Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-04-12
FLOOD DISTRICT STATISTICS.
Territory Now Covered by Water
and Tint in Danger.

Washington, April IA statement rela-
tive to the agricultural interests of the SUBJ
merged 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 6. To this
chart the department has applied the crop
statictics of 1886 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 and acreage of farms and of
the value of farms and farm impliments.
are those of the census, and the statistics
of live stock are the departments own
figures for January !, 1897.
The total area under water on April 6
was about 1880 square miles, of which 1900
square miles was in Mississippi. 4,5oO square
Missouri. 100 in Tennessee, and 450 in
Louisiana. This region contained in 1890,
so far as can be determined in view of the
somewhat indefinite boundary lines OF the
flood, a population of S79.6S5, of which 1885,.
4S9 or about one-half. was in Mississippi,
10O, ,2S5 in Arkansas. and the remainder al
most equally divided between Missouri and
Tennessee. Taking the entire region, the
colored population outnum bered the whites
colored predominating in the flooded dis
tricts of Mississippi in the ratio of more
than five to one and in Arkansas in that
the population of the flooded districts is
largely white, in the former state in the
proportion of ten to one and in the latter
In that of two to one.
The flooded districts contain. it is esti
ma ted. about 80, 500 farms, of which about
1850 are in Mississippi. nearly 10000 in
Arkansas and a like number about equally
divided between Missouri and Tennessee.
These farms contain total area of about
$500, 600 acres, one-half of which is in
Mississippi and rather over one-fourth in
Arkansas, the proportions in Missouri anu
Tennessee being about the same as in the
case of the number of farms. The total
value of these farms with their improve
mcnts, farm implements. etc, is close upon
siAty-five million dollars 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 a million and a half
acres were last year devoted to cotton and
| corn, to which crops nearly 80 per cent OF
the entire acreage cultivated is devoted.
The live stock on hand the first of jan
uary of the present year was valued at
ovei seven and half million dollars. di
vided in very much the same proportions
that of 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 represent
ing 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 cap
ital 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
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-haIf
| million dollars and the farmers and plant
erS are estimated to have about two MILL
ion dollars worth of the crops of last
year still on hand
Arkansas stands of tS
imperiled interests, nearly 10000 farms con-
tanning ! eO0, 600 acres, worth over sl4 600 OO0
being submerged. These farms contain live
stock to the value of over S15OO,OOO and
crops unsod and unconsumed to the value
of nearly 5000 the entire agricultural in
terests of these lands representing a value
not far short of $1,000. 900.
The agricultural interests affected in Mis-
souri, represent a total capital of rather
over s9,00000O. the $500 submerged farms
containing an area of about 10000 acres,
worth about S7.25Q,e00, the live stock repre-