WISCONSIN, a State in the North Central Division of the North American Union; bounded by Lakes Michigan and Superior, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota; admitted to the Union, May 20, 1848; capital, Madison; number of counties, 71; area, 56,066 square miles; pop. (1890) 1,686,880; (1900) 2,069,042; (1910) 2,333,860; (1920) 2,632,067.
Topography.—Wisconsin is an elevated undulating plain with an altitude of from 600 to 1,800 feet above the sea. A ridge about 30 miles S. of Lake Superior forms the watershed of the State, the ground sloping down in all directions. A high cliff extends along the shore of Green Bay and Lake Winnebago. The Missis sippi river extends along the W. boun dary for a distance of 250 miles, and re ceives the St. Croix, Chippewa, Black, and Wisconsin rivers. Other important rivers are the Rock, St. Louis, Bois BruI6, Bad, and Montreal, flowing into Lake Superior; the Menomonee, Peshtigo, Oconto, Pensaukee, and Fox, flowing into Green• Bay; and the Manitowoc, She boygan, and Milwaukee, emptying into Lake Michigan. The State is fa mous for its numerous beautiful lakes among which are the Winnebago, St. Croix, Pepin, Poygan, Pewaukee, Geneva, Green, Koshkonong, Oconomowoc, and Four Lakes. The lake shores have nu merous excellent harbors, including Green Bay, Chequamegon Bay, and Port Wash ington.
Geology and Mineralogy.—The Lau rentian, Devonian, and Archaean periods are all well represented in Wisconsin. The Archnan rocks cover an area in the N. central portion of the State, with an extreme length of 240 miles, and 160 miles wide. They consist principally of metamorphic granite, gneiss, syenite, dio rite, schists, and slates. S. of this tract, and along the Lake Superior slope are beds of Silurian origin. The mineral re sources of the State are very extensive. Lead, copper, iron, and zinc occur abun dantly and are mined with profit. The production of zinc is about 50,000 tons annually, valued at o•er $10,000,000. The iron production in 1919, almost en tirely from the Lake Superior district, was 52,003,000 tons, compared with 59, 779,794 tons in 1918. The iron produced
is entirely hematite. The production of pig iron in 1918 was 363,225 tons, valued at $13,832,908. The State is an impor tant producer of stone and mineral waters.
Agriculture.—Much of the N. part of the State is covered with extensive for ests of white pine, balsam, hemlock, and other cone-bearing evergreens. The soil in the N. is not well adapted to agri culture, but the prairies in the S. and central portions are exceedingly rich and productive, raising the cereals, tobacco, and potatoes in great quantities. The acreage, production, and value of the principal crops in 1919 was as follows: Corn, 1,820,000 acres, production 85,540, 000 bushels, value $106,925,000; oats, 2,339,000 acres, production 78,123,000 bushels, value $54,686,000; wheat, 549,000 acres, production 7,355,000 bushels, value, $15,814,000; rye, 525,000 acres, production 8,295,000 bushels, value $11, 033,000; barley, 512,000 acres, produc tion 13,568,000 bushels, value $16,417,000; tobacco, 48,000 acres, production 60,960', 000 pounds, value $13,533,000; hay, 2, 677,000 acres, production 4,738,000 tons, value $96,181,000; potatoes, 300,000 acres, production 28,200,000 bushels, value $39,480,000.
Mann I actures.—There were in 1914 9,104 manufacturing establishments, em ploying 194,310 wage earners. The capi tal invested was $754,287,000; wages paid $112,193,000; value of the materials used $417,415,000; and the value of the finished product $695,172,000.
Banking.—On Oct. 31, 1919, there were reported 147 National banks in opera tion, having $22,120,000 in capital; $12, 711,000 in outstanding circulation ; and $53,362,000 in United States bonds. There were also 775 State banks with $24,558,000 capital, and $8,791,000 sur plus. The exchanges at the United States clearing house at Milwaukee dur ing the year ending Sept. 30, 1919, ag gregated $1,539,000,000, an increase over those of the preceding year of $104, 917,000.