Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-05-26
MISSOURI KLoNDIKEs.
The Lead and Zinc Interests Are Greats
But the Dairy Products Are
Far Ahead.

| zinc producing state OF the Union. VI
which fact Missourians are justly
proud. In a recent report from the
| mine inspector, and published in the
| press, it appears that during the last
25 years there has been produced
| in southwest Missouri, which is the
great zinc mining section, $50, 100000
| worth of zinc ore, and enough lead ore
to bring the total up to the handsome
sum of $50, 0Oo, 900. Growing out of the
development of this mining industry.
there are number of prosperous
towns in southwest Missouri, two OF
which, Joplin and Webb City, have a
combined population of 25, 600 people.
An inter-urban electric railway system
connects these and other towns in the
district. There is great activity in the
mining business in that and other Sec
tions of the state, resulting, 1t Is
claimed, in largely increased prosper
ity to other lines of business.
This prosperous condition and bright
outlook is due, primarily, to two facts,
viz: First, the existence of the zinc ana
lead ore; second, the favorable climate
and the conditions under which the
mining is done.
In view of what has already resulted
in the development of the business re-
ferred to, and the prospects for flu
ture developments Ghe inspector
points out that there are ex-
cellent mining prospects in many
countless, it is urged that our next gem
eral assembly create a mining bureau
and enact a code of mining laws, under
which this great industry can be
properly developed. This should be
| done by all means.
But there is another story, another
| Klondike in Missouri, of which not
so much is heard in the press, but
which, IN present possibilities, and in
| general good resulting, far exceeds the
| lead and zinc mining industry, even
though in this Missouri does out-rank
! all other states ia the Union. This is
a pretty strong statement, but let us
see.
In 1890, according to the United
States census, there We're produced Cd
| the farms of Missouri 1913, 931, 103 gall
Ions of milk. Putting a price on this
milk equal to that which the consum-
ers in the cities pay. it would be worth
more than the value of the lead and
EAAAS VI . 444lhCSA NuI Vic AAob ~ y SSeA~
in the greatest lead and zinc district
of the world. But let us be modest
with our figures and reduce the price
| to one-ninth of what milk sells Tor Dy
| the quart, or five cents gallon. AT
| that price the value of the Missouri
milk supply for 1890 was $9,696,555, Or
on the basis of 1897 production, fully
$40, 600 ,00O nearly one-ffth the value
| of the lead and zinc production of the
Joplin district for the last 25 years.
| If butter had been made from all OF
the 1897 milk, this would have been
worth at Is cents a pound, $4,000, 600,
and the skim milk So, 900, 900 more for
| feeding purposes, or $12, O0O,O 900, as the
worth of the dairy products of the
state for one year.
Are the figures extravagant? Let us
see. Good dairy cows are expected to
yield $500 pounds of milk and make 300
pounds of butter yearly. Many make
half as much more. Allowing only
5000 pounds of milk or 200
pounds of butter as the yearly
product of COW, 100000 cows
would produce the amount OF milk
that Missouri is credited within the CEN
sus report; and yet by this same report
Missouri had, in 1890, 851, o76 mich
cows. Thus it appears that of the
number of mich cows now in Missouri,
one-third of them will produce ehe
ST., 900, 900 worth of dairy products
spoken of above, while the other two
thirds are raising calves and supply
ing the farmers families with milk
and butter.
Putting the 300, 900 COWS onto 100
acre farms, 80 cows to the farm, which
is more than three acres to the COW,
there would be 10000 dairy farms out
of the 239, O43 farms in the state, 129
acres being their average size. BY this
showing, less than an acre in 80 of the
farm land and less than one farm in 20
of the farms of Missouri. devoted only
partially to dairying, are producing
yearly Sl2 ,OOO, 900 worth of dairy prod
ucts. The possibilities of dairying in
Missouri appear in some measure
in these figures, and are further
brought to view by glance at her Sis
ter state on the north. Iowa, with
somewhat smaller area and fewer
farms, had ,49S, AIS milch cows in 1890
to Missouri's ,075, and produced
more than twice the amount of milk.
At the same time Iowa had 1894, 1865
head of other cattle to Missouri's
2,1O4,6 1914; s,266,779 hogs to Nilsson.
ris 1887, 432, and 1,312,079 horses
TO Missouris 946, 4O1, showing that
1owa's dairy industry has not
been developed at the expense of hel
other live stock or general farming in
terests.
Thus we see that, in respect to pres
emit production, Missouri's dairy indus
try far outranks her lead and zinc in
terest, and that possibilities are almost
incalculable.
There is still another phase of this
subject which should be of much inter-
est to the citizen and statesman, and
that is the comparative benefit to the
people from the development of the
mining and dairy industry, discussion
of which must be reserved for a future
issue.-Levi Chubbuck, In Colman's
Rural World.
LITERARY NOTES.