The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-12
MILLIONS UNDER WATER.
The Agricultural Interests in Sub
merged Districts.
STATEMENT ISSUED BY GOVERN.
MENT ON SUBJECT.

MEM UN 81 JECT.
Nearly 10000 Square Miles of LandIUnder
| Water in the River valIeys-Mississippi
the Greatest sufferer-Trouble Now
| Feared at Louisiana.
| Washington, April 11.-A statement
relative to the agricultural interests of
the submerged districts of the Mississippi
valley south of Cairo. Illinois, has been
issued by the Department of Agricul-
ture.
| The total area under water on April G,
was 10. 800 square miles, of which 1900
square miles was in Mississippi, $500
square miles in Arkansas, 1850 square
miles in Missouri, 1900 in Tennessee and
| $50 in Louisiana. This region contained
in 1890 so far as can be determined in
view of the somewhat indefinite boundary
lines Of the food, population of a79. $685.
of which 1885, 489, or about one-half was
in Mississippi, 100. 1856 in Arkansas and
the remainder, almost equally divided
| poVWoeA MlosOurl anu l6uu6SS0o.
Taking the entire region the colored pop
ulation outnumbered the whites in the
| proportion of twelve to seven.
The flooded districts contain, it is esti-
mated about 80, 800 farms, with a total
area of about 8. 500, $50 acres. The total
value of these farms with their improve
ments, farming implements, etc., is close
| to sixty millions of dollars.
| The total rnvn har nf aoraa nvouod
the taking OF the last census was about
1000, 900. and about /, 500 900 acres was
| last year devoted to cotton and corn, to
which crop nearly 95 per cent of the en-
tire acreage cultivated Is devoted. The
live stock on hand the first OF January OF
the present year was valued at over seven
and a half million dollars. 1t Ia esti-
mated that Of the crops Of last year over
| three and three-quarter million dollars
worth remained on hand Ia the submerge
| region on the last OF the month, cotton
repr esenting about two-thirds of this
amount and corn practically all the re-
| mainder.
The largest interests at stake so far are
those Of the State of Mississippi, whose
| flooded district represents an investment
| capital in agriculture alone of close upon
forty two million dollars. Over eighteen
thousand farms containing two million
acres of land of an average value of about
eigt teen dollars an acre are under water
1 in the country lying between the
| Mississippi and Yaz0o rivers, including
some of the most productive lands of the
state. Their live stock even at the present
/ low prices Is worth nearly three and one
half million dollars and the farmers and
| plantera ara estimated to have about two
| million dollars worth of the crops of last
Iyear still On hand.
/ Aru cfo dc in he Of
its imperilled interests, nearly ten
thousand FARMS containing one million
acres of land worth over fourteen million
dollars being submerged. These farms
contain live stock to the value of over
one and one half millions and crops un-
sold and unoonsumed to the value OF
nearly nine hundred thousand dollars,
the entire agricultural interests of these
lands representing value not far short
\ of seventeen million dollars.
The agricultural interests affected in
| Missouri represent total capital of
| rather over nine million dollars. the five
| thousand three hundred submerged farms
| containing an area of about four hundred
and seventy thousand acres, worth about
| seven and one-quarter million dollars,
| the live stock representing nearly one
and one-half million dollars more, and
the craps on hand another half million.
| Tennessee is not far behind Missouri in
| the extent of its imperilled interests, the
| n um ber and acreage of the submerged
| farms being very nearly the same, and
the entile value including one and one
quarter million dollars for live stock aI,i
four hundred thousand dollars for crops
on hand, being over eight and one-half
milli1n dollars.
What effect the food will have upon
| the crops of the present season depends
upon the length of it's continuance and
the practicability of wheat planting after
the subsistence of the flood. The entire
| region under water on April 6, produced
last year about three hundred and
seventy thousand bales of cotton, valued
at cost on thirteen million dollars; over
eleven million bushels of corn, worth
about three million four hundred
thousand dollars, and wheat, oats, pota-
toes and hay worth over eight hundred
Thousand dollars more. The most
| valuable portion of these crops was raised
in Miss ssippi, where the region now
submerged produced nearly "a quarter of
a million bales Of cotton, besides other
products mostly for local consumption. n.
The counties wholly or partly submerged
are among the largest cotton producing
counties in t. g United States.
! Yazoo county. which alone has pro-
duced over fifty thousand bales in
season, is one-half under water, while
| 5ollVer county, Coahona, lSSaquenn,
Washington with productive capacity
of one hundred thousand bsles) and other
famous counties are partially submerged.
The Weather Bureau predicts further
extension of the flooded area, but no at
tempt, of course has been made to
estimate the serious possibilities of suoh
extension.
The Weather Bureau published map
OF the country flooded on April 10, and
says: "The flood of water now In Western
Mississippi ia just beginning to return to
the Mississippi river through the Yasoo
and Milliken's landing, few miles
north. The gradually increasing strain
expected during the next few days on the
Louisiana side opposite the place where
the Tazoo floods returned TO the Missis
sippi renders it posi- BILE that the levees
may break and the food pour through in
to northeastern Louisiana in which case