The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1911-10-06
LEADS IN
CORN CROP
Missouri Grows Half as Much
as Rest Of The
World.

Jefferson City, Mo-. September d.
That Missouri grows throe-fifths as
much corn as is grown in Eurrp ,thsrc
times the amount raised in South
America and n arly half as much as
the world outside of the United States
produces, ara authoritative estimate
given by Pref. f. b. Mumford, dean
of the State Agricultural Department
OF the University of Missouri.
These statements are taken from
an article prepared by Prof. Mumford
in a competitive contest with Austin
w. Biggs OF the Bureau of Iabor'Sta-
tistics and W. l.. Nelson, assistant
secretary of the State Board of Ag-
riculture, for the best article upon the
agricultural possibilities of Missouri
to be furnished the Bureau OF lmmi-
grafton in Washington, d. c.
Several weeks ago GOV. Hadley re-
caived lseter from the Bureau OF
immigration requesting an article
along this line and he then inaugurat-
ed the contest The resume of Mis-
sourrs agricultural RESOURCES and pos
sibilities by the Bureau of Labor Sta
tist.cs was selected by the governor
as the most comprehensive and this
was Forwarded to Washington. The
other two were so meritorims, how
ever. the governor instructed COM
missioner Biggs to publish the three
in a phamplst for general distribu-
ton.
The average value of Missouri's corn
crop, Prof. Mumfond says, is about
800 ,00O,000 and that its hay and
wheat crops average about $4,000, 600
each. OF the corn belt states Mis-
souri, has the greatest acreage OF un-
occupied lanid. Prof. Mumford esti
mates this at 20,OO0,0O0 acres. He
finds the greatest number of apple
trees in Missouri and an average pro-
daictdCn of apples OF hiatt of any
other State.
More than a billion dollars, he says,
Is invested in farms, buildings and
equipment for carrying on the business
OF stock farming in Missouri.
Biggs finds there are 276,OS1 farms
In Missouri ,aggaegating 24,52s,OOO acnes
Of land. He estimates the unused
and unOccupied lands at approximately
100000 acrss. Biggs also dsals
with the subject of intensive farm
ing and what could be accomplish
ed upon the cultivated acreage OF Mis-
souri, If the Land was cut up into
farms of 40 to 100 acres.
comparatively few Missouri farms
are worked for all their soils can
produce says Biggs; land reviewing
the land with fertilizers is by no
means a general practice. What Mis-
souri, could do if divided up into small
farms running from 40 to 100 acres
and each worked intensely, would
almost be beyond belief to any one
who has never cultivated ON a scien-
tific scale.
1T is conservative TO state that
the yield of all agricultural products
would increase 30 per cent. for the
land being titled, without including
or considering the unimprovad but
desirable tracts open and ready for
settlement"
Nelson hits off some of the advan-
tages Missouri offers to prospective
settlers in the following burst OF elo-
quence:
But the days of opportunity are
in the present. Hundreds of thou
sands of virgin forests await the wood
mans AK; as many acres are as yet
unprofaned by the pillow, and with
dredge and ditch vast empire. rich
er than the far-famed Valley OF the
Nile, is bling developed almost as If
by magic.
In Missouri there are no sand
swept vast, S, no abandoned farms.
No soil exhausting system of success
i've seading to some certain crop has
robbed the fields OF fertility. The peo-
ole are not tied by tradition. They
live in the pnasent and face the flu
ture."