Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1922-10-20

TOd0S. m.
Mr.. Smith gave very interesting
talk in connection with Charlton coun-
ty and illustrated his discourse with
charts. His vast field of statistical
information brought forth excDama-
tions Of surprise on several occasions.
Lack Of space this week makes it
impossible to give hhis speech in full.
but the following will be Of interest
to Courier readers:
Substance Of address by j. Frank
Smith. Good Roads Association of
Greater Kansas City before the Key
tesville Community Club at the
meeting Tuesday night.
Speaking of Charlton county, Mr..
Smith called attention to the fact
that the Missouri state board of agri-
culture, IN its report, gives the bot
tom lands along the Missouri river
as the worlds best bottom" The
soil here represents the accumulated
deposits from the uplands due to
erosion and overflow Of hundreds of
years.
If this county, with its deep and
fertile soil, could be supplied with
500 miles of 365-day roads, CONSOLE
dated rural school for each con-
gressional township, enough creamer-
les and cheese factories and milk mar
kets to put every farmer within easy
reach of market for his dairy prod
ucts, with 3.426 silos, or one for each
farm. with 20 good dairy cows for
every farm, Charlton county could
easily support twice her rural popu-
lation. The annual value of the farm
crops, live stock, dairy and poultry,
instead of being 18 million per year,
could easily be doubled in amount.
What Wisconsin is Doing
With soil less fertile, with winters
more severe and summers much
shorter, with an average of so cream
cries and cheese factories to each
county, with an average OF 262 miles
of gravel and paved roads to each
county, the farmers of Wisconsin to-
day are getting a gross income, ac-
cording to the census report OF 1920,
of $77.63 per acre. According to the
same report, the gross income to the
farmers of Charlton county was only
$46.48 per acre.
The farms of Jackson county, Mis-
souri,, with over 400 miles OF hard
surfaced roads, yielded to the farmers
in 1919 a gross income Of $60.56 per
acre. The farms of Wyandotte c0un-
ty, Kansas, where dairy cows and
truck patches prevail, made gross
return to the owners of S81 per acre.
The soil of Jackson and Wyandotte
counties will not compare in richness
to that Of Charlton county.
State Roads
The Missouri state road system Will
give to Charlton county one highway
north and south through Keytes-
vile, and one east and west through
lKeytesville, giving the county ap-
proximately 66 miles of state high
ways. At the present time, this rich
county, with its wonderful possibili-
ties in intensive agriculture, fruit
and dairy farms, does not have sin
gle mile Of hard surfaced roads, and
the only hard roads in immediate
prospect are the 66 miles to be Puilt
and paid for by the state and federal
government.
Loss in Rural Population
Mr.. Smith called attention to the
last census report which showed that
Charlton county had lost in rural
! nopulation in the last 20 years, 6.348
from the farms. He gave as the
outstanding cause for this big loss
to the farms of their population. as
bad roads, poor rural schools, lack
of proper returns to the farmers foI
their money and time invested and
| the lure of the easy life and high
wages offered to the boys and girls
IN the cities. To overcome this drift
from the farm to the city, to hold the
most energetic and capable young
men and women on the farms, Mr..
Smith insists that the one-room
school must give place to the con-
solidated rural school, with four year
high school course, including manual
training, domestic science and special
attention given to agriculture; with
provision for transporting the pupils
to and from school at public ex-
pense.
He also insists that the farmers
must KIVG uluIE vi thhClI ChOkS ~
poultry, dairy farming, hog raising
and less attention to grain farming,
for the reason that the grain crops
are less dependable than the drought
resisting crops which fill the silos and
make rich COW feed.
To make it possible to have these
consolidated schools and intensified
farming, Charlton county must pro-
vide itself with system of 365-day
roads. The two state roads inter-
secting at Keytesyille, will not suf-
fee to meet the demands of this
county. Rich in soil and natural re-
sources, great in possibilities, this
county must see the need of better
transportation from farm to market
and outline at once a program which,
when carried to completion, will pro-
vide this county with at least 200
miles Of county roads, passable 365
days in the year, to connect up with
these two state highways and thus
give the people of the county a
transportation system equal 20 the
needs Of its population.
County Roads Not a Burden
The building Of these 200 miles of
county roads need not be a burden
to the taxpayers Of the county. The
two state roads will carry the heavy
traffic The POO miles or Tnnra Of