Cooper County, Missouri - Chapter 18: Agriculture, 1919

Chapter 18: Agriculture

NATURAL ADVANTAGES - PRODUCTION - SURPLUS PRODUCTS - COP. X PRIZE WINNERS - ORCHARDS AND VINEYARDS - LIVE STOCK - SHORTHORN" HERDS - HOGS - HORSES - MULES-MARKET PRICES FROM 1886 TO 1915 - LIVE STOCK PRODUCTS - SHEEP - SOILS.

The Garden of Eden might have been located in Cooper County. There is nothing that will not grow within its bounds and its fertile soil, equable climate, and beautiful natural scenery make it one of the most desirable portions of the globe. In location it is fortunate. It is south to the "Yankee" ; north to the "southerner" ; west to the "easterner" ; and east to the "westerner."

It furnishes a variety of seasons unequalled by any plot of earth of similar size. Weather here gives expression to a variety of moods which are as numerous as are the sand grains of the seashore. From the cold and snow and ice of winter it is but a short step to the hot, dry, torrid conditions oftimes experienced in August. Yet these extremes are rare indeed; and winter's chilling blast seldom penetrates so far south, and summer's' intense heat is usually thwarted in its designs by cooling zephyrs. Taking all in all, the climate of Cooper County is ideally adapted to the arousing in man of those desires for activity which makes the temperate zone the place of civilization's greatest progress.

Diversified farming is practiced extensively. No one crop is counted on in any season. All grains, fruits, and vegetables, adapted to temperate regions, have a natural habitat here. It has outdone Kentucky in the production of prize blue grass ; Kansas in the acre yield of wheat ; Illinois in the production of prize corn; Virginia in the production of premium tobacco; Iowa in the production of choice hogs, and the United States in the production of choice fruit.

Cooper County is the home of many prosperous farmers and stockmen. The soil, climate, and topography are especially adapted to the production of grain, hay, and stock in abundance.

It is drained by numerous small streams which readily find an outlet in the adjoining Missouri River. As a consequence the bottom lands along the small streams seldom overflow, and if they do become inundated it is only for a short time. There is a strip along the Missouri River varying in width from one to five miles known scientifically as Loess soil that is especially adapted to the production of fruit of various kinds. It is equally as well adapted to the growing of farm crops, but is too valuable as fruit soil to be used for grain. It is estimated by competent authority that nine-tenths of the apples produced in Missouri are grown on the onetenth of apple area found on the Loess soils. The time is coming in the not far distant future, when every acre of Loess soil, in Cooper County will be used in growing fruit, and the value of such lands is destined to increase exceptionally. Outside of the Loess soil area Cooper County soil is rich black loam and for the growing of wheat, corn, clover, and alfalfa there is none better.

Shipments of Surplus Products from Cooper County 1915 (based on returns made by railroads and express agents (Redbook, 1917). - Cattle, 14,109; hogs, 69,800; horses, mules, 2,378; sheep, 8,684; goats, 165; jack and stallions, 2.

Liquid Products : Wine, gallons, 10 ; vinegar, gallons, 408 ; cider, gallons, 232 ; natural mineral water, gal.. 38 ; soda water, cases, 3,000.

Cooper is easily the leading county in the state in breeding high class corn. This is evidenced by the premium list furnished us by Professor Hackleman, Secretary Corn Growers' Association of Missouri.

Highest scoring sample (10 ears) any variety exhibited by school district in any county, Sweepstakes awarded to Jefferson School District near Bunceton.

Orchards and Vineyards. - Contributed by C. C. Bell. - Cooper County and central Missouri was early recognized by the pioneer settlers as a fruit and grape growing country, and among those who had orchards were Henry M. Myers, Isaac N. Bernard, Benjamin F. Hickox, David Lilly, Isaac Lionberger, Wesley Wyan, David Smith, William Gibson, John G. Miller, C. H. F. Greenlease, Robert D. Perry, Jacob Newman, Jesy G. Newman, Edmund Elliott, William E. Beard, George and Nicholas Vollrath and some others. The apple varieties in those days were mostly Jenetin, Bellflowers, Winesap, Limbertwig, Russets and often some very good seedlings, mostly brought here by early settlers from Virginia and Kentucky.

Boonville and surrounding country became specially noted as a grape growing section after 1848, when some leading Germans from the fruit and wine growing country of the Rhine settled here. Many of them had taken part in the German Revolution against monarchy, and had fled to America; and recognizing in the soil and hills of the Missouri River Valley soil equal and superior to the soils of the famous Rhine wine vineyards, located in Cooper County. I can well remember George Husman, in that day recognized as the best authority on grape growing, who would often visit here to advise with those who had started vineyards ; there were many planted about Boonville which gave it the name of the "Vine Clad City."

The Boonville Wine Company had the largest vineyard and it adjoined the city on the west. It was organized by William Haas, Dr. E. Roeschel, M. J. Wertheimer, Maj. William Harley, Capt. C. H. Brewster and Judge Christian Keill. Other vineyards were planted by George Vollrath, Ignatius Deringer, Rochus Knaup, Henry Weiland, George Rippley, Fritz Schacht and others. Several miles west were John Henry Boiler, J. G. Neef, Frederick Demffel, Charles Fiedler and George and Peter Walther. East of Boonville in the Squire Herman Schmidt neighborhood were Louis Gsell, Martin Bonward, Jacob Kramer, Blasious Eflinger, Franz Joseph Sady, and others.

My father, John Adam Bell, planted the first vineyard, peach and apple orchard in the Mount Sinai School neighborhood, and was followed by John Wilpret and others. I can well remember how those veterans of the 1848 German Revolution, at times would discuss the narrow escapes some had coming to America. They were all loyal patriots of this their adopted country, true to the cause of the Union and their sons answered the call of Abraham Lincoln, in defense of our flag, and many of their grand-sons have done good service in the World War, fighting Prussian- ism and Kaiserism, against which their grandfathers had fought in 1848,. but lost. In this connection we should remember that large numbers (especially southern Germans), are not and never have been in sympathy with Kaiserism, Prussianism and Militarism.

The leading grape varieties were Isabella, Catawba and Virginia Seedling, later on varieties such as Concord, Delaware, Elvire, Goethe and others were planted. However, on account of California extensive grape production and wine making, and some other influences the vineyards of Cooper County have disappeared, and the large rock-arched wine cellars are all there is left of what once was a very promising industry.

I well recall when Gen. Joseph Shelby made his raid into Boonville in Sept. 1863, coming from the south along the Bell Air road, passed father's vineyard, which was heavy loaded with ripe grapes. It seemed to me that a large part of his men hurriedly stopped off to get ail the grapes they could handle. Some of them were very polite and expressed their thanks, while others offered to pay in Confederate money; but most of them (in war-time soldier style) had nothing to say but took all they wanted ; yet there were grapes left, as the crop was very heavy.

Apple growing has also diminished on account of insect and other pests of the orchard. In my boyhood days, we knew nothing of those orchard enemies, but now we must fight them by spraying with various chemicals, and do it at the proper time. Thirty to 50 years ago when I bought apples in Central Missouri, most farmers had a surplus to sell from their family orchards; those orchards however, have died out, and many farmers from whom I bought apples years ago, now come to my orchard for apples for their home use, saying that they can buy their apples cheaper than they can fight the insects.

While this is true, yet when I think of the splendid fruit soils and ideal locations along the Missouri River, in convenient reach of large markets, I can consistently recommend fruit-growing, provided it is done right, and in quantity large enough to make it worth while to equip with the best machinery. I would advise planting the best known varieties, which are suitable to our soils and localities with work and proper attention you can make fruit-growing a great success in Cooper County, and in the Missouri River valley. Much of our Missouri soils are the very best in the world. We are also well located as to markets with big demands, and have many advantages over the fruit-growers of the far" west and other localities. But it requires work, economy and personal prac-

Live Stock. - Cooper easily ranks among the first live stock counties in Missouri. It is now almost 100 years since the first hei'd of registered animals was established in the county. Today, there are perhaps approximately 100 herds of pure bred live stock and this number is constantly increasing. At one time this county was credited with having more registered Shorthorns than any other county in the United States. While this is not true today, the number being somewhat less than at that time owing to the weeding-out and greater attention to quality, it is a fact that no county in the state excels Cooper. Here have been owned many worldfamous animals, and from this county has gone the seed stock to establish or replenish herds throughout the Mississippi Valley, the great West and Southwest, and to South America and other foreign territories. It was on a Cooper County farm that young Abbottsburn, grand champion Shorthorn bull of the Chicago World's Fair (Louisiana Purchase Exposition), spent his last days. On another farm only a short distance away was Lavender Viscount, champion and grand champion at leading American shows. On yet another farm was the great Goday, famous in Canada and America. So might the list be continued at length. What is true of Shorthorns is true in large part of practically all other kinds of live stock.

The location of Cooper County in the very center of the agricultural universe, the central county of a great central state, could not be improved upon. Here is the center of the bluegrass belt ; here, the aristocratic animals in the great herds find their happy habitat; here, too, are the homes of people who appreciate and love good animals. In these statements we have the secret of the success that has so long attended this county in live stock production.

One hundred years is a long span of time in the history of a western state. During this period of time, the people of Cooper County have not been swayed by passing fads or fancies, but have, with commendable conservatism and singleness of purpose, adhered to the well-defined policy of maintaining on their farms none but good live stock. As a result the county has acquired a national reputation, not only as a producer of choice, pure-bred animals but year after year hogs and cattle from this county have topped the St. Louis and Kansas City markets.

have retained their fertility, as will always be the case where the crops are marketed "on foot". The effect of live stock farming as here practiced is reflected in the large yields of corn, wheat, oats and other staple crops, as well as of many minor crops with which the county is credited.

Brief reference has been made to the importance of the Shorthorn industry in the county. Not only was this the first branch of pure-bred live stock to be established, but it is today the most important. Some of the herds now owned in Cooper County are as follows: Ashwood, C. P. Tutt & Sons ; Ravenswood, now owned by N. Nelson Leonard but still conducted under the name of C. E. Leonard & Son with Ed. Patterson as manager; Eminence, A. J. and C. T. Nelson; Prairie View Stock Farm, G. A. Betteridge; Idlewild, W. P. Harned; Crestmead, W. A. Betteridge; Mt. Vernon Park, Harriman Bros. ; Wayside Valley, P. F. Smith ; Walnut Dale Farm, Ben N. Smith ; Buena Vista, Wm. Meyer & Son ; Geo. W. Lowe, Glasgow Bros., and many others are also breeding Shorthorns at the present time.

Many herds have from time to time because of the death or retirement of their owners or otherwise been dispersed. One of the most famous of these was the old Ellerslie herd of Shorthorns established by the late T. J. Wallace and by him maintained at a high-water mark for a number of years. Following the great show yard triumph of young Abbottsburn at Chicago, Mr. Wallace purchased this great roan bull to head his own herd. Here, too, was owned Alice's Prince and other famous animals. For a number of years Geo. A. Carpenter maintained t'fe Ideal Herd of Shorthorns. At the same time John R. Hepler was breeding Shorthorns at his Vermont stock farm.

Two other names that will live long in Cooper County Shorthorn history are those of Sam W. Roberts, who had a large herd of Bates cattle on his farm near Pleasant Green, and F. M. Marshall, who successfully bred both Bates and Scotch Shorthorns near Blackwater. Both Messrs. Roberts and Marshall have passed to the Great Beyond. For many years E. H. Rodgers, now retired and living in Boonville, was a successful breeder of Shorthorns as well as horses, jacks and jennets, and other live stock on his Cedar Lawn stock farm near Bunceton. Harris and McMahan, the latter now deceased, formerly bred Shorthorns at Sunnyside near La Mine. The late W. B. Cully, proprietor of the Sunny brook stock farm, was a breeder of Shorthorns as well as Poland China hogs. For many years W. H. H. Stephens maintained a good herd of Shorthorns on his Clover Leaf Stock Farm near Bunceton.

The oldest herd of Shorthorn cattle west of the Mississippi River and one of the oldest in the entire nation, is the Ravenswood herd. Established in 1839, when Nathaniel Leonard purchased the white bull, Comet Star for $600 and the Red Heifer Queen, for $500, from George Renick, a Kentucky breeder. These were the first registered Shorthorns west of the Mississippi River. This was the beginning of the Ravenswood herd that has done so much for the upbuilding of the live stock industry in Cooper County and the middle west the herd passing in time from Nathaniel Leonard to his son, C. E. Leonard, and later to Nelson Leonard, the present owner.

At different times the Leonards have added some of the best specimens to their herd that money could buy, but they have always been considered breeders of, instead of buyers of high class Shorthorn cattle; and some of their stock have frequently won prizes at the live stock shows over the country. Lavender Viscount was the Grand Champion Shorthorn bull of America for two years.

One of the notable sales from Ravenswood was that of Merry Ravenswood 3rd, sold to Walter L. Miller, of Peru, Ind., and shipped by him to South America, where one of the calves, "Americus," at the conclusion of a successful career in the show ring,- was sold for the sum of 80,000 peos, or a little less than $40,000 in American gold.

The following are among the famous families represented in the Ravenswood herd: Lavenders, Duchess of Glosters, Victorias, Campbell bred Wimples, Violets, Fancys, Miss Ramsdens, Charming Roses and Rosamonds.

Some ten years ago A. J. and C. T. Nelson - the latter now located on Eminence Farm, two miles east of Bunceton, and the former living three miles southwest of Bunceton - established a select herd of Shorthorns which is now being maintained under the name of the Eminence herd. From time to time new blood is being added so that the herd is each year being increased in size and improved in quality.

Ben N. Smith established some three years ago a small but select herd of Shorthorns on the Walnut Dale Farm, which he owns east of Bunceton. This herd is being well managed and bids fair to become one of the good herds of the county.

history of Cooper County. Several years ago this farm was owned by T. J. Wallace and later became the property of W. B. Wallace, who two years ago sold it to W. L. Clay, the present owner. This farm has always been known as the home of good live stock, specializing on Shorthorn cattle and high class saddle horses. Here for a time was the home of Young Abbotsburn, Grand Champion of the Chicago World's Fair.

This review would not be complete without a reference to the beautiful old stock farm, Clover Leaf, where a number of years ago W. H. H. Stephens founded one of the well known Shorthorn herds. This farm was in the Stephens family for almost a 100 years, having only recently been disposed of to George Burger of Moniteau County.

A pretty 200 acre farm, lying just within the edge of Bunceton, is the Ashwood farm, owned by C. P. Tutt. Here will be found a fine herd of Shorthorns and Berkshires. Mr. Tutt is one of the well informed men on Shorthorn cattle.

In the Mt. Vernon Park Herd of Shorthorns are many choice Scotch and Scotch topped cattle, the property of Col. R. L. and Bert Harriman. Several years ago the Messrs. Harriman began the assemblying of a great lot of cattle. They bought freely and bred as well as they had bought. It is the proud boast of the owners of this herd that every cow has paid for herself twice over.

The old idea was that the breeding of Shorthorns was a rich man's game, but it remained for G. A. Betteridge, of the Prairie View Herd to prove that it was a good game for a poor man to play provided he wanted to get on his feet. In the past thirty years Mr. Betteridge has acquired a 200 acre farm and has as fine abunch of Shorthorns as one would care to see.

The Crestmead Herd of Scotch Shorthorns, owned by W. A. Betteridge, eight miles west of Bunceton, consists of over a hundred head of some of the very best breeds. Many of these cattle are Cruickshank Orange Blossoms and the remainder are of other leading Scotch families. Incidentally it may be said that Mr. Betteridge is one of the best posted men on Shorthorn pedigrees in the entire country.

The history of the Idlewild Shorthorn herd dates back to the year 1865, when the late George Harned, father of the present owner, W. P. Hamed, began its establishment. This herd has a strain of blood from one of the original members of the herd, "Sally Washington", purchased in Kentucky just after the close of the Civil War, and the farm boasts of this strain which is more than half a century old. Mr. Harned is especially proud of his "Double Marys", long in the herd. Bates, Booth and Cruickshank blood have been represented and much attention is paid to the development of milking Shorthorns.

While Shorthorns, early known to many of the pioneer people as Durhams, were the first registered cattle to be brought to Cooper County, other breeds notably the Herefords, are now represented by some well established herds of high quality. Blank & Spieler, in the eastern part of the county are extensive and progressive breeders. D. E. McArthur, of near Billingsville, has also for many years maintained a good herd of Herefords. Other beef breeds are also represented, but the number of

Hogs. - Cooper County has many good herds of hogs, including Duroc Jerseys, Poland Chinas, Berkshires, O. I. C's., Hampshires, Mule-Foots and other breeds. In an early day, Essex and other breeds, then popular, were to be found on many Cooper County farms. The late Judge Baker and Thomas Tucker were among the early breeders of pure-bred hogs. To attempt to give the names of all who are interested in hog breeding in the county would be an utter impossibility, but reference is here made to some of the well-established herds.

Prominent among the breeders of Poland Chinas are: Bert Harriman, of the Mount Vernon Park stock farm, near Pilot Grove; Webb L. Clay, who secured a part of the Ellerslie herd of Poland Chinas at the time it was dispersed by W. B. Wallace - the herd having been sold at auction after Mr. Wallace disposed of the farm which had been owned by his father, the late T. J. Wallace.

In this connection it might be said that some of the highest-priced Poland Chinas in the United States have been owned in Cooper County, prices of $1,000 or more being not uncommon for a single individual while more than $5,000, has been paid for one hog. Seed stock from this county has gone to practically every state in the Mississippi valley as well as to Central and South America.

Duroc Jerseys have long been bred in this county, S. Y. Thornton having established the Rose Hill herd near Blackwater many years ago. This was one of the early herds to be established west of the Mississippi. Today Cooper County has a large number of herds of unusual quality. Among these might be mentioned the Fountain Valley herd of Richard Rothgeb ; (19)

Berkshires are extensively bred by T. A. Harris and Sons at their Sunnyside Farm near La Mine. This is one of the best herds of Berkshires to be found in the United States, representatives having been winners in leading national and state shows.

Richard Rothgeb is the proprietor of the Fountain Valley Herd of Duroc Jerseys, which he started in the year 1911. Mr. Rothgeb has popularized the Duroc Jersey in Cooper County and has succeeded in developing a very fine type of the breed.

The late W. B. Cully established the Spring Brook Herd of Poland Chinas in 1892, when he bought a choice thoroughbred sow from the herd of David Finch, a noted Ohio breeder. From time to time additions were made to the herd and in 1906 the entire Cedar Lawn herd of E. H. Rodgers was added. In this purchase was the first prize six months boar at the St. Louis Worlds Fair, Tecumseh Perfection.

One of the earliest breeders of Duroc Jersey hogs in all the Mississippi valley is S. Y. Thornton, of near Blackwater, proprietor of the Rose Hill Duroc Jerseys. This herd was established in the early eighties. Mr. Thornton has often been called the original "Red Hog Man" in Missouri.

Horses. - Cooper County has long been justly famous for its good horses, especially saddle horses and light harness horses. In many cases the pioneer brought with him favorite animals from Virginia or Kentucky, and the same blood lines have been continued until the present time. An example of this may be found in the Ashby "Whips", widely known saddle horses bred in Virginia, and descendants from the original stock of which are still to be seen on the farm of Chas. P. Tutt, of Bunceton.

In an early day and even up to a few years ago the "nodding" runningwalker, the best real riding horse the world has ever known, was common on every Cooper County road. Some of these horses are still to be seen here, but with the growing use of the automobile they are rapidly disap- pearing. The five-gaited saddle horse, with his beauty, grace and marked show-yard qualities, has here reached a degree of perfection not often attained. The truth of this statement is borne out at local fairs, notably still at the Bunceton fair, which has been an incentive toward the breeding of good live stock and especially good horses, for almost a quarter of a century.

The late Capt. Samuel L. Jewett, famous as a miller, farmer and stockman, brought to Cooper County, what was known as the "Gold Bank" horses. These horses are said by older citizens to have had much stamina but to have been high strung. The Glendours and Roebucks were other horses which years ago were largely bred in Cooper County, especially in the southern part.

Along about the Civil War period a horse known as Varner's Roebuck was in service near New Lebanon in the southwestern part of the county, where there was established a family of grey horses from which came some of the best running walkers ever owned in this section. About this period and a little later Wm. T. Groves, father of Col. S. H. Groves, and of the other "Groves Boys" was breeding, developing and training a string of good saddlers.

Another name familiar to the old timers, is "The Copper Bottoms", from which came horses of stamina and endurance. More familiar still, to the present generation, at least, seem the Telegraphs. Along about this time came the great horse, Denmark Chief, brought to Missouri by the late T. J. Wallace. This horse has some wonderfully good sons to his credit, especially wheji used on Roebuck mares.

About five years after the acquisition of Denmark Chief by Mr. Wallace, the late John F. Rogers, of Boonville, went to Kentucky and there purchased Diamond Denmark, later sold to the Luray Stock Farm.

At this point it is well to briefly review the story of Luray, with which the names of Will H. Ewing and Col. R. L. Harriman are intimately associated. It was in 1885 or '86 that Messrs. Harriman anrl Ewing bought several car loads of horses in Kentucky and shipped them into Missouri. A little later Mr. Ewing went to Pilot Grove, while "Bob" Harriman established himself on Luray stock farm, one mile west of Bunceton. Mr. Ewing had gotten hold of the grey horse Dandy Jim and a Nutwood pacer. He raced these horses two or three years, then went to Texas with them and there disposed of them at high figures for those times.

The stallion was a Claybred, Royal Windsor, a large 1,200-pound bay horse with fine carriage and having a beautiful mane and tail. In the carload of horses just referred to were three Alleys, yearlings and twoyear-olds, which developed into sensational race horses. These mares both trotters were Miss Fullerton and Josephine. There was also Pansy Blossom, a mare by General Wilkes. Col. Harriman trained these mares, developed them into tip-top race horses and campaigned them for three years, during which time they won something like $20,000. Miss Fullerton was the better of the three, winning 75 per cent, of all the races in which she started. At the conclusion of her sensational race career she, with Josephine was sold to a Boston capitalist for $5,000.

Profitable as was the investment just referred to, Col. Harriman declares that the best race horse that he ever got hold of was a Walnut Boy pacer, Gyp Walnut, bought in two-year-old form for $450 from Dr. Robinson, of Windsor. Gyp Walnut could make 2:10 in three-year-old form over a good track, and was a steady consistent and game race horse. She piled up to her credit in two seasons a little more than $8,000. This sum was duplicated when she was sold in her four-year-old form to Jerry O'Neal, of Boston.

With the rare foresight that has been his, Col. Harriman early foresaw the coming popularity of the automobile, and as he puts it, "Got out of the horse game in order to keep from being run over by Ford cars." Before passing from the hasty review of the work of Messrs. Harriman and Ewing, the fact should be mentioned that they bought King Harold, of Woodland farm, bringing this good standard bred horse by Harold, sire of Maud S., to Cooper County at an initial investment of $1,000.

Of the younger men who are today successfully engaged in the horse business and whose work has been of lasting benefit to the county, Trevor H. Moore, Bunceton, R. F. D. 4, is entitled to high rank. Mr. Moore some fifteen years ago bought of W. S. Waters, who had come to Cooper County from the good horse center of north central Missouri, a string of wonderfully bred horses, including King Turner, The Royal Cross, Forest King, Jr., and Top Squirrel, all out of Holivy W. 1787, a black Squirrel. From this rare foundation of stock Mr. Moore has consistently bred and developed horses of merit and of show yard quality, some of his animals selling far up in four figures. Among the good horses that Mr. Moore has owned might be mentioned, Missouri King 2960, and Forest Rex 3873, the latter now at the head of his stables.

a breeder of tip top saddle horses and of jacks and jennets. Among the good horses that Mr. Patterson has owned there might be mentioned Bracken King.

Before passing from the horse history of the county mention should be made of the late Col. Robert A. McCulloch. Back in "the days of real sport", Col. McCulloch owned a string of racers of the kind that never failed to bring the boys up on their toes. The memory of these game horses ridden by negro mounts, is a happy one to many who enjoyed seeing the ponies go. The late John R. Allison, of near Bunceton, was also a breeder of speed horses. To T. J. Lovell and his son, E. F. Lovell, the latter then living on the home farm, near Prairie Home, belongs the credit of having owned and developed some of the best harness and saddle horses in the county. Mr. Lovell, Sr., has also been an enthusiastic breeder of jacks and jennets. On another farm, only a short distance away, the late N. A. Gilbreath bred good jacks and jennets. N. A. George, R. A. George and the late I. S. Arnold have written their names in the jack and mule history of the county.

In many instances the breeding of horses and of jacks and jennets has been so intimately associated that to mention one is to suggest the other. Among other names prominent in horse or jack circles, or in both, there should be mentioned E. H. Rodgers, J. M. Rodgers, Green Martin, Uncle Billie Martin, W. B. Gibson, C. P. Fairfax, W. A. Sombart, Arlie Frost, W. B. Windsor, Judge Turley, the late F. M. Marshall, the late Steve M. Smith, L. R. Pedego, John Cartner, and the late Capt. C. E. Leonard. Mr. Cartner was one of the first men to own good jacks in Cooper County, he having established a breeding stable south of Boonville, a half century or more ago. To Capt. Leonard, however, belongs the credit of being the pioneer jack man of Cooper County, as well as of a large part of the entire central west. Not only was Captain Leonard a breeder of jacks, but he was also an importer. As a leading spirit in the organization of the first jack book association in America, Mr. Leonard, had much to do with the establishment of standards, which have since become generally recognized in the mule world. Mr. Leonard once facetiously remarked that it was he who put the black in jack. By this he meant that color was at his insistence made one of the standards.

The following tables supplied by Chris Smith and covering a period of years show the prevailing prices on cattle and hogs on Cooper County farms previous to 1916. Since that time very much higher prices have prevailed, cattle passing the 16c mark and hogs reaching 20c per pound on the home market.

Sheep. - As far back as three-quarters of a century, Cooper County was noted for its fine flocks of sheep. Among the present day breeders of sheep might be mentioned the following: S. H. Groves, R. S. Roe, Clayton Glasgow, W. H. Glasgow, J. O. Groves, T. J. Burrus, C. P. Tutt & Son.

The 13th census taken in 1910 gives the following figures relative to live stock in Cooper County. Cattle were listed as follows: Dairy cows, 5,765 ; other cows, 3,251 ; yearling heifers, 2,660 ; calves, 2,547 ; yearling steers and bulls, 2,798 ; other steers and bulls, 5,482.

Soils. - The soil survey of Cooper County made by A. T. Sweet of the United States Department of Agriculture, and E. S. Vanatta and B. W. Tillman of the University of Missouri, presents a fund of information for the farmer and agriculturist of Cooper. It will doubtless be read with interest by a large part of our population. We glean from it the following :

The soils of Cooper* County group themselves naturally into four principal divisions, the level upland soils, the loessial soils, the residual soils, and the alluvial or bottom land soils.

The origin of the level upland soils is open to some doubt. The soil as it exists at the present time is very much like the upland soils of northwestern Missouri, which are known to have been derived from glacial material laid down either by water or wind. The latter are underlain by glacial deposits, while the level upland soils of Cooper County have no glacial material beneath them. They lie on the residuary silts and clays derived from limestones or on the limestone itself. Typical glacial deposits, like those underlying the northeastern Missouri soil, are not known to occur under the level upland soils of central and southern Cooper County.

The soils in Cooper County are also very much like certain smoothland soils in Pettis, Henry, Bates, Vernon, and other counties in southwestern Missouri. They extend across the State line into southeastern Kansas. These soils are undoubtedly derived from coal measure shales and clays. The Cooper County soil is somewhat better soil than the similar soil occurring in these counties, but its physical character, the thickness, the nature of the subsoil, and relation to the underlying rock are essentially the same. Its greater productivity is probably due to its better drainage and its higher percentage of humus.

Because of the absence of underlying glacial material and of the close similarity between this soil in Cooper County and those in the counties named above, the Cooper County soils have been correlated with the latter rather than with the soils of northeastern Missouri, and are considered to have been derived from clays and shales of Coal Measure age.

The origin of the loess is not clearly understood, but it is supposed to be due, in part at least, to the removal and deposition of materials from previously glaciated areas by the wind. The present soils of this group are the result of weathering of these deposits. The residual soils have come from the weathering in place of various beds of rock, principally limestone, occupying the hill slopes between the upland prairies and the valley floors.

The alluvial soils are of recent origin, and have been deposited in the flood plains of the streams by which they have been carried to their present position.

The loess soils stretch in a rather narrow belt along the northern side of the county. On the extreme eastern boundary the loess disappears as a typical deposit. A narrow wedge of it ends one mile west of the county line -and north of the Petite Saline. Thence westward the belt widens, but it does not attain a greater width than two and one-half miles, except in one or two places.

The loess soils are usually recognized by the somewhat rounded topography of the country over which they are spread ; by the light yellowishbrown color of the soil; by its smooth satiny texture; by the high perpendicular bluffs, which shut in the older roads; by the absence of rocks of any kind, except occasionally near the bottom of the deepest ditches ; by the uniform texture of soil and subsoil : and usually by the strong, healthy appearance of the growing crops.

In elevation the loess soils range from a little over 600 feet above sea level on the lower slopes to a little over 750 feet along the crest of the ridge which extends almost continuously from near Wooldridge on the east entirely across the county. The surface, therefore, has a range in elevation of only about 150 feet, yet, except for a few flat areas on the higher portions of the western end of this ridge, it has a well-rounded billowy topography, which is in marked contrast to the sharper cut topography of the residual soils farther south.

Over a large portion of the area covered by the loess soils the same material extends entirely over the surface, covering crests, slopes, and valleys. The formation is deepest, however, near the Missouri River and thins out toward' the south, its southern boundary being a very indefinite line. It also seems to be somewhat thicker on the crest of the ridges and at the foot of the slopes than on the slopes, and as the southern edge of the area of deposition is approached it appears only upon the ridges.

Although the greater portion of the country occupied by the loess soil is quite undulating, limited areas in the northwestern part of the county are- more nearly level and are darker in color.

A large part of the uplands south of the loess soils is called prairie and is distinguished by the absence of natural timber growth. The soils here are characterized by an almost level surface and by a black silty surface material which grades into a gray silt, and is underlin by a layer of stiff resistant clay several inches in thickness, which in turn is underlain by a mottled yellow and gray silty clay. From the very close resemblance between the subsoil of the prairie, as seen in the exposures on eroded slopes, and the subsoil exposed near the edge of the loess sheet, it would seem that these prairie soils were partly covered along the northern side of the county by loess.

In many places the transition from the prairie soils to the residual soils is quite abrupt, only a few steps intervening between the black surface soil .with heavy clay subsoil and the reddish-yellow chert-filled residual soil; but throughout the greater part of the area the prairie soils are bordered by a soil differing from the prairie soil in being gray or yellowish-brown at the surface instead of black, in occupying the slopes of small streams which extend back into the prairie in places covering the narrow ridges between the small streams, and in having, in most cases, no well-defined clay layer in the subsoil. This soil may be considered a modified prairie soil, the modification in some places being due to the erosion of the surface of the prairie, in others to the gradual movement or creep of the soil particles down the slopes, and in others to a thorough leaching of the soil along the ridge crests. This region was formerly timbered to a considerable extent.

The level upland soils, then, may be divided into the level black prairie soil, called the Oswego silt loam, and the modified glacial soil, lighter in color and usually without the heavy layer in the subsoil, called the Boone silt loam.

In the rougher portions of the county south of the Blackwater-Petite Saline line there is no possible question about the origin of the soil. It is a residula limestone soil, partaking of the nature of the rocks that underlie it. The soils in the sandstone-shale-clay belt likewise are residual soils, derived from these same sandstones, shales, and clays and partaking of their nature. Along the river bluffs and extending southward for a few miles the foundation rock, whether it be limestone, as it is in most places, or sandstone-shale-clay rock, as it is in a few cases, is covered by

The soils of the uplands south of the Blackwater-Petite Saline belt are derived from a silt and clay soil material that lies on limestone but has not been derived from it.

There are at least two possible sources of this material: (1) It may be a disintegrated remnant of shales and clays that originally overlaid this area. The shales and clays have been broken up by weathering into silts and clays, but the material has not been removed by erosion on account of the protection afforded by the solid limestone on which it lies. (2) It may be a layer of overwash or outwash glacial material that was spread out over this region dui-ing glacial times by streams flowing out from the glacier. At the present time the former seems to be the most probable origin of this material. The general soil belts or areas of the county therefore are (1) residual limestone soils, (2) residual sandstoneshale-clay soils, (3) loess soils, (4) soils of doubtful origin but probably residual soils from shales, clays, and fine-grained sandstones, and (5) alluvial soils. The accompanying map shows the distribution of these soil areas. The differentation in the field of the residual soils of the sandstoneshale-clay belt from the loess soils to the north of it has proved to be a difficult matter. They are both silty soils and both brown in color. Where the rock does not underlie the soil it is very difficult to locate the boundary. The crierion used was the percentage of clay in the subsoil. The loess soil has a low clay percentage. When the subsoil had enough clay to make it sticky, it was not considered as of loessial origin. The character of the native vegetation, especially the trees, was used as a supplementary criterion in mapping this difference.

The alluvial soils are made up from material eroded from all other soils of the area, carried by water in suspension and redeposited. They vary greatly in character, depending upon the source from which derived, the methods of deposition, and the processes they have undergone since they have been laid down.

The alluvial soils in the southern part of the county contain much material which has been carried down from the eroded edges of the prairie and the gray silt ridges mixed with material from the residual soils. Those found along the streams which drain the loess are derived almost entirely from that formation and resemble it closely, while those deposited along the Missouri River have come from several different

Closely related to the alluvial soils are the soils found in valleys of small streams and along the base of long slopes, where the soils, although they have not been carried in suspension, have reached their present position through the gradual work of surface water, which has removed the particles from the uplands and the slopes to the lowlands. This drift or creep often results in almost flat areas of dark-colored soil, more or less similar to the true alluvial types, and where these areas are of suflicient extent they have been grouped with the alluvial soils.

The alluvial soils have been divided into two groups. Those derived from the loess, glacial, and residual soils and found along the streams of the county have been mapped as Wabash soils, and those found along the Missouri River have been classified as Sarpy soils.

The Knox silt loam is a light-buff or very light yellowish-brown silt loam, smooth and satiny in texture. At a depth of about 16 inches this material passes very gradually into a heavier silt loam, in which the proportion of very fine sand found in the surface soil is very much reduced while the clay content is slightly increased. The subsoil is also more yellow and sometimes shows a reddish tinge. It extends to a depth of several feet. In many places at a depth of four or five feet there occurs a horizontal layer of material discolored a reddish brown by iron cxide. This layer usually contains numerous small iron concretions and in places small pipes of the same material. Below this depth the soil grades into a more or less mottled gray and yellowish silty clay. Where exposed to the direct action of running water or to travel, as in public roads, the loess from which the type is derived wears away very rapidly and yet the soil seems to be of such a texture, the soil grains of such a shape, or else the material is so held together by a very slight cementation that instead oi creeping and moving to form slopes it stands in perpendicular banks. Aa it weathers it also develops a peculiar system of perpendicular cracks which, with horizontal cracks at greater intervals, gives it a peculiar columnar structure somewhat resembling basaltic columns.

This soil was formerly timbered and supported a heavy growth of white, bur, and laurel oak, black and white walnut, hickory, elm, hackberry, wild cherry, ash, honey locust, pawpaw, sassafras, wild plum, and hazel, but on account of its value for agricultural purposes very few areas, and these of small extent, remain uncleared. When the land is first cleared, owing to the very large amount of leaf mold and humus at the surface, this portion of the soil is quite black, but after weathering and leaching for a few years, it becomes much lighter in color, and in many places the surface when well leached and dry is a light-gray differing but little in color or texture from the gray silt ridges of the Boone silt loam. As noted already, the Knox silt loam occupies the larger part of the survey between the main east and west lines of the larger streams of the county and the Missouri River, the area approximating one-fifth of that of the entire county.

As a whole the Knox silt loam is the best soil of the area. It is a deep, well-drained soil, yet holds moisture well. This is noticeable during periods of dry weather when the crops on it are much better able to withstand the drought than those on some of the other soils of the area. In the fall, too, the forest trees on it remain green much longer than on the more shallow residual soils. This soil is warm, friable, easily cultivated, and productive. The average yield of corn on fields in the best condition is about 48 bushels and of wheat 19 bushels per acre.

The Marshall silt loam, like the Knox silt loam, is of loessial origin, but it differs from the latter in color, topography, and character of the subsoil. On the other hand, it differs from the Oswego silt loam, which it resembles at the surface, in having a deeper surface soil and in lacking in places the stiff resistant clay layer found in the subsoil of the latter.

The surface soil of the Marshall silt loam is a very dark gray to black, smooth, friable silt loam, which extends to a depth of about 20 inches, the lower part of the section usually becoming somewhat lighter in color. The subsoil is a brown mottled silty clay grading at a depth of 24 to 30 inches into a yellowish and grayish mottled silty clay, somewhat lighter in texture. In the more level areas a heavy, almost impervious layer of brown silty clay, six to 10 inches in thickness, forms the upper portion of the subsoil, but in the more rolling areas this heavy layer is almost or entirely wanting.

The Marshall silt loam is found in only a few small areas in Cooper County, the largest of these occupying the more level land in the extreme northwestern portion of the county. A few small bodies also occur southwest of the town of Blackwater, north of Lone Elm, and in the vicinity of Clarks Fork.

This soil is well supplied with humus and is a friable, easily cultivated productive soil. Corn yields from 40 to 50 bushels and wheat from 13 to 18 bushels per acre.

To a depth of 10 inches the Oswego silt loam is a smooth, friable, black or very dark brown silt loam, often containing in the first few inches an appreciable quantity of very fine sand. Below 10 inches the dark-colored surface soil grades into a lighter colored gray silt. The soil also becomes slightly heavier in texture with increased depth, and at about 16 inches rests on a very heavy, tenacious, brown silty clay, which often contains numerous small iron concretions. The line of contact between the soil and this heavy subsoil is very sharp, but the thickness and tenacity of this heavy layer varies considerably in different parts of the area, being thicker and more resistant on the more level and poorly drained portions. At a depth of about 30 to 34 inches this heavy subsoil grades into a yellowish and gray mottled silty clay subsoil lighter in texture than the soil above and resembling closely the subsoil found in places under the loess soils. In the subsoil, usually in the lower portion of the heavy layer, small irregularly lime concretions are found, the quantity in places being relatively large.

The Oswego silt loam is one of the extensive soil types in the area and occupies the higher and more nearly level portions of the area covered by the upland glacial soils. The largest body of it occurs east of Bunceton and south of Lone Elm, but other large bodies occur in the vicinity of Prairie Home, between Moniteau Creek and Stephens Branch jn the east and Petite Saline on the west, and between Petite Saline and the Lamine. Small areas also occur in the southeastern and in the southwestern parts of the county.

Although the soils of these areas resemble each other to a sufficient extent to be classified under the same name, there is considerable variation in appearance and in crop value, the soils west of a north and south line through Bunceton and especially those southwest of Vermont being dark-brown instead of black in color, having a somewhat shallower and more resistant subsoil, and as a whole being less able to withstand droughts. They are also not so well suited for deep rooted crops. There are also variations between the soils of areas which drain toward Moniteau Creek and those farther north which drain into the Petite ' 'inn, the latter in most places being slightly deeper, darker colored, and resembling more closely the Marshall silt loam.

The Oswego silt loam is a corn, timothy, and pasture soil, although wheat and oats are grown on it to a considerable extent. Some farmers are using portions of it where the subsoil is not too heavy quite successfully for clover. On the average the type yields 42 bushels of corn and 15 bushels of wheat per acre.

The Boone silt loam has not only the widest distribution, but also the greatest range in variation and crop value of any soil in the area. Typi- cally it consists of a yellowish-brown or grayish-brown silt loam of fairly uniform texture, with a depth of about 15 inches, at which depth it becomes slightly heavier in texture, grading into the same mottled yellow and gray silty clay subsoil found in the Oswego silt loam. This subsoil persists to a depth of three feet or more, or where thin rests upon the underlying stony material derived from the underlying rocks. This material has a granular structure much like that of the residual limestone soils, and where it occurs typically no heavy layer occurs between the soil and subsoil.

The Boone silt loam borders the Oswego silt loam, or prairie soils, on all sides, and may be considered a transitional type between the Oswego silt loam and the lower lying residual soils. It is also always more or less mixed with both, the prairie soils being washed down and mixed with it and the underlying residual soils mixed with it through the movement of the soil particles down the slope, so that its boundaries are in places very indefinite. In origin it is like the Oswego silt loam, and is in reality a modified form of that soil, resulting from the removal of material from the surface. In areas where erosion has taken place the yellowish brown less productive soil is exposed at the surface. Boone silt loam where the black prairie soil formerly existed can be noted around the source and along the slopes of many small streams which head well back into the prairie.

At the foot of long slopes and especially along the heads of small streams the wash may accumulate, forming a deep, often dark-colored soil. Where such areas are of sufficient extent they have been mapped as alluvial soils, but where too small to be indicated on the soil map they have been included with the Boone silt loam.

Another phase of this soil is to be found along the tops of long, narrow ridges which extend from the prairie out between the upper courses of small streams. The soil of these ridges ranges in color from an ashy gray to cream color and in texture from that of the loess to a loose flourlike silt, probably not loess, the loess areas being found in the northern part of the area covered by the type, and the whiter ridges principally in the southern part of the county. The light soil of these ridges seems to be the result of thorough leaching, in which not only the color but also much of the fertility of the soil has been removed. In many places along the tops of the ridges a heavy brown clay layer has been developed at a depth of from 14 to 18 inches, the transition from the light silt to this layer being very abrupt. Below the brown clay occurs the mottled silty clay, found under the remainder of this soil. These ridges in the northern part of the area undoubtedly in many places bear a thin capping of loess and approach the loess in crop value, but those farther south are less productive.

A large part of the Boone silt loam was originally timbered by oak, post oak and bur oak being the principal growth on the ridges, which are locally called "post oak ridges' and have the heavy layer in the subsoil.

The Boone silt loam as a whole is not so productive a soil as the prairie soil on the one side nor the limestone soils on the other. It has been one of the worst used soils in the area, is deficient in organic matter, and does not hold moisture well, yet is a soil which can readily be built up and made to yield profitable crops.

The Bates silt loam is a dark-gray to grayish-brown silt loam with a yellowish tinge which becomes quite noticeable where the soil is eroded. At a depth of six to 10 inches this graduates into a yellowish-gray to yellowish-brown silt loam. The clay percentage increases downward until at 30 inches it becomes plastic and in places quite sticky. The lower 15 to 20 inches is usually mottled yellow and gray. Bands of brown to reddish-brown silt, in places faintly cemented, in others having the iron somewhat concentrated in nodules, occur rather abundantly from 24 inches downward. They lie horizontal. Layers of light ashy gray silt and silty clay occur also, showing an ashy gray color in the freshly plowed fields when it has been exposed.

This soil differs from the Knox silt loam mainly in its more yellow color and its higher percentage of clay in the subsoil. Its color is also much less uniform than is that of the Knox. On plowed hillside fields its color varies with the erosion and the color of the particular layer outcropping, while that of the Knox is uniform.

The timber growth is like that of the Knox, but contains a higher percentage of oaks, especially laurel, pin and post oak, and a lower percentage of walnut and elm.

The Bates silt loam is derived from Coal Measure shales, clays, and argillaceous sandstones mixed more or less with the material of the Knox silt loam. It occurs in an east-west belt across the northern part of the county. Where the surface is flat the soil is essentially the same as the Oswego silt loam. It becomes the Boone silt loam only within the areas where the surface has been eroded. The belt of its occurrence lies along an- east-west pre-Coal Measure valley which was filled with Coal Measure material during Coal Measure time. It lies deeper than the same rocks

From Oscar Spieler'S Pens

The soil of the Clarkoville silt loam is a reddish or yellowish-brown silt loam having a somewhat granular structure, by which it can often be distinguished from the other silt loams of the area. Typically it extends to a depth of about 15 inches, where it grades into a siity clay usually brighter, often a brick red, in color. This subsoil may persist to a depth of three feet or more, but often at a less depth rests upon the underlying bed of chert or limestone, that part of the subsoil immediately above the rocks usually being a very stiff red or yellow clay.

This soil is residual in origin, having been derived from the disintegration in place of beds of fossiliferous limestone, the principal formations being the Burlington and Choteau. These, especially the Burlington, contain much chert, the disintegration of which takes place much less rapidly than does that of the purer limestone, so that the soil is often quite shallow, and fragments of chert are mingled with the soil and scattered over its surface. Where the soil is very shallow and the chert fragments are so thick as to interfere seriously with cultivation, the areas, if of sufficient size to be shown on the soil map, have been mapped as the Clarksville stony loam.

The Clarksville silt loam occurs along the lower slopes of all streams in the area, except those in the northern part of the area which are covered by loess, the tributaries of Moniteau Creek and some of the tributaries of the upper Lamine. Where the crests of the ridges and hilltops carry no capping of glacial or loessial material the entire surface is covered by this soil.

Originally the Clarksville silt loam was heavily timbered with black walnut, laurel oak, elm, hickory, and sassafras, and many splendid groves of black walnut are found on it at present in different parts of the area. Where of good deoth, comparatively free from chert, and well handled, it is probably the best wheat soil of the area. Corn yields range from 35 to 40 bushels and wheat yields from 16 to 22 bushels per acre.

The Clarksville stony loam is agriculturally an unimportant type and consists of those areas in the Clarksville silt loam in which the percentage of rock at or near the surface is so large that they are of little or no value for farming. Some of the less stony portions might be cleared of stones and used for orchard and pasture, but in many cases the surface of the ground is almost or entirely covered with fragments of chert. In (20) other places there is a surface covering of soil, but this is so thin that it can scarcely be cultivated. Areas in which limestone outcrops along the bluffs and hill slopes have been included with this soil as well as some of the stony areas found along Moniteau Creek and surrounded by Baxter silt loam.

The greater portion of the Clarksville stony loam is still timbered, usually with post and bur oak, and clumps of these trees in areas of Clarksville silt loam usually mark the stony areas. Many areas of this soil on account of their small size have not been separated from the silt loam.

The surface soil of the Baxter silt loam consists of a light yellowish brown silt loam which, at a depth of about 16 inches, grades into a silty granular clay. The subsoil becomes heavier in texture and redder in color to a depth of about two feet, where it is mottled in appearance, this mottling extending to a depth of three feet or more.

The Baxer silt loam, like the Clarksville silt loam, is residual in origin. It is derived from the disintegration of the less fossiliferous and, in this area, more cherty Magnesian limestone which outcrops in the southeastern and also in the southwestern part of the county. It differs but little in color or texture from the Clarksville silt loam, but on the whole is less productive. The timber growth consists principally of white, bur, and post oak, the walnut, elm, and other trees of the Clarksville soils being almost entirely wanting. Many of the ridges also have the whitish appearance of the post-oak ridges of the Boone silt loam.

This soil in places is three feet or more in depth, but is often underlain at a less depth by chert fragments or by limestone. Chert and fragments of the soft white "cotton rock" are often scattered over the surface and through the soil, making it unfit for cultivation.

The Wabash silt loam is an alluvial soil composed of material eroded from the other soils of the area, worked over by the streams, and redeposited along their flood plains. In the northern part of the county, along the lower course of the Petite Saline and the small streams which flow into the Missouri, this soil has been derived very largely from the loess ; but in other parts of the area it has come from areas occupied by the residual soils and the upland soils of glacial origin, the light-colored silt from the gray ridges being in many places quite noticeable.

Although varying considerably in color, texture, and structure the Wabash silt loam, as occurring in this area, may be described as a darkgray or, when moist, a black, smooth-textured, friable, light silt loam, which becomes lighter in color at a depth of about 12 inches, but shows no change in texture to a depth of two feet or more. At this depth the ma- terial usually becomes darker and heavier, retaining these characteristics to a depth of several feet. In places, however, the subsoil is underlain by gravel, unconsolidated and residual material, or the solid rock. In many places a gray, flourlike silt covers the surface of small areas, and in others the gray layer below the surface soil is wanting, the dark, rather heavy silt loam extending from the surface to the depth of three feet or more. In still other places the surface soil is found to contain a relatively high content of very fine sand. Where the light-colored phase occurs it is, like the gray silt ridges from which it has been eroded, somewhat less productive than the darker soils. On the other hand, where the very dark, rather heavy silt loam extends through the entire soil section the type is often poorly drained and somewhat refractory under cultivation. Much of the Wabash silt loam is subject to annual or occasional overflow, and while this adds to the richness of the soil through the deposition of silt, especially when the material comes from the loess or the residual soils, these periods of high water usually occur at times when they do considerable damage to crops.

Where second bottoms occur they are in most cases above the reach of flood water. The soils are also comparatively uniform in texture, well drained, and among the most productive of the area. Along the steep slope which usually separates the lower bottom from these second bottoms there is often exposed a narrow strip of red residual soil.

As a whole, the Wabash silt loam, although lacking uniformity, is among the best soils of the county. It is especially well a'dapted to alfalfa, owing in part to the position of ground water, which is near enough the surface for this deep-rooted plant to reach. Corn yields an average of 45 bushels and wheat between 14 and 20 bushels per acre.

The Wabash clay is an unimportant type in this area, only a few small bodies of it having been mapped, although many others too small to be shown on the soil map occur in the lower poorly drained portions of the Wabash silt loam. It is a heavy, sticky black clay, which dries and cracks at the surface, the soil breaking into small, irregular cubelike fragments. At a depth of about 16 inches this black soil grades into a stiff, waxy clay, somewhat lighter in color, which extends to a depth of throe feet or more. The type is of alluvial origin, being the result of deposition of the finer soil particles from very quiet water. Its formation has also in most places been influenced by conditions of very poor drainage.

The largest area of this soil found in the county occurs along the Lamine River near its mouth, but other small areas are found farther up the Lamine Valley and along Blackwater and Petite Saline, much of that near the town of Blackwater being somewhat lighter and better suited for farming than the typical Wabash clay. This soil is commonly known as gumbo, and is cultivated with considerable difficulty, unless handled when in just the proper condition. When so handled it produces good crops of wheat and grass and is used to some extent for corn. It can, however. be greatly improved by thorough drainage and by cultivation. The yields of wheat and corn are somewhat lower than on the type just described.

The Sarpy silty clay is a yellowish dark brown to almost black silty clay, underlain at a depth of about 14 inches by a very fine sandy loam, light in color and extending to a depth of three feet or more. In places thin layers of silt or silty clay are encountered in the subsoil, and in other places the heavy surface soil extends to a depth of three feet or more, the subsoil being lighter in color than the surface material, but very plastic and puttylike. The light-textured subsoil, however, seems to prevail over the greater part of the type.

This soil is heavy and cracks and breaks into cubes when dry. It is thei'efore somewhat difficult to handle, but is a rich, productive soil and well suited to the principal crops of the area, which yield about as well as on the Wabash soils.

The Sarpy silt loam, like the Sarpy silty clay, is of alluvial origin, has a level surface, and is subject to occasional overflow. It consists of a yellowish-brown rather heavy silty soil, though lighter both in color and texture than the silty clay, which extends to a depth of about 16 inches, where it is underlain by a lighter-colored fine sandy loam similar to the materials found under the silty clay. In places, hoewver, the heavy surface soil extends to the depth of three feet or more. This soil is easily cultivated and very productive. It occurs in only one area located near Wooldridge.

The Sarpy fine sandy loam consists of a rather silty fine sandy loam with a depth of about 12 inches, resting on a fine sand. It is an unimportant type in this area, a few small areas only having been outlined along the Missouri River. The principal cultivated area is on Terrapin Island.