduced, and clover soon followed it, so that today they are the main forage crops, while marsh hay, which was usually cut with a scythe and raked up by hand, receives little consideration. Modern hay tools, such as the mower, the hay-rake, hay-loader and hay-mower, make it possible to harvest large .crops with little expense and in a short time. Alfalfa has been cultivated to a lim¬ ited extent, but owing to some difficulty in obtaining a stand, does not receive the attention which it perhaps merits. With the introduction of the reaper and threshing machine, horses became more common, and about the outbreak of the Civil War most farmers who had become fairly well located had at least one span of horses. Newcomers and beginners, of course, were still content to start with a yoke of cattle and thankful to have that. About this time many began to come from the older counties of this state or from the east, and most of them brought their horses with them, as did a few of the very early pioneers who came from the southern part of the state. Cows were kept in sufficient numbers to sup¬ ply the home demand for milk, butter and cheese, as everyone in the vil¬ lages had his own cow and there was no demand whatever for dairy prod¬ ucts nor any way of shipping them. Thus the raising of small grain became the one and only thing left for our farmers to do, and with the Civil War and big prices those who had plenty of help and a large acreage under cultivation became quite prosperous and made many improvements in the way of new buildings, etc.

After the war, help was again more available, hence a greater acreage was tilled and some improvement being made on the roads, more grain was marketed. Another thing that tended to increased production was the fact that many of the returned soldiers took homesteads and began to farm for themselves. The more remote coulies and the uplands or bluffs were now being rapidly settled. This land was not open or prairie land, but much of it heavily timbered or covered with a growth of brush and necessitated much work in clearing before it was ready for the plow. Al¬ though all this had to be done by hand, stump-pullers and dynamite having not yet come into use for that purpose, there was hardly a field opened before all stumps had been dug up and removed, and a field of grain or hay with stumps left in it was a rare sight indeed. This was extremely hard work, but speaks volumes for the thoroughness with which the pio¬ neers went about their work.

Thus wheat became the watchword, and to raise wheat and more wheat was every farmer's ambition. This went on for a number of years when nature began to rebel against this system of soil robbery. Rust, blight and chinch-bugs all took their toll of a crop that both in quality and quantity was far below what it had been but a few years before, and the thoughtful farmers who had had experience with fertilizers in Europe, be¬ gan to see the handwriting on the wall and considered a change of methods, while many who had come from the east after going through this same experience there, began to make preparations to heed the advice of Horace Greeley and "Go west," where new opportunities and more virgin soil awaited them. Nor were the easterners the only ones who chose this easy way of solving a vexatious problem, for there were soil robbers in abundance among the immigrants, hence many a foreigner rather than return to methods of fertilization practiced in Europe, chose to drift with the cur¬ rent and also went west. This exodus made room for others, and many of the Norwegians now residing in the county came about that time.

The opening of vast areas in the West by the advancement of the Great Northern, Northern Pacific and other transcontinental lines of railways, made wheat raising with all its handicaps an unprofitable, if not a losing, proposition here. Thus the ones who persevered and held onto their farms here became indeed hard pressed, for without railroad facilities and with the prevailing low prices there was little encouragement to enter upon diversified farming. But all things come to him who waits, and finally the Burlington was built along the Mississippi, the Omaha came into Mondovi, and even before this markets on the Green Bay, in Trempealeau county, had become available to residents in the eastern part of this coun¬ ty. With only river transportation during part of the year, the shipping of livestock was an impossibility, and dairying and poultry raising were handicapped in a like manner. Some dressed beef and pork was marketed at Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls for use in lumber camps, but this was a very uncertain market, and to most of our farmers, very remote.

Conditions as above described applied to all sections of the country, soil robbery being by no means confined to our county alone. The federal and state governments therefore, by means of bulletins and farmers' insti¬ tutes, proposed to correct this matter.

Although the people who are always ready with their little hammer to "knock" every innovation, were extremely busy and these institutes were for some time rather unpopular as the farmer resents to have bookworms come and tell him what to do, better judgment finally prevailed, and now institutes, held in different parts of the county, are always liberally patron¬ ized, and together with the different agricultural schools have done much toward advancing the agricultural interests of the county. Thus diversi¬ fied farming became introduced into Buffalo county partly by necessity and partly by education derived from bulletins, agricultural papers, farm¬ ers' institutes, schools, etc.

Wheat raising was out of the question, and the only remedy lay in turning to dairying and livestock raising; therefore the advent of the creamery, the cheese factory and the pure-bred or high-grade horse, cow, hog, sheep and chicken.

As above stated, dairying to the extent of supplying the home with butter and cheese was practiced by almost every housewife as a matter of course, just as she spun the yarn and knitted the socks and mitts in the early days, but as a business proposition little was done along this line before the advent of the railroads above mentioned. There were, how¬ ever, a few attempts at cheese making in pioneer days that deserve notice.

Joseph L. Rohrer, one of the progressive pioneers who settled in Rose Valley in 1856, brought with him from a down-river point a number of cows, and coming from that part of Switzerland where the manufacture of cheese was the chief and only industry, he at once embarked in it and kept it up until he retired from the farm which he later owned near Cochrane. Jacob Baer, who lived near him; Fred Moser, of Gilman Valley; William Ulrich, of Waumandee ; and John H. Johnson, of Mondovi, all entered upon the same venture later on, but before the establishment of regular cheese factories. There may have been others, but these were some of the pio¬ neers, and when all the obstacles they met with in regard to marketing their product, etc., are considered, they certainly deserve honorable mention.

There were factories for the manufacture of American cheese in and near Mondovi and at Gilmanton before the factories now in operation were opened, but these have all been superseded by creameries. Of the fac¬ tories now running, the ones in Mill Creek and Pine Creek valleys, in the town of Alma, were the first. The Mill Creek factory was first operated on the farm of the late Jacob Wald, and for many years he was the leading spirit in managing it and promoting its interests. Charles Maier was the first cheesemaker there and the product was Swiss and brick cheese. The factory in Pine Creek valley was organized by Michael Meisser, Paul Accola, Nic. Kindschi, Wieland Allemann and others, John Eberli being the first cheesemaker, and its products being the same as those of the Mill Creek factory, although both, together with a number of other factories in oper¬ ation in that town, now make American cheese. In the vicinity of Alma cheese factories are very numerous, and during the summer months regu¬ lar weekly shipments are made from that station. When the first fac¬ tories were opened, milk was at times delivered for the price of about fifty cents per cwt., yet this was better than nothing, and the farmers who received it were perhaps as well satisfied as those who today get three dollars for the same quantity.

Attempts at establishing creameries were made here in the eighties, Arcadia, in Trempealeau county, having operated one for several years before and drawn some trade from the eastern part of this county. Among the first was one at Alma, but owing to lack of good roads, scarcity of cows in the vicinity, poor business management and other adverse circum¬ stances, this proved a failure, and due to the establishment of cheese fac¬ tories in the vicinity, the project was never resurrected.

With the establishment of co-operative creameries, this industry re¬ ceived an impetus in this county. There were, of course, different parties active in their establishment, but above all others there was one who made co-operative creameries his one and only work, and he talked and wrote on this subject whenever and wherever opportunity offered and when opportunity did not offer, he made it, for he went into communities and held meetings for the purpose of organizing creameries and was always enthusiastic in advocating this progressive step. He was a retired farmer and Civil War veteran, and as he could not be without work, he devoted himself to this task and gave counsel and advice without ever asking or expecting compensation. He acted as secretary and general manager of the Modena Co-operative Creamery for years at but a nominal salary. This man was the late John B. Meyer, of Modena, and when the roll of honor of Buffalo county agriculturists is made up, his name should appear well towards the top.

There are now in active operation in the county thriving creameries at Mondovi, Gilmanton, Modena, Burnside in the town of Nelson, at Nelson, Waumandee, Cochrane and Fountain City. All are prosperous and have done much towards advancing the interests of the respective communities in both a business and agricultural sense.

At an early day, in fact, immediately after the Civil War, attempts at introducing pure-bred livestock were made, but for several decades when prices were so low that a young beef, for instance, would not bring more than a hide brings now and a good cow not as much as a calf is worth now, interest in improved stock naturally flagged and was not revived until conditions improved in a business way.

H. N. Muzzy, of Modena, was among the first to make an attempt at introducing pure-bred cattle by shipping in a few Shorthorn bulls from the East. They were prime animals and were disposed of in different parts of the county and left their mark on the herds wherever they were placed. The late L. J. Claflin, of Gilmanton, shortly after the Civil War, went east, to Vermont, I think, and returned with a large flock of pure-bred Merino sheep of fine quality. This flock he kept on his farm for many years and it furnished the foundation stock for many a good flock in the county. The most important step in horse improvement was the purchase of the Percheron stallion "Horace Greeley" by a Mondovi stock company. This is "the horse that made Mondovi famous," for with him started the move¬ ment which has made Mondovi and, in fact, all of Buffalo county the home of the best farm horses in the state, that community having taken grand champion honors not only at state fairs, but also at the International.

In these days of rapid accumulation of wealth, financial success is often considered the only thing that counts or is worth while, and men who have been eminently successful in developing and introducing improved livestock are not considered successful breeders unless they pile up stacks of money, but although money is a very convenient commodity, it is not the only thing that spells success. Among those who have been prominent in the intro¬ duction of pure-bred livestock and active in the fostering and development of this important industry, Hon. W. L. Houser, of Mondovi, deserves spe¬ cial mention. As editor of a country newspaper, he found little opportu¬ nity to indulge in this hobby, but gradually he worked into it and became a pioneer in the introduction of some of the best horses and cattle ever brought to this county or state. He went into this work enthusiastically, for Mr. Houser is passionately fond of animals, and being a man who loves all the world and everything in it, he is specially fitted for having charge of animals that require extra care and kindly treatment. He has a state¬ wide reputation as a successful breeder and has been at the head of the movements instituting the baby beef contests, sheep and hog contests and other activities along those lines in the state. He has done much for the advancement of agricultural interests in the county and state and for this should receive due credit.

Since the establishment of creameries and cheese factories and ad¬ vanced prices for their products, the interest in pure-bred dairy cattle has been revived, and among the breeds represented are the Holstein-Friesians, the Jerseys, the Guernseys and a few Brown Swiss and perhaps some Ayrshires, there being, however, no pure-bred herds of the two last men¬ tioned breeds, but only a few individuals.

Among the prominent Holstein breeders in the county are: Henry Knecht & Sons and Krause Bros., of Waumandee ; Nic. Weinandy and John Stuber, of Belvidere; Kaste Bros., William Herman, Alfred Haigh, Irvin Haigh, Emil Haigh and Marks Bros., of the town of Lincoln. The first pure¬ bred Holstein sire was brought to Buffalo county by William Ulrich, then of Waumandee, who, when he retired from the farm, had the nucleus for a fine herd. Another good herd was that of John Farner, of Waumandee, who took his cattle with him when he removed to Colfax, this state. Among those mentioned there are some exceptionally good herds, and be¬ sides these there are scores of high-grade herds with pure-bred sires at their head, especially in the cheese factory districts. Thomas Irvine, sec¬ retary of the M. R. L. Co., who, by the way, was also a breeder of pure¬ bred Jerseys and standard bred trotting horses, bought a fine herd of Holsteins in the state of New York and for a few years kept them on his farm at Beef Slough, but on removing to St. Paul, took them with him onto a farm near that city. A few animals from that herd were retained in the county and used as sires on grade herds and the results were very satisfactory.

The Jerseys were early introduced into the county, and among the best and largest herds first kept were the one of Thomas Irvine, above alluded to, and one owned by W. L. Houser, both of which were, however, dispersed. Buffalo county now has a Jersey breeders' association and in the northern part of the county there are some good herds of pure-breds, while herds headed by pure bred sires are very common throughout the county. Among the prominent Jersey breeders are the following: James Dillon & Sons, Wm. Armour & Son, F. J. Seyforth, Earle Franzwa and Otto Witte, all in the vicinity of Mondovi. There may be a few pure¬ bred herds in other parts of the county and also in Pepin county, but the above are among those who take the most active interest in the breed.

The Guernseys are less numerous than the Jerseys, although many grade herds, headed by pure-bred sires, are to be found in different parts of the county. Some of the pure-bred herds are those of C. W. Pace & Son, C. H. Adams and Mrs. George F. Krampeter, all of the town of Naples, while George B. Sankey, just across the line in Pepin county, also has a fine herd of pure-breds.

The dual-purpose breeds, like the Red Polled and Brown Swiss, are rep¬ resented by grade herds in different parts of the county, but the writer has no knowledge of registered herds of those breeds. Some good herds of Red Polled cattle are owned by the Allemans, Christs and others in the town of Montana, while Otto Farner, of Gilmanton, has a high-grade herd of that breed. Frank Kuehn and Charles Jahn at one time kept some Brown Swiss cattle in the town of Lincoln, but at present there are no registered herds of that breed in the county.

are numerous herds headed by pure-bred sires and among the owners of registered herds are : Whelandale Farm, Mondovi ; E. O. Klein, of the town of Cross; Ashton Bros, and Martin Bros., of Glencoe; John Carrothers & Son and J. P. Ward, of Canton ; F. G. Theisen, of Montana ; C. J. Rongholt, Anton Dworschak, Ole Aase, Louis Aase, Carl Aase, Hovey Bros, and Paulson Bros., of Dover; and Hitt Bros., John Risch and Paul Lanicca, of the town of Alma.

The Aberdeen Angus were first introduced into the county by W. L. Houser, of Mondovi, who bought his foundation stock from the champion herd of Mr. Martin and also some prize winners from Roesch & Gelbach, of Potosi, this state. From this herd, known as Ethelwold Herd, founda¬ tion stock was supplied to all of the herds now owned in the county, while sires have been furnished to a number of farmers who breed grades for marketing purposes. In 1914 Mr. Houser sold his entire herd to E. F. Ganz & Son, of Alma, and the herd is now known as Buena Vista Herd. James Allison & Sons, of the town of Maxville, and M. 0. Quarberg, of Modena, also own registered herds of this champion beef breed, while S. A. DeMarce, of Arkansaw, Pepin county, who secured his foundation stock from Buena Vista Herd, has a herd numbering some twenty head and intends to em¬ bark in the business on a large scale. His herd, known as Forest Vale Herd, numbers among it some very promising individuals.

Many grade herds of Herefords in the county are headed by pure-bred sires, while Sam Glanzman & Son, of Gilmanton, own a number of pure breds.

The livestock industry, here as well as elsewhere, received a great impetus with the introduction of the silo, which enables its owners to keep a large number of cattle on a comparatively small acreage. Shredded cornstalks are also largely utilized as fodder. The first silo in the county was built in 1887 by William Ulrich, of Waumandee. W. L. Houser and M. M. Farr built theirs soon thereafter.

Scientific methods are coming more and more into vogue, a progressive step in the interest of agriculture being the adoption of a resolution by the 1918 county board for the engagement of a county agent.

The horse as a factor in the development of the agricultural resources of this county is entitled to a prominent place. Before the advent of the railroads and the automobile it afforded the only means of rapid transit known to our people, and in transporting various conveyances for busi¬ ness or pleasure his services were much in demand, and for that matter are yet, as well as for the cultivation and harvesting of crops. The first horses brought here were of the general purpose type and rather small in size. It was claimed for some that they had Morgan blood, but however that may have been, they were certainly tough and wiry for their size and rendered valuable service both as drafters and drivers.

The first attempts at improving the breed were made by importing grades from Illinois, Iowa and other sections, but soon there was a demand for pure-bred sires, and one of the first Percherons to be imported was the horse "Horace Greeley," owned by a Mondovi stock company. He proved to be a remarkable horse and laid the foundation for the large number of excellent horses that have been produced in and around Mondovi. Encour¬ aged by the success of this venture, others were induced to buy pure-bred horses, mostly of the Percheron breed, and it was not many years before good-sized drafters were not an uncommon sight.

One of the first to go into the breeding of pure-breds on a large scale was W. L. Houser, of Mondovi, who has made a state-wide reputation for Ethelwold Farms on his Percherons, Clydesdales and standard breds. Although Ethelwold has produced some grand champions of the Percheron breed, Clydesdales are Mr. Houser's favorites, and his achievements with animals of that breed at the International are a source of pride not only to himself but to all lovers of horse flesh in the county. Among other Percheron breeders are : James Dillon, Whelandale Farms ; and Will Hurtley, of Mondovi; Frank E. Rockwell, Modena; Louis Haunschild, Gilmanton ; Herman Luther, Nelson ; and Emil Loesel, of Lincoln. Others who did good work in advancing this breed by bringing pure-bred sires into the county are : August Schreiner, Antone Quarberg and G. C. Parish, of Mon¬ dovi ; Jacob Wald, of Alma ; Wm. Schaub, of Lincoln ; George Kindschy and John and Florian Flury, of Montana; and Otto Hohmann, of Arcadia. A large number of Percheron stallions were also owned by stock com¬ panies organized among the farmers, and in most instances good results were obtained. Clydesdale stallions were owned by Andrew Florin and Conrad Christ, of Montana, and Jacob Beck, of Fountain City, while Henry Eikamp and Gustav Kurtzweg, of Lincoln, specialize in Belgians. Outside of Mr. Houser's trotting stock not many were kept for breeding purposes in this county, and although stallions were kept at different times and places, our fanners stuck to the raising of drafters, and :r. this they have succeeded well. Taken on the whole, our farmers own a high class of work¬ ing horses and thousands of good horses have been exported from the county, among them some for the army, and there are many left that would have withstood the rigid test required by the government buyers. Horse breeding has received more care than any other line of animal husbandry in this county and much credit for this is due those mentioned and others in their line of business for providing our farmers with good breeding stock.

When the county was first settled, many bare hillsides offered a fine opportunity for sheep pasture, but with onward march of cultivation prairie fires were materially checked, or at least confined to limited areas, so that almost all the uncultivated land is overgrown with trees and brush and no longer fit for sheep ranging. The number of sheep kept in the county is therefore not near what it was in the early days, or some forty or fifty years ago. Other causes that have discouraged the sheep industry are marauding dogs, wolves and unfriendly legislation. The great war, even before we got into it, again greatly stimulated sheep raising, as the price of both wool and mutton went out of sight. The sheep business was put on a paying basis, but the scarcity of breeding ewes, their high price and the prevailing inexperience along this line acted as a damper, so that not so many sheep were bought as might have been the case otherwise. Through the activity of Messrs. Dillon and Houser, of Mondovi, several hundred lambs were sold to the boys and girls of the county, and as the youngsters took a great interest in this work, as well as in the calf and pig dubs started by the same gentlemen, this small beginning may be the nucleus of many a future herd. Of the 10,519 sheep in the county, the towns of Glencoe, Mondovi, Nelson, Naples, Canton and Maxville have the largest number.

While some fine graded herds are owned in the county, it is rather dif¬ ficult to ascertain who are the owners of pure-breds, but most of those who have the grade herds use pure-bred sires, mostly Shropshires. James Dillon & Son and Whelandale Farms, of Mondovi, have pure-bred herds of Shropshires.

Of the Merinos, which were introduced at an early day by the late L. J. Claflin, very few are left, most of them having been discarded during the nineties when the price of wool had sunk to a level that made sheep¬ raising a nonpaying business.

In the early days when spinning and knitting were among the regular household duties, a small flock of sheep was a common thing, and if an estimate of the amount of wool worked up in that manner could be made, it would surprise many of the readers of this work. Now that almost all of this work is done in factories and the farmers are able to pay for the finished product, the spinning wheels of our grandmothers have been rele¬ gated to oblivion or are kept as honored relics of the past and the family sheep has either disappeared or been superseded by the commercial herd.

Although hogs were kept by the very earliest settlers, hog-raising on a large scale or for commercial purposes began with the coming of the railroads, which made possible the shipping of live hogs. During the Civil War pork was very high and some hogs were raised and sold dressed, being shipped from Winona or Eau Claire in the winter. Some were also sold to lumbermen for use in their camps in the pineries, but all this was not enough to make the hog a commercial factor in the county's farming operations.

In connection with dairying, with skim-milk as a by-product, the hog industry has become one of the most important branches of farming in the county and the proverbial mortgage lifter has performed that function on many a farm. The breeds most common in the county are the Poland- Chinas, the Berkshires, the Chester Whites and the Duroc-Jerseys. Most farmers keep grades of either of these breeds and some also keep cross¬ breeds, but pure-bred sires are becoming rather the rule than the exception. Among those who at an early day began to introduce pure-bred swine are : the late L. J. Claflin, the late Thomas Dillon, and others in different parts of the county, the Chester Whites and Poland-Chinas being the breeds first introduced. Now there are many pure-bred herds in the county and with¬ out taking a census it is impossible to mention all the owners of pure-bred swine as well as those of horses, cattle and sheep, hence reference to a few must suffice. Among Poland-China breeders are : John Sutter & Son, Foun¬ tain City; W. H. Armour & Son, F. J. Seyforth & Son, and Stewart Saxe, Mondovi; L. Kennedy & Son and H. 0. Tiffany, Nelson; L. J. Rosenow, Waumandee ; and Oscar Hitt, Alma. Leading Chester- White breeders are :

Geo. A. Stamm, Modena; J. F. Gobar and Fred Grob, Alma; and Geo. Muehleisen, Cochrane. Some of the pure-bred Duroc-Jersey breeders are: F. J. Seyforth & Son and A. R. Pierce, Mondovi ; C. F. Reinhardt and Theo¬ dore Roemer, Nelson; Nic. Weinandy, Cochrane; and E. F. Ganz & Son, Alma; while James Dillon & Son, of Mondovi, are breeding pure-bred Berkshires.

A man who has taken a leading part in advancing the county's agri¬ cultural interests and who has been more specially interested in promoting sheep and swine husbandry, is James Dillon, of Mondovi. Mr. Dillon has had charge of these departments at the state and county fairs, and during the past year as a member of the County Council of Defense, has been active in the promotion of calf, lamb and pig clubs, and in conjunction with Mr. Houser, has aided the young people of this county in making a most excel¬ lent showing at the state fair and at the International.

More and more the production of poultry is becoming an important branch of agriculture. From the humble biddie that arrived in a prairie schooner to the flocks numbering hundreds is about as big a step as that from 6 cents a dozen for eggs to 50 cents. Flocks of poultry are now found on every farm and pure bloods are very common, all breeds being repre¬ sented. The ones most common are the Leghorns, Plymouth Rocks, and Rhode Island Reds. Turkeys, geese and ducks are also raised in large numbers. One hundred thousand dollars a year is a low estimate of the value of eggs and poultry shipped from this county, although that figure may be a surprise to many.

When, shortly after the Civil War, the price of hops went soaring sky¬ ward, and farmers in some of the older counties made fortunes in a year, some of our farmers embarked in that enterprise, but overproduction sent prices to a level that discouraged this industry, so that hop-raising has been entirely abandoned for many years. Grapes have been cultivated spasmodically, but never in large tracts, the only one who embarked in this and made a success of it, being the late Conrad Ulrich, who went into this first on his farm in the town of Waumandee and later for commercial purposes at Fountain City. His success was largely due to his experience in Switzerland and to his untiring efforts and perseverance. Others have successfully conducted small vineyards for home use. Apples can be successfully grown here and with proper care and cultivation, do well, but as this is lacking in most instances, orchards are not as numerous nor as profitable as they should be. Orchards are found on many farms, espe¬ cially on the bluffs along the Mississippi river. One of the leading apple producers is J. F. Gobar, of Alma, who has a fine orchard of several hun¬ dred trees and has demonstrated that the apple may be successfully grown in this county, and it is to be hoped that this practice will become more general and that in the not distant future every farm may have its orchard of apples, plums and cherries, all of which thrive with proper care, as do raspberries, strawberries and other small fruits. Sorghum has been cul¬ tivated off and on in small patches, but cheapness of sugar and syrup and increasing prosperity consigned this industry to oblivion until the scarcity of sugar, caused by the war, revived it. Raising cucumbers for neighbor- ing pickle factories has been practiced to a limited extent, also the cultiva¬ tion of sugar beets, but the prevailing scarcity of labor has put a stop to this. At Mondovi there is a canning factory, and much truck is raised there to supply it, while truck and vegetables for home use are abundantly pro¬ duced on our farms as well as in the gardens in town, and to a much larger extent since the war started than before. The cultivation of tobacco has also been experimented with, but the acreage was small, lack of experience and shortage of labor being among the drawbacks which prevented the growth of this industry. Honey, although not strictly a farm product, deserves to be mentioned here, and apiaries are found on a number of farms. Among the county's successful pioneer apiarists, the late Jacob Wald, of Alma Town, and the Butlers, of Nelson, deserve special mention. Pota¬ toes have been cultivated mostly for home use, but the past two years saw a great increase in the production of tubers, and many carloads have been shipped from the county. Wheat-raising, which had been practically aban¬ doned, was resumed in response to the call by the Government, and io and behold, it produced so abundantly that it may again become a staple crop. The rest cure has done wonders for our soil, and the plagues that drove wheat away seem to have disappeared for the time being, at least.

In conclusion, let me state that the farmers of Buffalo county, although somewhat conservative, are a thrifty, thriving lot, and that for improved and modernized farm buildings this county holds its own with any com¬ munity, and it will not be many years before it will take a place in the front ranks with older communities as regards improvement in livestock, seed grain, highways and other things that spell progress and prosperity.

When the settlers first came to Buffalo county, the United States Land Office for this region was located at Mineral Point, in Iowa county, this state, and the entering of land therefore entailed a long and tedious trip. On July 30, 1852, a United States Land Office was opened at La Crosse, a much nearer and more convenient place. Few entries were made before 1854, and practically none before that time were made for agricultural purposes.

The first surveys of land in Buffalo county were made in 1848 by D. A. Spaulding. At that time there were small settlements at Holmes' Landing, now Fountain City, and at Twelve Mile Bluff, now Alma. There was also at least one settler in Nelson. Mr. Spaulding in that year surveyed town¬ ship 20, ranges 10, 11, 12 and 13; township 19, ranges 10, 11 and 12; and township 18, range 11. He started to survey township 18, range 10, that year, but did not complete it until 1849. S. W. Durham then took up the work. In 1849 he surveyed township 24, range 13 ; township 23, range 13, and started township 24, range 14, completing it the following year, 1850, in which he also surveyed township 23, range 14, and township 22, range 14. John Ball started work in 1851, surveyed township 23, ranges 11 and 12, and township 22, ranges 12 and 13, and started township 21, range 13, com¬ pleting it in 1852, in which year he also surveyed township 21, ranges 10, 11 and 12; township 22, ranges 10 and 11; township 23, range 10; and township 24, ranges 10, 11 and 12.

June 18 of that year township 18, ranges 10 and 11; township 19, ranges 10, 11 and 12; and township 20, ranges 10, 11, 12 and 13, were placed on the market. On Aug. 18, 1851, the land opened included township 22, range 14; township 23, ranges 13 and 14; and township 24, ranges 13 and 14. Township 21, range 11, was opened Oct. 17, 1852, and on Nov. 15 of that year township 22, range 12; township 23, ranges 11 and 12; and township 24, range 12. The rest of the county was opened in 1853. On July 15 of that year were opened township 21, range 10; township 22, range 10; town¬ ship 23, range 10 ; and township 24, range 10. The next day township 24, range 11, was opened. Oct. 17 of the same year, 1853, township 21, range 13; township 22, range 11; and township 22, range 13, were opened. On Nov. 15, 1853, township 21, range 12. June 13, 1856, the land was with¬ drawn in order that a route might be selected for a proposed railroad. In that year Congress had made a grant of land to be held in trust by the state of Wisconsin for the purpose of constructing a railroad from Portage City to the Mississippi river at La Crosse, with a branch from Tomah to some point on the St. Croix river. The grant was conferred on the Mil¬ waukee & La Crosse Railroad Co. and the head of which was Byron Kilbourn. In 1857 the Tomah-St. Croix branch was chartered as the Western Wisconsin Railroad Co. One of the routes chosen for its line was through the northern part of Buffalo county. The grant specified that the rail¬ road was to receive all the odd numbered sections in a strip twelve miles wide, six miles on each side of its line. All the remainng land in a strip thirty miles wide, fifteen miles each side of the line, was to be open to pre-emption at double rates, that is, at $2.50 an acre.

The Buffalo County Agricultural Society was organized June 10, 1872, with Robert Henry as president, John Hunner, Jr., as secretary, and J. W. DeGroff as treasurer. The first annual fair was held Oct. 9, 10 and 11, on section 12, township 21, range 12, in Lincoln township, near what is now Cream, the grounds being southwest of the bridge crossing Little Waumandee creek in front of what was then the Lincoln House. Lincoln township paid a bonus and was guaranteed the fair for five years. The first three fairs met with success, but then the interest declined. The grounds were in a central location, but the nature of the soil was such that the slightest rain turned the place into a pool of mud. Then, too, there was but one tavern within six or eight miles. It was therefore decided to seek another site. The people of Buffalo city offered a gift of eight square acres of land and a bonus of $200, the people of that city to bear the expense of moving the buildings, fences, railings, posts and the like to the new location. The people of Alma offered to furnish grounds free for ten years, to fence the grounds, to dig a well and to erect necessary buildings, including a hall 24 by 60 feet, horse and cattle stalls, sheep and pig pens and a fenced half-mile race track. The Alma offer was accepted, and the grounds prepared about a mile below the center of the village on the road to Fountain City. These grounds likewise proved damp, and various un¬ favorable circumstances prevented the success that had been hoped. The fair was kept alive by contributions from the village of Alma and from private citizens. In 1880 and 1881 the interest in the fair was at its lowest ebb and the grounds were seriously damaged by the high water. But in 1882 a most successful fair was held and things looked bright for the future. Two interesting features of the 1882 fair, still remembered, were the walking race and the ladies' horse race. The winner in the walking contest had walked fifty times around the half-mile track when the contest was ended. A small fair was held in 1883. Then the construction of the railroad through the grounds rendered it impossible to hold further exhi¬ bitions there. Therefore, it was decided to remove the fair to Mondovi, that city agreeing to furnish suitable grounds free for ten years, to con¬ struct the necessary buildings and a race track, and to keep the place in repair. The offer was accepted, and beginning with 1884 the fair has been held at that place. Suitable buildings have been erected and the fair takes high place among the agricultural exhibits of Wisconsin, having won excel¬ lent recognition in many departments.