The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-04-15
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
OF Acreage Submerged and Crop
Damage by the Flood.

Washington, April ia statement
| relative to the agricultural interests of
| the submerged district of the Mississippi
south Of Cairo has been issued by the
| department of agriculture. 1t is based
| upon chart prepared under the direc-
| ton of the chief of the weather bureau.
showing the extent of the flood on April
u. To this chart the department has
applied the crop statistics of 1896 as rep
| resentlnS more closely than any other
| available data the acreage and value of
the crops of 1897. now in jeopardy. The
statistics of population, of the number
and acreage of farms and of the value of
farms and farm implements are those
of the census of $780, and the statistics
of livestock are the departments own
figures for January |. 1891
The total area under water on April
was about 1880 square miles. of
which 1900 square miles was in Mssis-
sippi, 1900 square miles in Arkansas.
100 square miles in Missouri, 1900
square miles 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 flood, Il population of }79,GSJ
Of which 1S6.4S9, or about one-half. was
in Mississippi, 100235 in Arkansas and
the remainder almost equally divided
between Missouri and Tennessee. Taking
the entire region. the colored population
0utnumbered the whites in the proportion
of II to I, the colored population pre-
dominating in the flooded districts of
Mississippi ut the ratio of more than
to ! and in Arkansas = to l.
In Missouri and Tennessee the pOpua-
ton of the flooded districts is largely
white. in the former state in the proDor-
nf tn I IN, h.. -
The Hooded districts contain, it is es-
timatcd about $1,000 farms, of which
about 1890 are in Mississippi, nearly
10000 i'll Arkansas and a like number
about equally divided between Missouri
and Tennessee Those farms contain a
total area of about 3.S00.O0O acres. one
half OF which is in Mississippi and
rather over one-fourth in Arkansas. the
proportions in Missouri and Tennessee
being about the same as in the case of
the number of farms. The total value
of these farms with their improvements,
farm implements etc. is close upon 500
100000, and here, also, the proportions
i'll the different states are about the
same as above noted. The total num-
Der of acres improved at the taking of
the last census was about 100000 and
about 2,,DO,OOO acres were last year de-
voted to cotton and corn, to which crops
nearly % per cent of the entire acreage
Is devoted. The livestock on hand the
LIST of January of the present year was
valued at over seven and a half millions
OF dollars, divided in very much the
same proportion as other farm property.
IL Is estimated that of the crops of the
last year, over three and threc-ouarters
millions dollars worth are made on land
IN the submerged region on the last of
the month. cotton representing about
tWo,thlrds OF this amount and corn Drac-
tlcaliy the remainder. The largest in
tereStS at stake so far are those of the
state of Mississippi whose flooded dis
trlcts represent an invested capital in
agricultural lands of close upon $40 900.
600. Over $4,000 farms, containing
2;ooo,oOO acres of land, average value of
ABOUT SlSl per acre. are under water in
the country. lying between the Missis-
supp ana lazoo rivers, including some
OF the most productive lands of the
state. Their livestock. even ut the nres.
cnt low price. Is worth nearly 81. 100
uUo and the farmers and planters AFRO
estimated to have about $1,000, 900 worth
OF the crops of last year still on hand
arkansas stands next in the extent of
its imperiled interest, nearly 10000
farms containing 100000 acres of land
worth ,Sl4,OOO,OOO being submerged
lnese farms contain livestock to the
value OF Sl,5OO,OO0, and crops unsold
ana unconsumed to the value of nearly
N9ooouO. The entire agricultural inter
ests OF these lands represent n value
not far short of S1I.OOOOOO.
Inc agricultural interests in Missouri
represent total capital of rather over
H'.'nuOOO and 300 submerged farm. CON
tanning an area of about 1900 acres.
worth about SI.T200O0, the livestock
representing nearly one and half million
more and the crops on hand and m
consumed another million.
tennessee is not far behind Missouri
Ill extent of its imperied interests the
number and acreage of the SUBMERGED
farms being very nearly the Same and
tthe entire value, including 81 80 600 for
livestock ana S4uo,0O0 for crops on hand
being over SSJO0.OOO.
-, what effect the flood will have upon
llie crops ct the present season dcpcnds
upon the length of its continuance and
me practlcabillty of the wheat planting
alter the subsistence of the flood. The
chure reglon under water on April q
produced last year about 100000 bales of
cotton, valued At Sl3,000,000. over IL |
Wo.uUU bushels OF corn. worth about
s"."'OuOo; Sioo.oOo worth of wheat. |
oats. potatoes. etc.
Inc most valuable portion of the crops
were raised in Mississippi, whose region
no" submerged produced nearly quar-
ter of million bales of cotton. besides
other produce for local consumption. The
counties wholly or partially submerged
are among the largest in producing ca.
pacity OF any counties in the United