Cass County, Missouri - Chapter 25: Agriculture and Horticulture, 1917

The soils, physical features and climatic conditions of the county are not excelled. Her agricultural possibilities are of the highest order. Our soils are scientifically designated as the summit silt loam, summit stone clay loam, crawford silt loam, crawford stony clay loam, Oswego silt loam, Bates silt loam, Bates loam, Osage silt loam and Osage clay. These terms, when reduced to our common understanding, mean these several classes of soils are produced from the sun and floods coming in contact with the rocks of these several classes. The erosions of the rocks give the several colors of soils, dark gray, yellowish brown, black and other colors. After all our soil is generally a dark alluvial loam.

When first broken our upland or prairie land contained a large amount of organic matter. This accounts for the large production of first crops. These soils are adapted to the production of corn, wheat, grasses and oats, which crops rank in importance in the order named. It is good especially for growth of grasses and small grain. Tobacco and alfalfa are becoming important crops. Fertilizers are used but little.

The value of drainage has not been ascertained, but it is probable it would prove profitable, especially on flat lands. Where lands are not well drained soils become dead and are wet and soggy and largely lose their quality of production and become sterile. It is quite probable these low flat lands, properly drained, will become our strongest and most pro¬ ductive soils. Drainage of these swamps and unprofitable lands, largely hold by speculators, and which are a menace to health and a hindrance to travel and transportation, will redound to the profit and interest of the practical farmer.

The excessive holdings by land speculators is a detriment to the actual cultivation of the soil. Its remedy is a puzzling problem. The wisest differ as to the solution. All recognize its evil effects on the gen¬ eral prosperity of the community.

In the near future these poorly drained, compact, low humous, sour soils will disappear, reclaiming such lands, making unprofitable land our most productive lands. Soils in our forest areas have a lighter texture and lighter color. Little of this is adapted to cultivation on account of its soggy condition, poor drainage and difficulty of handling. However, it is excellent com and grass soil, properly drained.

The bottoms are the deposit vegetable matter and erosions from stones for ages. These soils are more fittingly termed alluvial, and occur along our streams and bottom lands adjoining, subject to overflow and need artificial drainage. These heavy soils comprise some of the most productive lands of the county.

The excellence of the soil and the ease with which it is handled puts Cass County in the forefront as a leading agricultural section. The early settlers of the county mainly depended on growing corn and wheat by cultivation and raising stock on the abundant growth of wild grasses. About the beginning of our Civil War, agricultural industries had attained some headway. Besides corn and wheat, some oats, rye, flax, hemp, tobacco and other crops had attracted some attention of our farm¬ ing class. The War of the Rebellion interrupted the agricultural pro¬ gress largely by the virtual depopulation of the county. On the close of the war the county was rapidly resettled. Later some hindrances appeared in the way of insects.

Com had always been the most important crop, both in extent of acreage and in value to the agriculturist. Corn is generally husked and snapped and cribbed for feed to stock or hauling to market. Lately the drift has been to cutting and shocking and storing in silos for feeding purposes. Both white and yellow corn are grown. Wheat ranks next to com in importance of production. Oats and rye are of economic import¬ ance. Aside from the value of their grain product it enables the agri¬ culturist to rest his land by changes of crops. Alfalfa, clover, timothy, as well as tame grasses, do exceedingly well and constitute a valuable adjunct to stoc kraising. The growing of tobacco has never been a large success, yet of late years its cultivation appears to promise greater re¬ muneration. In an early day hemp was a profitable crop. It seems to be of little value today as a money making crop.

Our people are learning more and more how to use our soils and what crops are best adapted to the different soils. In our schools are also taught the uses of the several soils and the manner of distinguishing them. A more intelligent use of agriculture is being put in practice. The putting into use of the modern taught methods of cultivation, the hus¬ banding of the soil, the best form of putting into market, including the feeding to stock and other varied ways, are not alone studied, but put into practice. Our people are abreast of the most progressive and there is no new method they are not ready to give a trial and adopt all in it that proves good.

With our railroad facilities and nearness to Kansas City, one of the greatest markets of the western world, makes the county of the very greatest importance as an agricultural county. Cass County ranks among the foremost counties of the State. Missouri is credited with producing in one year one-eighth of the corn of the United States and one-tenth of the corn of the world.

Three Missouri counties produced more corn than nineteen other states of the Union, combined. The least productive county in the State produces more corn than four states of the Union. It was estimated by the State Board of Agriculture the State produced in 1904 (not an unusual year) more than three hundred million bushels of corn, more than double that of the eleven principal corn state, valued at more than one hundred million dollars. The corn crop for that year exceeded the com¬ bined production of thirty other states. For the same year said board estimated the Missouri production of wheat to be more than sixty-two million bushels. The yield was the largest average per acre of winter wheat or spring wheat of any State, double the combined wheat crop of the eleven wheat producing states. Missouri's annual production of corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye and buckwheat exceeds the combined production of Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, Ver¬ mont, Delaware, New Jersey, Georgia, Alabama, Maryland, Louisiana, West Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming and Nevada. The western part of the State is the largest produced of these cereals.

We glean from the census, Missouri in 1900 had approximately 285,000 farms, aggregating 35,000,000 acres, or an average of 120 acres to the farm. And that these farms were of the probable value of $850,- 000,000. This was the largest number of farms of any State in the Union, save Texas. The increase of the number, acreage and value of farms in Missouri since then has been rapid and permanent. The pres¬ ent value of the Missouri farms will easily run up into the billion of dollars. It is also shown that more than two-thirds of these farms were operated by their owners. More people are engaged in agricultural pur¬ suits in Missouri than in any of the great agricultural states, east or west. A like showing is made in the census as to the State's power of production of Irish and sweet potatoes, melons and grasses. For all this our soils have stood the test for more than half a century and will not wear our nor burn out.

With proper irrigation for our high lands, and drainage for our swamps, what may be expected of our soils? With Kansas City market at our door, with our mild climate, more time to plant, cultivate, harvest and market the varied crops, increasing the efficiency of the workman, giving a longer growing season, we may well ask, what are the possi¬ bilities of the agriculturist in Cass County.

The time has been when the states of Iowa and Illinois held the ban¬ ner as cereal and grass producers of these United States. With the rapid settlement of our State in late years, these states must stand aside. These newcomers have brought into cultivation large areas of new lands. The undulating prairies and level and extensive bottoms of western Missouri are more clearly cultivated under our mild climate and longer seasons - * longer both for cutlivating and harvesting, or gathering the fruits of labor expended.

We ought not to pass without calling attention to the grasses, clovers and forage plants grown in the county. We produce timothy, blue grass, blue stem, orchard grass, Bermuda grass, red and white clover, alfalfa, alsike, cow peas, sorghum, Kafir corn, millet, Hungarian and milo maize, and grasses of other names, all useful for pasturage and stock feeding. Our advance in farming of late years is simply marvelous.

The small orchards of the county, planted for family use, have snown our soil is eminently adapted to fruit growing. Insects occasionally do much damage. The scientists are learning to overcome this pest. The past has proven apples, peaches, pears and cherries do well. Many of these small orchards have proven valuable adjuncts to the farmer. What was intended for home consumption has grown to a valuable article of commerce. Varieties of smaller fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, onions, melons, etc., do well throughout the county and bid fair to become val¬ uable for marketing. The nearness to a great city gives a good market at our very door for all classes of horticultural crops. This article of commerce seems to be behind in production to many other crops of less marketable value.

The growing of cut flowers has reached important proportions in recent years. The rose, carnation, violet and bulbous plants take the lead in the industry. Sunny days in winter, combined with a mild cli¬ mate, give us an advantage over more northern places. Cass County has the largest floral garden in the United States, if not in the world.