Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-09-21
MIssoURI's CORN CROP.
Hts Relation to Steers and Hogs-What Be.
comes of the Millions of Bushels OF Corn
Grown in the State-How Missouri Feed.
ers Make Money on Stock.

0rs Make Money on Stock.
Nineteen Missouri counties will
show 100 per cent. or better in the corn
crop of 1899. One of the five great
sections of the state, says ''W. B. S."
in the ST. Louis Globe-Democrat, will
show AZ bushels to the acre for the
81 counties embraced in it. Not q
great deal has been said about the
Missouri corn crop while it has been
growing. Now that maturity has
come, the results are found to be well
worthy of some comment. Two sec
tons of the state have experienced a
dry August, which has reduced the
yield. For the entire state the av-
erage will be about 81 bushels. In
parts of the state a good corn crop is
the rule. A low average is the extra
ordinary exception. But even with
the drought in two-fifths of Missouri,
the production will go some millions
of bushels in advance of last year, and
will be 90 per cent. created than in
1897. If this corn crop in Missouri is
not the greatest in the history of the
state, it will be one of the greatest,
placing Missouri in the 20O,0Oo,O0O
bushels class of the five great corn
producing states.
Five Missouri counties report to the
state board of agriculture a yield of
so bushels or more for the entire coun-
ty. Carroll leads with an average of
81 bushels. Caldwell, Daviess, Polk
and Platte are sure of so bushels to the
acre. Daviess and Platte counties lead
in the percentage. Each reports the
crop to be ITO per cent. That means
that the yield will be 10 per cent.
greater than what has hitherto been
considered the best that could be eX-
pected of soil and culture with en-
couraging climatic conditions. Polk,
Ray. jefferson and ST. Louis counties
rate their corn of this year at los per
cent, s per cent. better than the
farmers expect of favorable season.
Pettis comes seventh on the list of
counties with a 107 per cent. crop.
Boone, Cole and Linn counties have a
crop rated at 105 per cent. The 100
per cent. corn counties of Missouri this
year are Andrew, Buchanan, Caldwell,
Carroll, Harrison, jackson, Moniteau,
Randolph, Cape Girardeau, Franklin
and Perry. More than half of the
counties come within 90 per cent. of
the best average crops of the past.
For the entire state, taking ineo con-
sideration the drought in two sections,
the average is SO per cent.
There is phase of corn production
in Missouri which is not generally APP
H. s,E~
a very large amount of corn for out
side consumption. 1t figured conspic-
uously in the five or six corn surplus
states. But while corn crops have
been growing in the aggregate, Mis-
souri, has been selling less and less
corn. Last year the corn crop of Mis-
souri, was 19O,00O,00O bushels. 1t is
matter for marvel that Missouri is
credited with selling to the rest of the
world only 5,7S6,395 bushels of that
enormous crop. That corn brought
$1,796,SS2. The crop of flax seed in
the state for that year came to almost
as much. Missouri marketed last year
cotton to an amount within 100000
of the value of corn sold. The eggs
of Missouri hens last year supplied
the homes of farmers, and yielded be-
sides So 1888, 533, twice as much as the
corn brought. The chickens which
were shipped away after home con-
sumption yielded $4.9O5,6O9, 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, 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, 911,725 head; value, $34,964,-
654.
Hogs, 3,612, 636 head; value, $36,27s,-
500
Practically, the whole corn crop of
Missouri went to market on the 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 Il |
bushel more than it would bring if it |
were placed on the cars and shipped to |
ST. Louis or Chicago.
When the Missouri farmer learned |
to feed all the corn he raised he added |
from so to 100 per cent. to the value |
of that crop. The 100, 100000 bushels |
of corn raised last year, If it had been |
marketed by the farmer, would have |
yielded him perhaps $3G,000,0o0 after |
he had taken out what was needed for |
consumption on the farm. But this |
corn crop was the main factor which |
made possible the sale of ST., 0OO,O 900 |
worth of cattle and hogs by the Mis-
souri, farmers. Of course, that mag
nificent total was not all gain. The |
hogs were raised on the farms, il is
true But considerable proportion
of the cattle was brought from the
ranges of the west and southwest, and
doubled in value by the feeding re-
ceiyed on Missouri farms.
Probably in no other of the five or
six great corn states is the proportion
of the crop fed to stock SO large as in
Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and
Illinois feed extensively, but none of
the four so nearly exhausts it's corn
production in the feed lots. Through
out the central and northern sections
of the state the comrlon sight at this
time of year Is the bunch of steers
around the corn tronghs, while the
pigs scamper ali about picking up ever
stray kernel. Hour after hour the
traveller rides through the corn coun-