The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-08-26
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
LEADING WATERMELON
dress PRODUCING SECTION

additional honor of being the leading
late watermelon producing state of
the country has just been thrust upon
Missouri by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture through the pro-
mitigation of the information that for
1921 the states officially recorded
yield of this luscious commodity to-
tailed 3,642 car loads, thereby excell-
ing that of Indiana, Iowa, Maryland,
Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Hi
nois, Oklahoma and Central Califor-
MIA, announces advance information
from the 1921 Red Book Of the Bu-
reau of Labor Statistics issued in bull
letin form today by Commissioner
VIM. H. Lewis.
Missouri's huge watermelon pro-
ducing counties are the same ones
which produce cotton and corn as pro-
ILLEGALLY, the southeast section below
Cape Girardeau, once classed as being
so swampy and low that it could not
be drained and therefore considered
absolutely worthless save for its
growth of timber, but now famous the
world over as the most fertile and
fruitful section of the state. The
Federal figures only. cover the 1921
watermelon production of this por-
ton of Missouri. The yield of the
smaller producing counties along the
upper Mississippi river from Cape Gil
rardeau north in the valleys Of the
Missouri river and its tributaries is
still being marketed.
Southern States, such as Florida,
Georgia, Texas and others which
market their melons in late May and
all through June and early July, are
classed as early watermelon states
and therefore are not included with
those commonwealth which ship late
in July, throughout August and early
in September. For 1921 Oklahoma
ranked second to Missouri as n late
watermelon state with a production of
1886 carloads, and Central California
came third with 1902 carloads.
To really indicate how large the
1921 Missouri yield of watermelons
officially recorded was, it is only nee
essary to state that an even thousand
melons are considered a carload, and,
therefore, the yield of the year of
which Uncle Sam took cognizance
was 3,642,000 melons, as compared to
2,3S6,000 credited to Oklahoma, l.
10000 to Central California, 1,648,-
900 to Arkansas, 1,253,O00 to Indiana,
and 1,152.000 to Illinois, with the
other late producing states running
further behind.
Not less than a hundred Missouri
counties have an annual yield of vary
ing sizes of watermelons but the Of
ficially registered returns are only
from such Southeast counties as
Scott, Mississippi, Butler, Howell,
New Madrid, Pemiscot, Dunklin, Cape
Girardeau, Oregon and Mcdonald
counties. A fair estimation places the
entire yield of watermelons OF the
whose but smaller producing counties
at 100000 melons, and such an al
lowance being taken into considera-
ton, the real production for the state
this season will approximate $4,000
watermelons.
For 1921 Missouri is officially cred
tied with a total acreage of 10,525
planted in watermelons, and an ave-
rage yield of 346 melons to the acre.
Oklahoma, the second best late pro-
ducing state, had 7,455 acres in mel
!ons and an average yield Of 800 mel
oLs to the acre.
Missouri Melon Crop Was Larger
1t is now officially known that Mis-
souri, also had, first honor in 1920 for
yield of late watermelons, all north
ern states considered. The production
that year officially recorded totaled
1922, 900 water melons, with 1912 cars
are 100000 melons credited as the
surplus the big southeastern produc-
ing counties shipped to the northern
markets such as St. Louis, Chicago,
Milwaukee, st. Paul, Detroit and
Cleveland. The real whole crop that
year is placed at 100000 melons.
That year Arkansas doomed up second
with crop of watermelons officially
totaled at 1908, O0O;s Oklahoma third,
2,544,OO0 melons; Indiana fourth, g.
093, 900 melons and Central California |
fifth, with 2,014,000 melons. The SOU
thern part of the Golden Gate state |
is classed as belonging to the early |
watermelon producing section of the |
country but in 1920 it, took the entire |
yield of California from the early to |
the late watermelon producing Sec
tions to excel the surplus shipments
the southeast producing counties of |
Missouri made into the outside world |
that season. The California ship |
ments, 1920, totaled 1922 cars, com
pared to the 3,012 officially registered |
for Missouri's cotton : belt ssections.
Other Missouri counties further north
which annually produce enough wa
termel6ns to havefa surplus for the |
large cities of the state are Jefferson,
Perry, Ste. Geneyieve, Cape Girardeau,
st. Louis, Franklin, st. Charles, Pike,
Galloway, Beone, Cooper, jackson,