The Republican journal., 1897-04-22
Agriculture in the Flooded Regions.


mas been issued by the department OF Ag-
riculture. 1t is based upon chart pre-
pared under the direction of the Chief of
the flood on April 9th. To this chart the
Department has applied the crop statis-
tics of 1896 as representing 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 of acreage of farms and of
the value of farms and farm implements,
are those of the census, and the statistics
of livestock are the departments own
figures for January l, 1897.
The total area under water ON April 9th
was about Is, 800 square miles, of which
1900 square miles was in Mississippi, 4,
500 square miles in Arkansas, l, $50 square
miles in Missouri, 1000 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, population of $40, 6S5,
of which 1856, 4s9, or about one half, was in
| Mississippi, 100, 235 in Arkansas, and the
remainder almost equally divided between
| Missouri and Tennessee. Taking the en-
| tire region the colored population out
numbered the whites in the proportion OF
| Il to I, the colored predominating in the
| flooded districts of Mississippi in the
ratio of more than to l and in Arkansas
in that OF 2 to l. In Missouri and Ten
nessee the population of the flooded dis
| tricts is largely white, in the former State
| in the proportion of 10 to / and in the
latter in that of 2 to l.
The flooded districts contain, it is es-
| timated, about 80, 500 farms, of which
about is, 500 are in Mississippi, nearly 10,
| 900 in Arkansas, and like number about
equally divided between Missouri and
Tennessee. These farms contain total
area OF about 3, 800, 900 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 sixty five million dol
lars, and here also the proportions in the
| different States are about the same as
above noted
| The total number of acres improved at
| the taking of the last census was about
| two million, and about million and a
| half acres were last year devoted to cot
ton and corn, to which crops nearly 81
| per cent OF the entire acreage cultivated
| is devoted. The live stock ON hand the
| first of January of the present year was
| valued at over seven and half million
dollars, divided in very much the same
proportions as other farm property. 1t is
estimated that of the crops of last yeaI
over three and three quarters million dol
lars worth remained on hand in the sub
merged region on the last of the month,
cotton representing about two thirds of
this amount and corn practically all the
| remainder.
! The largest interests at stake so far are
those of the State of Mississippi whose
flooded districts represent an invested
capital in agriculture alone of close upon
| fortytwo million dollars. Over eighteen
thousand farms containing two million
acres of land of an average value of about
| eighteen dollars an acre are under water
in the country lying between the Missis-
sippi and Yazoo 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 hall
million dollars and the farmers and plant
ers are estimated to have about two mil
lion dollars worth of the crops of last
year still on hand.
Arkansas stands next in the extent of
its imperiled interests, nearly ten thous-
and farms containing one million acres of
land worth over fourteen million dollars
being submerged. These farms contain
live stock tn tho va1I,a 5,f
one half million dollars and crops unsold
and unconsumed to the value of nearly
nine hundred thousand dollars, the en-
tire agricultural interests of these lands
representing value not far short of sew
enteen million dollars.
The agricultural interests affected in
Missouri represent a total capital of rather
over nine million dollars. the five thous
and three hundred submerged farms
containing an area of about four hundred
and seventy thousand acres, worth about
seven and one quarter million dollars, the
1--we stock representing nearly one and
one-half million dollars more, and the
crops on hand another half million. Ten
nessee is not far behind Missouri in the
extent of its imperled interests, the num-
Der and acreage of the submerged farms
being very nearly the same, and the en-
tire value including one and one quarter
million dollars for live stock and four
hundred thousand dollars for crops on
hand, being rather over eight and one
half million dollars.
What effect the flood will have upon
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 three hundred and seventy
thousand bales of cotton, valued at close
on thirteen million dollars; over eleven
million bushels of corn, worth about three
million four hundred thousand dollars;
and wheat, oats, potatoes, and hay worth
over eight hundred thousand dollars
more. The most valuable portion of
these crops was raised in Mississippi,
whose region now submerged produced
nearly quarter of million bales of cot
ton, besides other products mostly for
local consumption.
The counties wholly or partially sub
merged are among the largest cotton pro-
ducing counties in the United States
1azoo county, which alone has produced
over fifty thousand bales in season, is
one half under water, while Boliver coun-
ty, Coahoma, Issaquena, Washington
(with productive capacity of one hun
dred thousand bales,) and other famous