The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1888-12-15
MISSOURI.
MACON COUNTY.

Oiu ~
the front. A quarter century Of pop
ular prejudice against this richest Of
all the states In the Federal Union has
somewhat retarded her material de-
velopment, but has In no wise dimmed
the glory of her marvellous and match
less resources. Kansas, California,
Washington Territory, Oregon, OAK
ota, and many another immigranrs
utopia, have had their booms, but no
portion of the Union j. attracting
more attention to-day than long de-
spised, neglected and Inexperienced
Missouri. No portion of this grand
old state Is worthier of, or just now
attracting, more attention among set
tiers and investors than Macon county,
one of the model counties OF north
eastern Missouri. In the magnitude
of its material resource, il is incom-
parably the richest county In this
grand division of the state. IL has
s2s square miles of territory,
almost without blemish; il nearly
as large as Rhode Island and has a
population of Sc, 600 enterprising and
progressive people. Ii Is located on
the great divide" between the Missis-
sippi and Missouri rivers in one of
the most beautiful and healthful re-
gions of the continent and Is square in
the center of the finest blue grass
regions between old Bourbon county
and the Golden Gate. 1t is a superior
clover, timothy and general stock
growing country; has 2,4O0 horses
S,443 mules, A, 800 cattle, 10 600 sheep
and $4,000 swine and annually ex ports
Si.5oo 600 worth of fat horses, mules,
steers, sheep and pigs. IL is almost
unriyaled as a fruit country and has
this year exported 2j0 900 barrels of
staple winter apples. 1t has this year
grown more wheat than the six New
England states and more corn than
Maine, Rhode Island and Colorado.
Ii Is famous tobacco country, annu-
ally producing from loo, 900 10 p
100000 pounds of superior leaf most
of which is manufactured within the
county. For mixed farming il Is
second TO no country between the
lakes and the mountains. Ii has the
richest coal fields within the whole
bituminous coal range of the middle
and western states, embracing 400
square miles of coal bearing territory
underlaid with three veins of coal, run
ming from twelve to twenty inches,
in the superficial stratum; from fifteen
to thirty inches in the second stratum
and from three to seven feet in the
lower veins. The annual coal pro-
duct of the Bevier, Emerson and
Lingo mines reaches $50 600 tons, most
of which is sold to the three railway
lines and coal dealers in Missouri,
Kansas and Nebraska. A wealthy
ST. Louis syndicate have lately
bought the Emerson and College
Mound coal properties and will
increase their operating force to
900 men. The Bevier mines en-
ploy from 700 to 200 operatives,
according to season, and the Lingo
mines from 100 to 200 miners. Rich
coking Goals have lately been found In
81 inch vein within the suburbs of
Macon City, and wealthy st. Joseph
and Topeka operators will at once put
200 miners TO work in this new and
enormously rich find. To this agri-
cultural and mineral wealth may be
added the fine native forests, which
abound in oak, walnut, cherry, linden,
ash, hickory, sycamore and other CON-
mercial woods which are exported on
good scale. This beautiful county is
thirty five per cent. forest and the
balance smooth, or graceful rolling
prairie, and is admirably watered by