The record-union., 1897-04-12
Of the Su Emerged Districts South of
Cairo, Ill.
The Total Area Under Water on April
9th Was Nearly 10000 Square
TILES, With Population of Nearly
100000 in 1S0O-The Counties
Submerged Are Among the Largest
COttOn-PrOduCing Counties in the
United States, Producing $751;
100000 Last Year.

WASHINGTON, April IA state
ests of the submerged districts of the
Mississippi Valley south of Cairo, Ill.,,
has been issued by the Department Of
Agriculture. 1t is based upon chart
prepared under the direction Of the
Chief of the Weather Bureau, showing
the extent of the flood on April 9th.
The total area under water on April
9th was about 800 square miles, of
which { 900 square miles was in MlssiS-
sippi, $500 square miles in Arkansas,
1,150 square miles in Missouri, 100 in
Tennessee and $50 in Louisiana. The re-
gion contained in 1890 so far as can be
determined in view of the somewhat
indefinite boundary lines of the flood, a
population of 379, $50, of which 10000,
or about half, was in Mississippi;
100, 231 in Arkansas, and the remainder
almost equally divided between Mis-
souri, and Tennessee. Taking in the en-
tire region the colored population out
numbered the whites in the proportion
of to /, the colored predominating in
the flooded districts of Mississippi in the
ratio of more than ) to l, and in Arkan-
sas in that of to l. In Missouri and
Tennessee the population of the flooded
districts is largely white, in the former
State in the proportion of III to ana IN
the latter in that of to l.
The flooded districts contain, it is es-
timated, about 80, 800 farms. of which
about 1880 are in Mississippi, nearly
10000 in Arkansas and a like number
about equally divided between Missouri
and. Tennessee. These farms contain a
total area of about 3,S000 900 acres. one
half of which is in Mississippi and rather
one fourth in Arkansas, the proportions
in Missouri and Tennessee being about
the same as in the case of a number OF
farms.
About a million and half acres of the
area under water were last year devoted
to cotton and corn, to which crops nearly
% per cent of the entire acreage Guilt
waited is devoted. 1t is estimated that
of the crops of last year over three and
three-quarter million dollars worth re-
manned on hand in the submerged region
on the last of the month, cotton repre-
senting about tWo-thirdS of this amount
and corn practically all the remainder.
What effect the flood will have upon
the crops of the present season depends
upon the length of its continuance and
the practicability of wheat planting
after the subsistence of the flood. The
entire region under water on April 9th
produced last year about 100000 bales
of cotton valued at close to SIS, 100000,
over II 100000 bushels of corn, worth
about So 400, 900, and wheat, oats, pota-
toes and hay worth over $500, 600 more.
The most valuable portion of these crops
was raised in Mississippi, whose region
now submerged produced nearly quar-
ter of a million bales of cotton. besides
other products, mostly for local con-
sumption.
The counties wholly or partially sub
merged are among the largest cotton
producing countries in the United
States Yazoo County, which alone has
produced over 10000 bales in a season,
is one-half under water, while Bolivar
County, Coahama Issaquena, Wash
ington with a productive capacity of
100000 bales and other famous coun-
ties are partially submerged.
The Weather Bureau predicts a
further extension of the flooded area,
but no attempt of course has been made
to estimate the serious possibilities of
such extension.