Linn County, Missouri - Chapter 9: Soil, Climate, Agricultural and Mineral Resources, 1882

Chapter 9: Soil, Climate, Agricultural and Mineral Resources

Introductory - Central Position - Topography - Streams - Climate - Soil and Productions - Coal - Stone - Fruit-growing - Variety - Berries, Kinds, Etc. - Statistics - Leading Crops - Corn, Oats, Tobacco, and IVheitt - The Crop of 1879 - Assessment of 1879, 1880, and 1881 - Number of Horses, Mules, Hogs, Cattle, and Sheep for Above Years - The Leading Breeds of Stock - Their Choice - Summary.

Among the counties of the State it is believed that few exceed the county of Linn in the richness of its soil. Its alluvial qualities reach many feet below the surface, making it almost exhaustless in its productiveness, and with its streams of running water, its fine timber, its rolling prairie, the home of the most succulent grapes, its quarries of stone, and its wealth of <;oal, which is believed to underly nearly its whole surface, Linn county is pecularly favored in all things which go to make a rich and prosperous agricultural people: with a healthful climate, added to its rich productive wealth, that makes it the home of the leading cereals, of fruit and vegetables, where the grape grows most luxuriantly, and the grasses native to the «oil, it would seem as if nature had done all that could be done, had given all that could be imparted to place the central county of north Missouri in a most enviable position among her sisters. Therefore, she is placed as a grain-growing, tobacco-producing, and for stock-raising among the leading <50unties, and it will only be a question of time when her vineyards will attract universal attention.

There are few States in the Union that combine so great a variety of soil, as salubrious a climate, so rich in agricultural and mineral resources, better adapted to stock, or a more healthy climate for man than Missouri, and of all these qualities Linn county has her full share. It is because of these superior advantages that the settlement of north Missouri should be rapid, or would be, could these facts be sent broadcast over the Eastern States and Europe. The State Immigration Society is doing good work with the Hand-hook of Missouri., but that is not enough. Every county should have its resources made known, and scattered far and wide, - not one time, but spring and fall; thousands of these silent messengers would do their work while the people slept.

Here is literally a garden spot. Thousands of acres of virgin soil have never yet been touched by the plow. The wealth of a State lies hidden in her soil; wh}' should not this fact be made known? Other parts of the State are waking up; why should Linn county slumber?

gration. One is that it lies in a country most favorable in climate and agricultural production, while in the depth and richness of soil it has no superior. Again, lands are cheap. Not one-half of her soil is under cultivation; there is room and to spare for a hundred thousand people; and, with its cheap land, water, and grasses, it is both a grain-growing and stockraising country, exceeded by none. These things are all to be considered in settling in a new country; and yet, Missouri, while a new country in the extent of her immense forests and prairies, is old in all that constitutes wealth, refinement, and culture - in the luxuries of life, and in her schools and churches. It is because of her great educational facilities, and her numerous railroads, which give her a preeminent stand over both her eastern and western neighbors. She equals the East in all the luxuries of life and social ties and advancements, with cheap lands, and living at less than twothirds the cost. She equals the West and borders of civilization in everything that constitutes a cheap and comfortable home, and all this without going beyond the confines of civilization, and enduring the hardships and privations of a pioneer life. Add to these attractions for produce, labor of all kinds at remunerative prices, and Missouri ma}'^ well be called a garden spot for the people of every clime; and one and all of these advantages are fonnd within the limits of Linn county.

These advantages should be known, and if they were properly set forth from time to time, the next decade would show a sweeping growth. All who are acquainted with the great resources of this county know that her future is sure, but it would be well to hasten that day by showing, not only a rich and productive county, but a wise and energetic people. The writer believes in Linn county.

Where Situated

Linn county is centrally located in north Missouri, which is understood as being north of the Missouri River; and, on an east and west line, is exactly in the center of that part of the State. It has not 648 square miles, but, leaving fractions out, has 611, and contains 392,040 acres of land, of which was assessed the past year (1881) 387,T59|- acres. There is at least that amount of arable land that nature has richly endowed with productive force, and of such a variety that all tastes can be suited. The beautiful,, undulating prairie, the timber land and the bottoms - all equally rich, and all having their special qualities.

North And South

Linn county's northfern line is forty miles south of the Iowa State line, and her southern border lies twenty miles north of the Missouri River, her dimensions being nearly twenty-three miles north and south, and twentyseven east and west - lies in the " great corn belt," and the native grasses,, and yet not one-fourth of this county is under cultivation.

From the Southwest is taken a very correct description of the topography of this county, and the streams -svliich water its rich soil, and it is here added :

" Nearly the entire conuty is a rolling prairie, growing more rugged in the vicinity of the larger streams, but presenting a vista of beauty in hill and dale. Locust Creek enters at section eleven, township sixty, of range twenty-one - flows south through section thirty-three, township fiftyseven, of range twenty -one; East Yellow Creek enters at section nine, township sixty, of range eighteen, and unites with "West Yellow Creek, which enters at section ten, township sixty, of range nineteen, in Chariton county, section thirty-three, township fifty-seven, of range nineteen; Parson Creek rises in section twenty-live, township sixty, of range twenty-two - flows south into Chariton at section thirty-five, township fifty-seven, of range twenty-two. The other streams are: West Parsons, Turkey and Little Turkey, Muddy and Little Muddy, Elk, Badger, Van Dusen, East Locust, Wiuegan (a branch of Muscle Fork), with inany small tributaries. Along the streams are found the blue and gray limestone, excellent for building purposes; while in the southwestern part of the county, on Stephen's Ranch, is a deposit of sandstone, equal in quality to the Carroll county quarry, of a pure cream color, and becoming more solid on exposure. White and burr oak, hickory, walnut, the various elms, sycamore, cherry, hackberry, ash, butternut, horse-chestnut, maple, and many others, are found in liberal quantities, providing timber for home use and export. There are four good mines of bituminous coal now being worked in various portions of the county; there is no question that coal underlies the substrata of nearly the entire part of it. An abundance of good brick clay is found in almost every part of the county, and large deposits of potter's clay are found in various localities."

The climate of Missouri is mild and salubrious. It avoids the piercing blasts of Iowa, and the extreme heat of a more southern clime. Its atmosphere is clear, free from the miasmatic influences which are so often found in the more eastern States, and is of that bracing and invigorating character which tends to develop both man and beast. The surface of Linn county is rolling, the drainage is excellent, and w'ith such advantages, the highest type of health exists. Malarial fevers are not prevalent, and her people enjoy life to an advanced age. Therefore, on the score of health, this county will compare favorably with any section of the Union, and, if that is a desideratum, then the immigrant may seek no other clime.

subjected to the piercing wintry blasts experienced on the more elevated plains farther westward. Pnlmonary diseases are never begotten here, and are never seen, except in cases where the seed was sown in other clinaes. No purer, sweeter, fresher air was ever breathed bj human lungs, than that which fans our prairie slopes.

It is the richness and productiveness of soil which makes Linn county stand, preeminent among the counties of north Missouri. The alluvial bottom-lands, with the soil reaching in depth from two to six feet, lying along every stream and creek, are easy of tillage and make splendid fields and magnificent farms. This soil is simply inexhaustible, and a corn crop can be raised from year to year for a quarter of a century without exhausting the producing qualities.

The soil is a black loam, of great depth and richness, and is generally underlaid with a rich, calcareous clay, abundant in silicia and the phosphates and carbonates of lime. Such a subsoil with the black mould above referred to, makes the finest basis forgrains, grasses, and fruits in the world, and gives a wide range of production, and when thrown to the surface, soon under the influence of heat and cold, rain and sunshine, slacks like an ash heap, and is unsurpassed in its producing qualities. In the entire county there is little land, indeed, that cannot be utilized as either agricultural or grazing lands. Everything grown in this latitude, from ocean to ocean, is produced here in high quality and most bountiful growth. Corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, flax, broom-corn, millet, hungarian, sorghum, tobacco, hemp, all the garden and field vegetables and a long list of fruits, with the whole family of grasses, any and all are at home in this soil and reach perfection in growth and quality. This remarkable versatility of production gives this county prime agricultural advantages over the special farming regions of the continent. Corn is the great staple and gives a yield of forty to one hundred bushels per acre, depending upon cultivation and season.

Winter and spring wheat are both successfully grown, the yield per acre ranging from twelve to twenty-five bushels. Rye never fails to give a yield of twenty to forty bushels per acre; oats run from twenty -five to sixty bushels, and barley from twenty to fort}' bushels. Flax is a very remunerative crop and will become a popular product in the near future. Irish and sweet potatoes give an unusually large yield, and are particularly adapted to this soil. The garden is bountiful in every variety of vegetable production. But one of the grandest resonrces in this county is found in her native and domestic grasses. There is no better soil for grasses between the Great Lakes and the mountains. The wild prairie grasses are readily yielding to blue-grass and white clover. Blue-grass is indigenous to the country, and is steadily making the conquest of the wild prairie, forest, and field, until blue-grass is kinor in Linn county, as in the famous gra;5ing regions of Illinois and Kentucky. Blue-grass is everywhere, from the water-line to the crown of the hills, sweet, tender, and luxuriant as any herbage that ever bared its bosom to the herds. In this mild climate it makes pasturage well nigh perpetual. The rainy seasons develop a splendid gi-owth of white clover in the old pastures, and the red clover and timothy meadows are as luxuriant in this county as anywhere on the green earth. Timothy meadow gives a yield of two and three tons, and not unfrequently three and a half tons of hay per acre.

Of course Linn county is a "splendid stock country. Where corn and blue-grass flourish, and timothy and clover are at home, there is no question about the future of the county. Wealth and independence follow as naturally as water runs down hill. The stock-raising and stock-feeding districts beat the exclusively grain-growing districts in net revenue and ultimate wealth two to one. Cattle and swine-raising and feeding are carried on to a large extent in this county, and bring a heavy revenue to the farmers. Yery little coarse grain is exported, the farmers finding it more profitable to feed prime steers, Poland-China and Berkshire swine.

Horses, mules, cattle, sheep, and swine all do admirably, and are being raised in large numbers, from the finest bloods, down through the various grades to common stock, and very large shipments are constantly being made of horses, mules, cattle, and swine to supply the demands elsewhere.

With such facilities for grazing and feeding cattle, the dairy is taking an important place in this county, and is rapidl}'^ becoming a source of profit; it is yet in its infancy, but will soon become an important factor in the business of the country.

In speaking of Linn county as a fine field for the breeders of fine stock it is with the certain knowledge that this belt of country of which this county is a })art, has no superior for developing the best and highest grades of all farm animals in their best and most perfect form. It is not too cold, and when an exceeding cold blast sweeps over the country it is of but short duration, and a little covering from exposure saves any ill effects of such changes. But for eight months of the year no covering is necessary for the flocks, and the other four months will be found half the time pleasant and enjoyable weather for both man and beast. This, therefore, is a climate peculiarly adapted, from its dry and invigorating atmosphere, to develop in their best form all kinds and classes of animals which go to make up tbe stock of the dom'estic breeder. These facts are beginning to tell, and the farmer is turning his attention to stock-raising and the food necessary to their support. It is as easy to raise blooded stock as it is scrubs, and this important fact is also gaining a strong foothold in the mind of the farmer.

The Short-Horn and Heret'ords among cattle are assuming a prominence worthy of the intelligence of the people. The blooded horse and the heavy Pereheron and Norman horses are taking the place of the scrub. Cotswold, Leicester, and South-Down are weeding out the common sheep, while the gaunt "rail-splitter " hog of olden times, long-legged and slabsided, has given way to the Poland-China and Berkshire. There is room for a thousand stock-breeders here who could make fortunes at this business as a specialty. Cattle, sheep, and hogs are rapidly increasing in number.

Coal Mining

As has been mentioned there are now four coal mines being worked in this county, but this industry is yet in its infancy, and until wood becomes scarce, or the demand for coal exceeds its supply, little will be done in Linn county to develop the immense wealth which is hidden below the surface of her soil. It is there, however, and it is a guarantee that so long as the wo)"ld stands, or at least for scores of generations to come, the fuel supply of Linn county will never be a source of fear because of its scarcity or high prices.

Fruit Growing

Apples of the finest quality are becoming more abundant every year, so that now the local demand is fully supplied, and shipments are being made to supply the demands of less favored localities both noi'th and south. It is a natural grape country, and many varieties are produced so that pure wines of the best quality are vinted here, and grapes are sold every year in our markets at from two to four cents per pound.

In reality the fruit interest is everywhere prominent. Every farm has its apple orchard and the peach, plum, cherry, pear, and grape, with the entire list of berries, are cultivated with gratifying results. For standartl apples, the staple varieties of the grape, the Early Richmond cherry and small fruits of the garden, it is doubtful if there is a more favored region anywhere in the West. Wine-making might be pursued with as much profit here as on the banks of the Ohio or the islands of Lake Erie.

Quite a number of our farmers have planted vineyards. As yet the Concord grape leads. It makes a fine, light wine, and is especially liked for its hardihood and prolific yield. The Elvira is called by some the best grape, being hardy, yields abundantly and makes a finely flavored wine, smooth to the taste and of rich quality. It is as prolific as the Concord, while the market value of its vintage is double. This climate seems to be especially suited to it. Up to this time grape culture has not become epi- demic, but quite a number of small vineyards are, nevertheless, to be found in the county. The principal grape, as has been said, that is grown in this county is the Concord. Up to this time no wine has been made in this county to speak of, but it is likely yet to become a crop of considerable importance in the county. There could not be found a better paying business in Linn county than grape culture and the making of wine, and while it has been a business so far, of very slow growth, there are a few farmers who realize its advantages, and will gradually enlarge their vineyards, and give more time and attention to this lucrative crop.

The Apple

is decidedly the most abundant crop, and it especially thrives in North Missouri. The finest apples are raised in this central belt, between the south line of Iowa and the Missouri River. " There is no better country for the apple," says an eminent horticulturalist, "than north Missouri, and I go still further, and say that no finer fruit has been raised than that which I have gathered in that section of the State." An orchard of crafted fruit, properly attended to, is as great a medium of wealth to the farmer as any one department of agricultural labor. There is not generally enough care given to the orchard, first in planting, and second in giving the growing tree care afterwards. With the exception of pruning now and then, they are generally left to grow as best they may.

Peaches And Pears

The orchard product is not confined, by any means, to the apple. Peaches, pears, plums, apricots, quinces, nectarines, etc., all grow well, and are equally at home with the apple in this soil and climate. Both peaches and pears have their seasons of failure, but there are always enough for home consumption, except in unprecedentedly bad years. A very fine peach is grown, and there are several kinds which are very palatable, being of a most delicious flavor. The pear grows to a large size, is very rich and luscious, and resembles the California pear in size and appearance. Neither the peach nor pear crop is as certain as the apple, still the peach is largely grown throughout the county.

Peaches and pears yield abundantly in good seasons, but are not a certain crop. A late frost generally destroys the yield. They generally make an average crop two out of every five years, and there are not many years but what some are raised. They are a pa^'ing fruit when the season is favorable, but they are not generally raised except for home use or a local market.

There is nothing so beneficial to health during the summer season as good ripe fruit, and the less meat the farmer eats in the hot weather, and the more fruit, the better for his general welfare, and for a long life. Thus the raising of fruit should be a universal one, for it is a paying crop and one conducive to health.

are perhaps grown more than anj^ other fruit in this section of the country excepting the apple. It is prolific in yield, and every farm in the country, and generally door-yard in town, can boast of having somewhere about it a cherry tree. Of course it is a healthy fruit; you can eat them from the tree, preserve them, make cherry brandy, and even the root of the tree, like the brandy from the fruit, has good medicinal properties. So that a cherry, it might be said, is one of the necessaries of life.

This fruit, like the quince and apricot, is but little grown. There is probably no better climate for the plum than that of north Missouri, and it is a fruit that is really healthful. The Blue plum, the Green-gages, and one or two other varieties are well worth cultivating, but at present are little cared for.

About all the berries that grow are indigenous to the soil of Linn and surrounding counties. They grow spontaneously and are very fruitful. There are none but what can be cultivated with profits, but with the exception of strawberries very few are raised beyond the home demand, and in fact, the strawberry can join the rest. Berries are not shipped in any large quantities. There is no doubt that if more attention were given to fruit and berries the farmer would find himself better off at the end of the year. Many a berry bush or a fruit tree will thrive and pay vvell for its care where nothing else can be planted. The corners of the fences or the side-hills could be made to pay, and would be far from being the least valuable part of the farm.

When the climate is taken into consideration, being much like that of southern Ohio and the blue-grass region of Kentucky, between the extremes of temperature, and in a latitude where fruits and berries attain their greatest perfection, where is found the greatest stock and dairy producing region of the continent, why should not the people prosper?

It is a field that offers splendid opportunities to men to cultivate the orchard, the vineyard, grain, and herds, and it is as healthy as it is great in all its productive resources. No fogs or stagnant waters, the winds which sweep the prairies of the West give only an invigorating feeling here, and in fact, the climate is all that man need wish for whose habits are temperate and whose life is given to the cheerful pursuits of peace.

Some Statistics

There has not been a full record kept of the productions of Linn county, either in cereals, fruits, or stock, and comparison can only be made of the: growth and prosperity of the county a few years back. Of course, if the county has increased in population the last decade twenty-six per cent, it is more than likely that production has more than kept pace. New machinery that does the work of a dozen men of ten years ago must add much more and greater per cent to the producing interests of the county. The improvement in labor-saving farm implements has given wonderful encouragement and progress to agricultui-al work, and there is nothing higher or nobler in the catalogue of pursuits for man than that of the agriculturist.

The mechanical genius of the country is now bending all its energies to still further improve the implements of farm use and manufacture, still others that will add to the wealth and general prosperity of the farmer. The pioneer of old and the farmer of to-day are as wide apart in their modes of farming and the tools used, as time is distant between then and now. A few years hence and even much of this may be changed, and the men of to-day as far behind the agriculturist of the future. What man's inventive genius may yet produce for the cultivation of the soil and in the saving of labor, is hard to tell, and where it will end no man knows.

The first record of stock and crops of Linn county is for the year 1868. This record is far from complete, yet it will answer in a measure for the starting point in the material advance of the county. Comparing this report with that of 1880 and 1881, will give some idea of the advance the farmers have made the past decade and a decade hence will prove, no doubt, a comparison that the county mhj be proud of. The list is as follows:

Almost in all instances these figures are doubled for 1880. There has not been since the year 1870, until 1876, a full report of the stock and grain raising productions of Linn county. At the taking of the census of the above named year, a full return was made of the agricultural products of the county stock, etc. This report was also taken and compiled by municipal townships which shows the aggregate wealth of the personal property of each township. It was not, however, complete, the real estate of each township not being given, but the full number of acres of land in the county was given as a whole. The statements we have been able to gather of 1879 1880, and 1881, are also incomplete in some particulars, still enough has been gathered to show something of the advancement made by Linn county the past six years. It would seem that now the township law is in force that the assessors or collectors should have a full set of blanks so as to have this desired information collected yearly. It should be a part of their duty and the county clerk's office should place it upon record. There is neither full statistics of the agricultural resources, nor is there any record book of elections. Electit)n rolls from townships can be found, partially obliterated but the vote of each township and the names of those elected or their majorities, after being ascertained seem to have been thrown aside. This will make as difficult work for future historians as for the present, for the writer has spent days and even weeks seeking information that should be found upon the records. This has undoubtedly been an oversight, but it is a bad one and should be corrected. The records of the county should show its progress from year to 3'ear. Histor}^ is made up of such records and of passing events. Following is given the report of the agricultural and stock products of the county for 1876.

Statistics Foe 1876 Statistics For 1876

This shows the leading crops to have been corn, tobacco, and oats. There are no values in this table of stock, onl}^ the number is s^iven, and the real estate, including farms and town lots, is left out altogether. This makes it rather imperfect. Still, what is given is by municipal townships, and will be a valuable table to compare with later years. If a full report had been given it would have been invaluable, and a starting point to show the growth and prosperity of the county for future years. The next table is for the year 1879, and it is, perhaps, more full and complete, for it is on that year that the census of ISSO is based. That is, the population is taken to June 1, 1880, but the statistics of the crops, stock, and business of the country is of the year 1879.

The following table gives the assessed valuation of the county. If " all other personal property" included grain, it would have met the valuation of the corn crop alone,

All Otiikr Live Stock

When you come to hogs there is almost an equal preference expressed for the Berkshire and the Poland-China. Some farmers prefer one, and some the other. In a dry season, the Berkshire is said to stand it best. They are larger boned and stronger than the Poland-China, and get around more. The latter is said to fatten the quickest, and mature earlier. The Poland is a first-class lazy hog, and would much rather have its food brought to it than to go after it. The Berkshire will do either: go after it, or eat it when brought. What it cares for is something to eat. There is a good deal of the "hog" about the Berkshire, and it must be a good breed that gets away with it. Take the two, and there are no two others found to equal th^em.

With sheep, like the hog, the farmers of Linn county have placed their affections upon two kinds: the Cotswolds and South-Downs. Here and there will yet be found the Merinos, and there are quite a number in the county, but the two breeds mentioned above lead. The Leicester is liked by some, and it is a good sheep, but there are not many in the county.* The Cotswolds, and then the South-Downs, will hold the lead undoubtedly for years to come.

Their Choice

Of apples, the " Ben Davis " leads all others in Linn county. There are some better apples for winter use and for eating, but they do not bear so well, and are scarcely so hardy as the " Ben Davis." The latter is a good apple, very hardy, and the trees bear abundantly. This is given as the reason for its preference.

Horses are improving, and it is the general opinion now that if some good draught horses, of the Percheron or Clydesdale breed were brought in, the latter being rather the choice, they would take quicker with the farmers of Linn than blooded, or what they call racing stock. There are, however, quite a number of blooded horses in the county, and they are increasing.

In cattle the " Short-Horn§ " lead. The value of the Herefords is little known. They are, however, very little, if any, inferior to the Short-Horns. Now and then a " Jersey" is to be found, but, take it generally, the blooded cattle are of the nt)ted Short-Horn breed.

Transportation

One germ of progress in the growth of a county, and in fact a leading one, is to have rapid and cheap freighting facilities. The home market is everywhere supplied, and the surplus stock of the farmer, which is for sale, must be sent to the centers of consumption - large cities, that are consumers, not producers. Tlie county, then, which is provided with cheap and rapid facilities for sending its surplus to market is the county which will gain the most rapidlj^ in population and wealth. Undoubtedly railroad transportation has cost our people dearly, and the burden of this has fallen the pioneer generation of our county's history, for, in the progress of nations, the United States is yet not out of its infancy; or, if so, has simply passed from infancy to boyhood growth. Another century will have passed «re lusty manhood shows its stalwart front.

Linn county, with her productive soil, running streains, and transportation facilities, is well worthy the attention of the immigrant. Having a north and south line of railroad, and an east and west one, her fa«lities for cheap and i-apid transit are equal to almost any county in the State. At no distant day, at least one other road will pass through her boundary; and when with these shall be added good county roads, there would be nothing to stop the onward progress of Linn county. There is rock enough in the county to macadamize every road within its limits, and there could be nothing that would so advance its progress and invite immigration as good county roads. With these Linn county could defy all rivalry. With the Hannibal <k St. Joseph Railroad running through from east to west, and the Chicago, Burlington, & Kansas City, north and south, and.macadam where needed, the future prosperity of the county would be as certain as the revolving year. Fertile territory has done much for Linn county; railroads have added to its value.

The history of cities and the growth of states can easily be followed by the gradual increase of transportation facilities; and the towns which can show this in the largest proportion will generally be found to have the business, and the greatest amount of wealth and population. As before remarked, the pioneer age has had to bear the brunt of the cost of this work, but future generations will be apt to say that our forefathers built wiser than they knew, if they could but see the prosperity of this country. Two centuries from now this country would indeed be a marvel to the inhabitants of to-day, and that marvel will have been produced as much from improved and rapid means of communication between distant points as any one thing in the wonderful history of its progress.

Land Valuation

Why seek in the dreary desert waste for cheap lands, when the same can be found with all the comforts of civilization around them. There are over 100,000 acres of good fertile land for sale in Linn county, from $5 to $25 per acre, contiguous to schools, churches, mills, and with cheap transportation facilities. Then why go to a new country and endure the privations of a pioneer's life? If these lands were not rich, and fertile in production, there would be some excuse; but as land to-day in Linn county can be purchased at the above price, fully as cheap as it was nearly twenty years ago, it looks like folly to go to the western wilds. The inducements this county can ofler to the immigrant, if widely known, would bear rapid fruit in an increase of population, and her enterprising people can do no greater work than to spread before the world this information.