The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1899-09-23

There is a phase of corn production
in Missouri which is not generally APP
preciated. This state used to furnish
a very large amount of corn for out
side consumption. 1t figured conspic-
uously in the five or six corn surplus
states. But while orn crops have
beer growing in the aggregate, Mis-
souri, has been selling less and less
corn. Last year the corn crop of Mis-
souri, was 190.O O0,0 0 bushels. 1t is q
matter for marvel that Missouri is
credited with selling 10 the rest of the
world only 5.7S6,395 bushels of that
enormous crop. That corn brought
S1.196.SS2. The crop of flax seed in
the state for that year came to almost
as much. Missouri marketed last year
cotton to an mount within 100000
Of the value of corn sold. The eggs
of Missouri hens last year supplied
the homes of farmers, and yielded be-
sides S3.333.533, twice as much as the
corn brought. The chickens which
were shipped away after home con-
sumption yielded S4,905,6 GOO, about
three times as much as the surplus
corn.
These comparative figures are I'M
pressive. They lead up to the inter-
esting question. what becomes of
Misscuri's 200. 0OO. 900 bushels of corn?
In Just two items of the states sur
plus for last year is found the answer,
and it is gratifying in a high degree.
These two items were:
Cattle, 91l,.25 head; value, $34,964,-
654.
Hogs, 3,612,636 head; value, S36,21S.-
500.
Practically. the whole corn crop OF
Missouri went to market on h hoof
last year. Some counties not only
consumed within their borders all of
the corn they raised, but corn was
brought from other states, notably
from Iowa, and turned into meat.
There are counties in Missouri where
to-day corn is selling for feeding pur-
poses at from 3 cents to 4 cents 4
bushel more than it would bring if it
were placed on the cars and shipped tc
ST. Louis n Chicago.
When the Missouri farmer learned
to feed all the corn he raised he added
from 80 to 100 per cent. to the value
of that crop. The 10000, 600 bushels
of ccrn raised last year, # it had been
marketed by the farmer, would have
Welded hin perhaps S3G,00O,OO0 after
he had takan out what was needed for
consumption on me farm. But this
corn crop was the main factor which
made possible the sale of S71,0OO,OOo
worth of cattle and hogs by the Mis-
souri, farmers. OF course, hat mag
nificent total was not all gain. The
hogs were raised on the farms, it is
true. But a considerable proportion
of the cattle was brought from the
ranges of the west and southwest, and
doubled in value by the feeding re-
ceived on Missouri farms
Probably in nc other of the five or
six great corn states is the proportion
of the crop fed to stock SO large as in
Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and
Illinois feed extensively, but none Of
the four SO nearly eNhausts its corn
production in the feed lots. Through
out the central and northern sections
of the state the common sight at this
time of year is The bunch of steers
around the corn trOughS. while the
pigs scamper all about picking up evcc
stray kernel. Hour after hour the
traveller rides through the corn
ties with the feeding OF stock almost
continuously before his eyes.