Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-08-14
TEN YEARS In MISSOURI.
Census Reveals Marvellous Agricultural
Growth-Figures Tell Tale
Of Advancement.


WASHINGTON, july sO.-Missourl,s
agricultural development In the ten
years between 1890 and 1900 was little
short OF marvellous, according to .
special Missouri bulletin issued by the
census bureau to-day. This bulletin
shows that the total value of farm
products for 1899 was s1I9, 296, $40, an
increase Of 99.s per cent over 1889. So
great IS the per cent. Of increase that
the census bulletin oilers in explana.
ton IA part OF this gain Is doubtless
due to a more detailed enumeration
in 1900 than in 1890" But even &C.
cepting that explanation and making
q liberal allowance for IT, MiSsouris
gain for the decade was greater than
that Of any OF the older states In the
Union.
The record Of rapid development and
increase in wealth is shown In every
department OF the agricultural indus.
try. There we're 2S4, ss3 farms report
ed on June ], 1900, a gain Of % cent.
over 1890, with a gain Of 10 per in
acreage. The total valve OF farm
property in Missouri in 1900, including
Improvements and machinery, was ell
033, l21, 500, an increase OF 31.4 pei
cent. in ten years, and an increase OF
ITO per cent. since 1880.
There are buildings and improve
ments on 275,634 of the 2s4,SS6 farm.
Of the State. The farms contain 81
997, S73 acres Of improved land and %.
900,043 unimproved. The lands are
valued at $685., 40, 723; the buildings at
s14s, sos, 400; implements and machine
ry at s2s, co., $50, and the live stock al
at SLIGO, 540,0 900. The gross income Of
MisSouri's farms for 1899, not count
ing products fed TO live stock, was
s16l, 4 ,3l0. During the year the
Missouri farmers paid ss,sOS,e l0 fol
labor and s37O,630 for fertilizers. The
report shows that the value OF farm.
has increased in every county in the
State, the average value Of the Mis-,
souri, farm in 1900 being s2,963.
OF the farmers OF the State ss.3 pei
cent are white and Ii colored. OF
the white farmers 69.l per cent. owr
all or a part Of the farms they operate
300 per cent operate farms owned b,
Others. For colored farmers the cor
responding per centages are ST. ant
46.3. The number Of cash tenants ex
coed that OF share tenants in a mum
Der OF counties where the farms arr
more extensively cultivated and mors
valuable than elsewhere. They are
chiefly situated near the principa
cities, and are generally north OF tn,
Missouri river. The wealth produced
by Missouri farms in 1899 wa draw
from the following sources: Hay ant
grain, $3.50, 26o, 603; live stock, s6ls,
I2o, sos; dairy products, s27, csc, POS
fruit, ss,42l, 1902; cotton, s2,904. 796
flowers and plants, 81, Loss ,436; nurserl
products, ss72, l40; tobacco, s596, I40
sugar, sl97, SIS; vegetables, SIG, 254, Iss
miscellaneous, SIC, 137, l41; total, 81,
033, 12l sol.
In dairy products the hen beat tn
COW by q good margin, the sales 0
eggs and poultry aggregatlng eli, $40,
623, as against sl5.042, 100 for milk
butter and cheese.
The value OF animals sold and ami
mails slaughtered ON farms for the yea
1899 was $50, 7s4, 6ss, or 39.5 per cent 0
the gross farm income. AtchisoI
county Is first in amount Of sales, re
-porting sl,407, S3s received by I,GI
farmers from the sale of live animals
land seven other counties OF the Stat
report sales amounting % more than
million dollars each.
The States production Of the lead
ing cereals for 1899 was IS follows
! Corn, 2Os, s44,sT0 bushels, valued a
SCI, IA, 305; wheat, 23,O72, 76s bushels
, valued at sl3,52o,Ol2; oats 2O,5l5,35
bushels, valued at a, $50, 1856.
OF the farmers Of the State 49, 0s
OF ~ per cent. report orchard fruits +
1900. Since 1890 there has been
large general increase throughout th
State in the number OF fruit trees.
Apple trees increased 1859 per cent
peach trees 1919 per cent, aprico
trees $50 per cent and cherry tree
7s.s per cent. There are more tina
six times the number Of pear tree
reported in 1890, and nearly five time
as many plum and prune trees. tn
largest gains in the number OF appl
and peach trees have been In tn
southern part Of the State. OF al
fruit trees in 1900, 75.2 per cent. wer
apple trees, Ill per cent. peach trees
IS per cent. plum and prune trees, ..
per cent. pear trees, rs per cent. cher
ny trees, 3 apricot and unelaSsifeI
fruit trees.
In 1899, 1881 farmers devoted al
area Of 1850 acres to the production
Of cotton, an average Of 81 acres pc
farm. From this land was obtaine.
1873 6 ,9l4 pounds OF cotton, an aver
age Of 2,643 pounds per farm and %.
pounds per acre. The total value 0
this crop, including the value OF tn
cotton seed, was 500, 25s, an ayeragl
Of sls27 70 per farm and sle.s3 per acre
The counties which devoted tn
largest area 10 cotton are Dunklin
PeDiscot, StOddard, New Madrid ant
Ozark, ranking in the order named
and reporting 9l.2 per cent. Of the
total acreage. Dunklln alone report
ed 5.3 per cent Of the total acreage
Counties Renowned for Twins.
Lancashire for some unexplained
reason can boast Of producing more