282 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



DADE COUNTY. 



Dade county lies in the third tier of counties north from the Arkan- 

 sas line, and in the second east from Kansas line. It borders east on. 

 Greene and Polk, south on Lawrence, west on Barton, north on Cedar 

 counties, in that fertile and beautiful portion of Southwest Missouri, 

 and situated on the western slope of the Ozark plateau. It contains 

 about 320,000 acres of land, about equally divided between timber and 

 prairie. 



Several streams of clear water flow through the county, from 

 south to north, namely : Sack, Turnback, Limestone, Sun's creek and. 

 Horse creek. The face of the country along these streams is rolling 

 upland, covered with a dense growth of timber, such as oak, hickory, 

 walnut, hazel and sumach. 



Several small but fertile prairies are found between these streams 

 in a high state of cultivation. The western half of the county is a 

 beautiful, smooth and fertile prairie, with plenty of good water by dig- 

 ging from 15 to 25 feet; also streams which flow but a few feet below 

 the level of the prairie. 



The upland in the eastern part of the county consists of a red clay, 

 and gravel gives it a natural drainage, which for all kinds of fruit, 

 wheat, corn and tobacco is unsurpassed. This land seems to suit the 

 apple. The trees grow well — not too fast to prevent bearing ; the trees 

 are very healthy, bear well, ripens the fruit well and gives it a good 

 color and flavor. 



The pear does well on this kind of land, is healthy, and the tree 

 grows to a large size. Very little blight is found on the pear. 



This is the home for the grapes, as they grow in abundance wild, 

 and the tame grapes do well, and seldom rot or mildew, and ripen the 

 fruit nicely. 



Small fruits of all kinds, wild and tame, grow in great abundance. 

 All kinds of cereals do well here; the land is loose and works easily. 

 The prairie is also adapted for fruit. About three-fourths of the land 

 in Dade county is under cultivation. The unimproved lands are mostly 

 in the eastern part of the county. 



The winters are short and mild, the snow is seldom and goes off 

 in a few days. The mercury seldom falls below zero in winter, while 

 the southwest breezes temper the heat in summer. The water is pure 

 and healthful, and springs of clear, hard and soft water are in abund- 

 ance, and the health is good. 



The gulf road runs through the county from east to west, connects 

 with the St. Louis and San Francisco at Nichols Junction, and with 



