The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1897-04-16
THE SUBMERGED DISTRICTS OF
THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.
Millions of Acres Under Water.

A dispatch from Washington dated
April 1lth gives statement relative
to the agriculture interests or the
submerged districts Of the Mississippi
valley south of Cairo. Ill.,, has been
issued by the department of agrlcul-
ture. 1t is based upon a chart pre-
pared under the direction OF the chief
of weather bureau, showing the eX-
tent Of the food Oh April 9th. To
this chart the department has applied
the crop statiStlsticS OF 1896 as repre-
senting more closely than any other
available date the acreage and value
Of the crops Of 1897 now in jeopardy.
The statistics Of population, of
number and acreage of farms and of
the value Of farms and farm impe-
ments are those OF the census and the
statistics Of live stock are the de-
partments own figures for January |,
1897.
The area under water on April 9th
was about 1880 square miles, Of
which 1900 square miles was in Mis-
sissippi, $500 square miles in Arkan-
sas, l,750 square miles in Missouri, L.
POO square miles in Tennessee and 45O
square miles in Louisiana.
This region contained in 1890, so far
as can be determined, IN view Of the
somewhat indefinite boundary lines Of
the Hood Il population of 376, ,6SF., Of
which 1856 .49S, or about One.half, was
in Mississippi, l00235 in Arkansas and
the remainder almost equally divided
between Missouri and Tennessee.
Taking the entire region the colOrcd
population Outnumbered the whites
in the proportion Of twelve to seven,
the colored pred0minating in the
flooded districts Of Mississippi in the
the ratio OF more than five to one and
In Arkansas in that Of two to one.
In Missouri and Tennessee the popu-
lation of the flooded district is largely
white in the former State IN the pro-
portion Of ten to one and in the latter
in that Of two to one.
EXTENT OF THE FLOODED DISTRICT.
The flooded districts contain, it is
estimated, about 80, 800 farms, of
which abOnt 1880 are in Mississippi,
nearly 10000 in ArkaniaS and like
number about equally divided between
Missouri and Tennessee. These farms
contain a total area Of about $500, 600
acres, onahalf of which is in MlSss-
sippi and rather over One-fOurth in
Arkansas, the proportions in MlsslS-
| SiDpi and Tennessee being about the
same as in the case Of the number of
farms. The total value Of these farms.
with theft Improvements, farm i'm
plenents, etc, is close upon $50, 600, :
900, and here also the proportion 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 halt acres were last year devoted
! to cotton and corn, to which crops 81
per cent. Of the entire acreage cult
waited is devoted.
The live stock On hand January 1st
Of the present year was valued at over
81 800. 900 divided into very much the
same proportion as other farm proper.
| ty. 1t is estimated that Of the crops
of last year over three and three-qugr-
| ter million dollars worth remained on
hand in the submerged regions on the
last day Of the month, cotton repre-
senting about two-thirds Of this
amount and corn practically all the
remainder,
The largest interests at stake so faI
are those of Mississippi, whose flooded
districts represent an invested capital
in agriculture alO&e Of close upon S42,
600, 900. over $4,000 farms, containing
two million acres of land, Of an aver
aye value of about SlS an acre, are un
der water in the country lying between
the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, in
cluding some Of the most productive
lands of the State. Their live stock
even at the present low prices, il
worth nearly three and one-half mil
lion dollars, and the farmers anC
planters are estimated to have about
$2, 200, 900 worth of the crops OF last
year still on hand.