USA > Wisconsin > Monroe County > History of Monroe County, Wisconsin, past and present : including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county [microform] > Part 19
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this building will outlive us all.' The statement is likely true, but we little thought then that in so short a time he would be stricken down by the angel of death in the strength of his mature years.
"He was ever kind and considerate towards the unfortunate and his hand was often opened towards the relief of distress. Ilis neighbors and friends in the community where he lived, the stranger whom he chaneed to meet in the pathway of life. all learned to admire and esteem him for his genial social qualities, his kindly good nature, his sympathy for distress and his good- ness of heart as a citizen. He will long be missed by his many friends -- there will be a vacant chair at the sessions of this court -and in honor of his memory we here commemorate.
"It is ordered that the memorial presented by the committee of the bar be approved and spread upon the records of the court. The clerk is requested to present a copy of the same to the family of the deceased and to the local press for publication. Further ordered that court be now adjourned in respect to the memory of the late Judge Joseph M. Morrow."
ROMANZO BUNN.
Judge Bunn was born in Otsego county. New York September 24, 1829. He studied law at Elliottville. New York and was admitted to the bar at that place in 1853. He was married in 1854 to Sarah Purdy. of Rome. New York, and came to Wisconsin in September of the same year.
Ile stopped for a few months in the very small new town of Sparta, going from there to Trempeleau county where he entered a quarter section of government land. After living on this claim six months he moved to Galesville, then the county seat. He was elected member of assembly for Trempelean county in 1859.
In 1861 he formed a law partnership with Carlton E. Rice. an old New York friend. He was soon after elected district attorney for Monroe county. In 1868 he was elected Circuit Judge of the then Sixth Judicial Circuit. comprising the counties of Monroe, La Crosse, Jackson. Clark. Trempeleau. Buffalo and Vernon, be- ing re-elected in 1874 by unanimons endorsements of the bar of the district. This position he held until 1877 when he was ap- pointed United States District Judge for the Western District of Wisconsin, succeeding James C. Hopkins, who died September 3. of that year. He held this position for almost thirty years. retir- ing January 6, 1905, at the age of seventy-five. During this time a vast amount of important litigation came before him, both in
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his position of district judge and also as associate justice of the Court of Appeals; his duties in the latter position taking up a considerable portion of his time.
Judge Bunn took a leading position among the federal judges of the country. Ile occupied the bench during the period when federal jurisprudence was developing, and new and important questions were constantly coming up for decision. His opinions have been widely quoted and followed by the courts of other circuits, and successful appeals were taken from but a small number of his decisions. In the court room he was quick and decisive in his rulings, grasping the true point at issue and giving his decisions on that point alone. At the time of his retirement from the bench, Judge Francis E. Baker of the Court of Appeals said of him :- "He has shown the patience to hear with fulness and impartiality and the comprehension to understand the issues in all their bearings and the wisdom to find the right and the un- faltering honesty to declare and enforee it-not the common honesty that may have regard for what is the best policy, but the fearless honesty . that dares to be knowingly unpolitic-these, I take it, are the attributes of a great and just judge."
Judge Bunn was for several years professor of federal juris- prudence in the law school of the University of Wisconsin, and for two years was special lecturer on the same subject in the law department of Northwestern University at Evanston, Ill. IIe was a member of the Madison Literary Club, and frequently con- tributed to its programs. He was a lover of the English classics and a remarkably strong Shakespearian scholar.
His death occurred at his home in Madison, Wis., on the twenty-fifth of January, 1909, in the eightieth year of his age.
CHAPTER XX. AGRICULTURE AND DAIRYING.
It took a good many years of experience and the efforts of some farmers more progressive than others of the general run to bring to the fore, as a commercial proposition, the dairying industry. Cattle, almost from the earliest settlement down to within the last fifteen years, were raised mostly for beef, with occasionally a "cheese factory" which would spring up and flourish for a time and then quit business, for the well developed farming of the East could more than successfully compete with the Middle West in "cream cheese :" every farmer who kept cows, made more or less dairy butter, usually a department presided over by the good wife, who presided at the churn and had her regular days for turning out butter for the market; but with the development of this section and the steady increase in population of villages and cities came the demand "more butter;" and with this demand from the markets developed the raising of better cattle, the establishment of creameries and the application of scientifie modern methods to the making and marketing of butter.
Monroe county farmers have more than kept pace with other sections of the state, and the very profitable dairy industry has been highly developed in almost all parts of the country ; farmers are and have been studying the breeds of dairy cattle; they send their sons to the university, some of them taking the short and some the long course in agriculture, and come out fitted to manage stock farms successfully. There are one or two associa- tions of men who breed a certain kind of dairy cattle, and stock farms with modern sanitary barns and apparatus for handling milk and cream are found in every township : and not only that, but nearly every township has its ereamery, generally a cooper- ative concern, owned and operated by the farmers in its vicinity, where butter fat is turned into cash with scientific regularity, and from this one industry alone has come a great increase in land vahies all over the county.
The early efforts in this line were isolated in different sections and no record is available of the amount of money invested in this great industry and its results, and not until 1908 was there
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any system in use for collecting information on the subject, but since that time the county clerk of each county is required by law to get certain information as to general agricultural matters and dairying and these reports for Monroe county are given in detail in this chapter. They show also an astonishing amount of progress in general farming lines and exhibit a most satisfactory condition, one which is alluring to the invester in farm lands, for beyond a question this county is rich in lands suitable for dairying and diversified farming and is fast developing into one of the richest counties in this great state, offering many opportu- nities to the farmer of pluck, intelligence and perseverance.
One glance at the following tables tells of progress and profit. For the year ending April 30, 1911, it will be seen that the total amount received from the dairy business alone was the enormous sum of $1,071,086.52; over a million dollars in cash. With eight- een ereameries, worth nearly $50,000, in operation the year around, using the product of 25,871 cows, a record is made that established the county well to the front in this industry in com- parison with other counties of the state.
Following are given the official tables covering this industry and farm products and property generally for each year, begin- ning with 1908 :
CERTIFIED REPORT OF DAIRY STATISTICS.
1908-Number of creameries, 19; value, $39,950; number of patrons, 2,817; number of cows, 24,407; number of pounds of milk received during the year, 18,424,772; cream, 12,992,607; number of pounds of butter or cheese made of condensed milk produced during the year, 3,655,615; number of cheese factories, 2; value, $800; number of patrons. 33; number of cows, 460; number of pounds of milk received, 1,504,500; number of pounds of butter or cheese made, 14,000. Amount of money received for products sold during the year, $1,020,207.68 from ereameries, and from cheese factories, $1,350. Number of pounds made on farms, butter. 60,800; value, $12,612; number of gallons sold other than that sold to creameries, cheese factories and milk condensing factories, 2,000.
1909-Number of creameries, 19; value. $48,331; number of patrons, 2,546; number of cows, $23,840; number of pounds of milk received during the year, 12,261,492. Cream, 12,330,556; number of pounds of butter or cheese made during the year, 4.188,145. The amount of money received for products sold dur- ing the year, $1,090,695.08. Number of cheese factories, 1; value,
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$500: number of patrons. 16: number of cows, 180; number of pounds of milk. 523,099; mumber pounds of butter or cheese, 47,000. Amount of money received, $4,667.92; number of pounds of butter made on farm. 39,303; vahe, $8,379.40. Number of gallons sold other than that sold to creameries, cheese factories and milk condensing factories. 259.901.
1910-Number of creameries, 19; value, $42,590: number of patrons. 2.483: number of cows, 23.820: mumber of pounds of milk. 10,964,774. Cream, 7,581,792; number of pounds of butter or cheese made or condensed milk produced, 3,518.668. The amount of money received during the year. $959.763.19. Number of pounds of butter made on the farm, 86,350. Value, $22,274. Number of gallons other than that sold to creameries, cheese factories and milk condensing factories, 18,650.
1911-Number of creameries, 18: value. $46,795: number of patrons. 2.791: member of cows. 25,871; number of pounds of milk, 8,846,256. Cream. 27,819,573: number of pounds of butter. 3.728.634. Amount of money received for products sold during the year, $1.071.086,52. Number of pounds of butter made on farms. 20,929: value. $5.068.50: number of gallons sold other than sold to creameries, cheese factories and milk condensing factories, 2,931.
CERTIFIED STATEMENT OF CROP REPORT.
1908.
Number of bushels-Wheat. 43.862: corn. 463.275: oats. 1.028 .- 704: barley, 170.809: rye. 51.893 : flax seed. 62: potatoes. 192.447 : beans 66; cranberries, 6,587 : apples. 15,319; strawberries, 21.051; raspberries, 2.744: blackberries, 3.868: currants. 15: grapes. 192; clover seed, 507 : timothy seed. 91.
Number of tons-Sugar beets. 183: hay. 54.205.
Number of pounds-Tobacco, 648,869; hops, 300.
Acres harvested for seed-Clover. 264.
1909.
Number of bushels-Wheat. 46,527: corn. 512,469; oats. 1,153,803; barley. 263.475: rye. 50,397: flax seed. 180: potatoes, 167.109: beans, 233: cranberries, 2.989; apples, 10.789; straw- berries. 19.840; raspberries, 2,043: blackberries. 3,396: currants. 2; grapes, 1.540; clover seed. 4.963: timothy seed, 308.
Number of tons-Sugar beets, 310: hay, 65.726.
Number of pounds-Tobacco, 555.700.
Acres harvested for seed-Clover, 3,004; timothy, 126.
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1910.
Number of bushels-Wheat, 50,727; corn, 394,933; oats, 1,397,- 192; barley, 333,888; rye. 57,899 ; flax seed, 360; potatoes, 230,238; beans, 88; cranberries, 12.845; apples, 42,583; strawberries, 16,- 051; raspberries 1,915; blackberries, 4,031; currants, 16; grapes, 26; clover seed, 1,762; timothy seed, 186.
Number of tons-Sugar beets, 347; hay, 64,386.
Number of pounds-Tobacco, 519,700.
1911.
Number of bushels-Wheat, 55,619; corn, 458,482; oats, 791,673; barley, 186,777; rye, 64,566; flax seed, 145; potatoes, 263,429 ; beans, 748; cranberries, 4,905; apples, 326; strawberries. 6,652; raspberries 520; blackberries 1,109; grapes, 1; clover seed, 881; timothy seed, 3.
Number of tons-Sugar beets, 82; hay, 33,450; cabbages, 2. Number of pounds-Tobacco, 203,260.
ACREAGE OF FARM CROPS, NUMBER AND VALUE OF STOCK.
1908.
Number of aeres-Wheat, 3,036; corn, 22,795; oats. 42,987; barley, 9,720; rye. 5,056; flax seed, 117; potatoes, 2,165; sugar beets. 50; cranberries, 92; apple orchard, 555; strawberries, 334; raspberries, 58; blackberries, 369; grapes, 4; hops, 4; tobacco, 227; hay, 44,857; growing timber, 68,691; number of growing apple trees, 21,035.
Number and value of livestock-Milch cows 22,010, value $483,505; all other cattle 16,139, value $151,592; horses of all ages 9,343, value $627,369; sheep and lambs 13,251, value $39,- 495; swine four months old or over 11,387, value $55,007.
1909.
Number of acres-Wheat, 2,906; corn. 21,557; oats, 45,092; barley, 13,154; rye, 5,166; flax seed, 83; potatoes, 2,604; sugar beets, 62; beans, 13; cranberries, 153: apple orchard, 591; straw- berries, 334; raspberries, 63; blackberies, 76; grapes, 8; flax seed, 3; Tobacco, 244; hay, 46,172; growing timber, 77,605; number of growing apple trees, 22,044.
Number and value of livestock-Milch cows 22,164, value $483,076; all other cattle 16,883, value $190,939; horses of all
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ages 10.065, value $711.671 : sheep and lambs 14,222, value $50,- 070; swine four months old or over 8,190, value $52,327.
1910.
Number of acres-Wheat, 3,986; corn, 22.464; oats, 47,167; barley, 10,751: rye. 6,878; flax seed, 15; potatoes, 2,573; sugar beets, 34: cranberries, 149; apple orchard, 685; strawberries. 692; raspberries, 72: blackberries, 70; grapes. 2: flax, 20; tobacco, 153: grasses cultivated for hay, 43,328; growing timber, 82,892; num- ber of growing apple trees, 28.303.
Number and value of livestock-Milch cows 23,752, value $555,229; all other cattle 16,307, vale $190,273; horses of all ages 9,961, value $721,956 ; sheep and lambs 11,603, value $54.782; swine four months old or over 8,217, value $79,172.
1911.
Number of acres-Wheat, 5,074; corn, 27,584; oats, 45.820: barley, 10,656; rye, 11,608; flax seed, 23; potatoes, 2.495; sugar beets. 10; beans. 182; cranberries, 110; apple orchard, 696: strawberries, 448; raspberries, 76; blackberries, 90; grapes. 5: tobacco, 270; grasses cultivated for hay, 41,562; growing timber, 89,678; number of apple trees, 33,680.
Acres harvested for seed-Clover, 564.
Number and value of livestock-Milch cows 22,711. value $524,861; all other cattle 14,178, value $165.265 : horses of all ages 10.366, value $803,882; sheep and lambs 10,559. value $34.074; swine four months old or over 8,815, value $61.203.
CHAPTER XXI.
APPLE INDUSTRY.
A great many years ago attempts were made in some portions of the county to raise apples with some measure of success, but the farmers of that period did not have the advantage which those of this day have in the benefit of scientific learning and instruction from the Agricultural college in connection with the University, which has investigated all sorts of subjects which are related to agriculture in any way, and a great deal of atten- tion has been paid to the subject of apple raising, and as to whether or not the soil and climate conditions in this part of the state will permit of apples being raised on a large scale. In the earlier days alluded to, occasionally was found a small orchard which was planted by some farmer and just allowed to grow without any particular attention, except that in some instances the science of grafting was gone into when, perhaps, some man who has been familiar with the growing of apples in some eastern state knew the method of grafting apple trees ; but that in no locality in the county was a determined effort made to raise apples as a commercial proposition, although many varieties were in fact raised of good quality and flavor, but with the lack of attention these little orchards gradually went into- decay and the trees died off, more for the want of proper care and attention than on account of any conditions in the soil or climate.
With the awakening all along the line in agricultural subjects has come a movement in this county in the last few years to experiment with the growing of apple orchards, and with the great assistance which has been rendered by the agricultural department of the University, and also the officials of the State Horticultural Society, we are able in this chapter to record the result of experiments which prove beyond any question that within the limits of Monroe county there is just as good fruit lands as can be found anywhere in the United States for the rais- ing of certain varieties of apples. The authorities of the Uni- versity and of the Horticulture Society had their attention called a year or two ago to the orchard maintained by Mr. Fred Mueh- lenkamp upon his farm in the town of Wells, where this gentle-
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man has seven acres of as fine apple trees as can be found anywhere. Some of the trees in this orchard were more than thirty years old and it originally was a small orchard, planted just as farmers planted twenty or thirty years ago; but for many years Mr. Muehlenkamp has made a study of the problem of fruit culture, paying particular attention to the raising of varieties of apples best adapted for profitable culture in this climate, and he is today a recognized authority on this subject. Particularly so with regard to tree grafting, and the result of his study and experiments are shown in his orchard, where there are many trees bearing more than one kind of apples, and some producing four or five different varieties.
Working in conjunction with the officers of the State Ilorti- cultural Society this veteran apple grower opened his home. which, by the way, is a fine brick mansion, upon his farm and invited all who desired to come to attend a field day fruit dem- onstration and meeting at his farm on August 23, 1911. Secre- tary Cranefield, of the State Horticultural Society, was present, together with D. E. Bingham, president of the socity; W. II. Hanchett, of Angelo, and a commission merchant by the name of Merrill, of Chicago, were present, together with about two hun- dred people from a number of different towns in the county. At this meeting addresses were delivered by the gentlemen named and by Mr. Muehlenkamp, and it was demonstrated not only by the orchard upon this farm, but in the addresses delivered at the meeting that there were no better lands and no better condi- tions anywhere in the United States for successful cultivation of apples than exist in Monroe county, especially on the ridge lands, which are well adapted for that purpose. It was shown that an average orchard ten years old, which is properly culti- vated and cared for. could be depended upon to yield an annual income of $250 per acre, which is better than can be done with any ordinary crop at this time.
It is generally agreed that the most profitable varieties of apples to grow in this county were the MeMann, Northwestern Greenings, Wealthy, Salome and Malinda : and as a matter of fact it had been shown that winter apples could be raised in this county and in various other portions of the state at prices which would more than successfully compete with the New York apples. This meeting gave to this industry a standing which was to the great satisfaction of those who were present, and undoubtedly the future will see good results from it. As the comercial advantage of having an orchard of several aeres
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properly cared for is so evident that the farmers, in the ridge country especially, will undoubtedly, in the future, give special attention to this branch of horticulture.
If anything else was needed to complete the demonstration and to establish beyond any question that apple growing in Monroe county can be successfully accomplished, and not only apples, but grapes, plums and cherries, it has been most con- clusively furnished in the results accomplished by J. W. Leverich at his fruit farm in the town of Angelo. Mr. Leverich, who now is acknowledged one of the authorities on small fruits, started in 1904 an experimental orchard of five acres, which he planted in May of that year. In order to demonstrate to his own satis- faction whether these fruits, apples, grapes and cherries could be successfully raised if handled scientifically, his trees were selected with the greatest care and planted upon a piece of land which was carefully selected for the purpose, and his long expe- rience in small fruit raising gave him the knowledge necessary to select the particular land which he did for this orchard. The traet is protected on the north and west by growing timber from the winds; to the south and east are hills which protect the trees from wind blowing from that direction. There are sixteen rows of fruit trees and two rows of grapes. The trees are set twenty- two in a row, and the two rows of grapes about four hundred feet in length each, in which there are seven distinct varieties.
At the time of setting this five-acre tract into an orchard in the spring of 1904, Mr. Leverich placed between the rows of trees either raspberries, red raspberries or blackberry brush. These berry brush have been thoroughly cultivated and cared for, as the trees and vines of the orchard were, and as a conse- quenee there has been a crop of berries each year commencing with 1905. In 1906 the first returns from the orchard proper were secured, being ten baskets of grapes. The plum trees com- menced bearing in 1907, and the apples in 1908, while the first cherries were secured in 1911, and it is the opinion of Mr. Lev- erich that this locality in the town of Angelo is not adopted to the culture of cherries. But his experiment has demonstrated beyond a doubt that the valley soil of Monroe county, as well as the ridges, is suitable and just as well adapted naturally for the culture of fruits as the ridge lands. It only needs the intelli- gence, industry and perseverance, which are, of course, all necessary in an industry of this character to put into a paying proposition an orchard bearing apples, plums and grapes. During the fall season of 1911 Mr. Leverich exhibited in one or two store
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windows in the city of Sparta baskets containing the varieties of fruit and grapes raised in this orchard, and they made a tempting picture, indeed, and we here have the record which was kept by him from the time beginning with the planting of the orchard up until the market of 1911, showing in detail the number of baskets, cases or bushels, as the case may be, of fruit which was raised upon this five-acre tract of land from May. 1904, up to and including the erop of 1911. giving the total amount realized upon the entire tract :
BLACKBERRIES.
1905, 24 cases. $1.19 per case. $28.56: 1906, 152 cases, $1.47 per case. $223.44; 1907, 207 cases, $1.67 per case. $405.69: 1908, 288 cases, $1.59 per case. $557.92: 1909. 239 cases. $1.54 per case, $368.06; 1910, 124 cases. $1.93 per case, $239.32: 1911, 155 cases. $1.64 per case, $254.20. Total, 1,190 cases; total, $2.077.19.
BLACK RASPBERRIES.
1905. 54 cases. $1.21 per case, $65.34; 1906, 421 cases. $1.46 per case. $614.66; 1907, 305 cases, $1.60 per case, $488; 1908, 235 cases, $1.89 per case, $445.25: 1909, 145 cases, $2.05 per case. $297.25; 1910, 76 cases, $1.95 per case, $148.20; 1911. 111 cases, $1.56 per case, $173.16. Total, 1.342 cases; total. $2,231.86.
RED RASPBERRIES.
1905. 10 cases, $1.21 per case. $12.10: 1906, 154 cases, $1.47 per case. $226.38; 1907. 125 cases, $1.68 per case, $200; 1908. 215 cases. $1.75 per case, $376.25; 1904, 54 cases, $1.85 per case, $99.90: 1910, 10 cases, $1.98 per case, $19.80. Total. 568 cases; total, $934.43.
GRAPES.
1906, 10 baskets; 1907. 100 baskets; 1908, 200 baskets: 1909, 20 baskets; 1910, 10 baskets; 1911, 175 baskets. Total, 505 baskets. at 25e per basket. $126.25.
Cherries-20 cases, $1.50 per case, $30.
Apples-1908, 5 bushels: 1909, 10 bushels; 1911, 75 bushels. Total, 90 bushels, at 75e per bushel, $67.50.
Plums-1907, 5 cases: 1908. 30 cases: 1909. 50 cases: 1911. 130 cases. Total, 215 cases, $1.25 per case. $268.75. Plants sold, $500. Grand total of all sales. $6,235.98.
These figures are for cases of 24 pints each of blackberries and black and red raspberries, and 16 quarts of plums and cherries.
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This tract being largely in the nature of an experimental orchard, Mr. Leverich has set in a greater variety of trees than he probably would have if he was to now set it out with the knowledge he now possesses after seven years of experimenting. Some of the varieties have done better than others, but it is not the object of this article to specify particularly in regard to that, but to tell of the orchard as we found it. It consists of the fol- lowing trees, vines and berry brush :
Apples-88 Northwestern Greening. 44 Wealthy, 11 Tohan Sweet, 11 McIntosh Red, 11 Milwaukee, 11 Wolf River, 11 Scott's Winter, 11 Longfield, 11 Patten's Greening, 11 McMahan, 11 Duchess, 11 Plumb Cider.
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