Coal and wood are the fuels used. Wood can be obtained from the adjacent country and coal from the east. Vegetables can be supplied for canning and clay, sand and stone are the natural products. A limited amount of help can be secured in the vicinity. A hotel and canning factory are needed.

About 75 per cent of the land surrounding the village suitable for crop raising is improved. Dairying is the chief industry.

state.

LANGLADE COUNTY.

Langlade county is located in the northeastern part of the The area is 855 square miles. The population in 1905 was 15,738, a gain of 3,185 over the census of 1900. Over one-sixth of the population is foreign born, nearly one-half of which are Germans. There are also large numbers of Bohemian, Canadian and Polish settlers. The total farm area in 1905 was only 113,175 acres, of which but 38,578 acres were improved. In 1890 the area of all the farms in the county was 77,831 acres, of which 13,632 acres were mproved. The value of the farms and improvements in 1905 was $3,465,038, as compared with only $1,050,191 in 1890, a gain of $2,414,847 or nearly 225% in 15 years. There are large tracts of land in this county awaiting the settler, the total present farm acreage being less than 30% of the area of the county. The topography of the county is more or less rolling and hilly. In the northern part the surface is characterized by belts of ridges and billowy hills, and associated with basin-like depressions, swamps and numerous small lakes or ponds. These hills and ridges generally have steep slopes and often rise to a considerable height above the surrounding land. In the south-western part of the county the land is quite level and presents a prairie-like plain. There are numerous irregular areas of swampy soil. The soil is mainly a clayey and gravelly loam of the lighter varieties, with an increasing number of boulders toward the north. The subsoil consists of gravel and sand. Wherever farms have been cleared the soil has shown itself capable of producing good crops. Its productive quality is attested by the numerous thriving farms established within the last decade. It maintains with ease an excellent dairy and stock industry.

FIRST HOUSE BUILT IN ANTIGO, COUNTY SEAT, TWENTY-FIVE YEARS

AGO IN SOLID WILDERNESS.

Grasses, clover, potatoes and the smaller crops yield excellent returns. The chief crops and their acreage in 1890 and 1905 were as follows:

There are 11 cheese factories and 3 creameries in the county. The standing hardwood, elm, maple, basswood, oak and hemlock show a dense growth. The pine has all been cut. The price of unimproved land ranges from $10 to $30 per acre. For improved land the price ranges from $25 to $100, according to quality and nearness to markets. The marshes are practically worthless for farm purposes. Antigo is the county seat and largest city. The following table shows the population of the cities, towns and villages of the county in 1905:

ANTIGO.

Antigo, Langlade Co., is an incorporated city having a population of 6,603, located on the C. & N. W. Ry., 264 miles from Chicago, 179 miles from Milwaukee, and 160 miles from Ashland. Has telephone and telegraph communications. Good freight and passenger facilities. American Express.

Wood obtained from the saw mills and the surrounding forests is the principal fuel. Such raw materials as small fruit, vegetables, sand, clay, stone and an abundance of timber can be supplied, and Antigo is a suitable place for any industry that can utilize these. About 500 young persons can be procured here for canning factories in the summer, and 200 men can be secured for any kind of factory work the year round. A screen door factory was once established here but failed because profits were too small. The city is supplied with an electric light plant, 2 banks,

4 drug stores, 20 groceries, 5 hardwares, 1 department store, school system, 8 physcians, 13 lawyers, and a public park. Three weekly and one semi-weekly papers are published. The streets are wide and well kept.

The land surroundng Antigo is very fertile and most of it is well adapted for general farming and stock raising. About 20% of it is rough, 50% level and free from stone, 7% swampy and 3% sandy. The largest portion of tillable land is yet unimproved and can be purchased reasonably cheap.

BRYANT.

Bryant, Langlade Co., is an unincorporated village of about 300 people, situated on the C. & N.W. Ry., 273 miles from Chicago, 188 miles from Milwaukee. Freight and passenger service good. Has telephone and telegraph communications. American Express.

Such raw materials as timber, sand and stone can be supplied in abundance, and any industry such as a furniture factory or other woodworking establishment would be best suited for the place. Plenty of help for factory work can be secured. The village is supplied with 1 grocery store, 1 hardware, 1 dry goods store, 1 hotel, a boarding house, and 1 physician.

The land of the surrounding country is very fertile, one fourth of it being somewhat rolling, and the remainder is level, free from stone, sand or marshes. Only about one tenth of this land is as yet improved.

ELTON.

Elton, Langlade Co., is an unincorporated village of about 200 people, located at the end of a spur of the C. & N. W. Ry., running out from Bryant. Is 278 miles from Chicago, 192 miles from Milwaukee. Freight and passenger facilities not good. American Express.

An abundance of wood for fuel can be procured in the immediate vicinity. An abundance of timber as raw material can also be procured from the surrounding forests. A general store is all the industrial establishment the village is supplied with. There are numerous trout streams flowing through the surrounding country, and there are many beautiful lakes filled with other varieties of fresh water fish within reasonable distances of the village.

Part of the surrounding country is stony, some swampy, and a little rolling, but the soil is excellent for general farming purposes.