NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



plants and nursery products. The value of the fruits 

 and nuts produced in 1909 was $4,650,875, as compared 

 with $2,023,730, their value in 1899. The acreage 

 devoted to vegetables, including potatoes and sweet 

 potatoes and yams, was, in 1909, 252,243 and their 

 value $12,021,408, thus making vegetables by far the 

 most important of the horticultural crops grown in 

 Iowa. Small-fruits decreased in acreage from 9,635 in 

 1899 to 7,211 in 1909, when the value of their products 

 was $966,894. As an industry, the growing of flowers 

 and plants and nursery products was of more im- 

 portance than that of small-fruits. The value of 

 flowers and plants and nursery products in 1909 was 

 $1,503,305 as compared with $939,499, their value in 

 1899. 



The total production of orchard-fruits in Iowa in 1909 

 was 7,234,168 bushels, valued at $4,283,873. Apples, 

 the most important of the orchard - fruits, produced 

 6,746,668 bushels alone, which was more than nine- 

 tenths of the total production. The value of the apples 

 produced in 1909 was $3,550,729. Cherries, the next 

 orchard fruit of importance, produced 260,432 bushels, 

 valued at $455,022. The production of plums and 

 prunes in 1909 was 158,036 bushels, valued at $192,421; 

 that of pears, 44,449 bushels, valued at $58,777; that 

 of peaches and nectarines 23,180 bushels, valued at 

 $24,950. In addition, apricots were produced to the 

 value of $942; quinces to the value of $681; and mul- 

 berries, to the value of $351. 



The production of grapes for 1909 was 11,708,336 

 pounds, valued at $330,078. The number of grape- 

 vines of bearing age in 1910 was 1,983,465; those not of 

 bearing age, 446,126. 



The production of nuts in 1909 was 1,721,265 pounds, 

 valued at $36,922. Most of the nuts were black wal- 

 nuts and hickory-nuts. In 1909 the black walnuts 

 produced 1,134,061 pounds, valued at $20,589, and the 

 hickory-nuts, 539,203 pounds, valued at $15,251. But- 

 ternuts were produced to the amount of 37,931 pounds, 

 valued at $758. 



Strawberries are by far the most important of the 

 small-fruits grown in Iowa, with blackberries and dew- 

 berries, and raspberries and loganberries ranking next. 

 The acreage devoted to strawberries increased from 

 2,335 in 1899 to 2,917 in 1909, when the production was 

 5,330,105 quarts, valued at $479,511. The acreage of 

 blackberries and dewberries increased during the same 

 period from 1,719 in 1899 to 2,279 in 1909 when the 

 production was 2,733,728 quarts, valued at $247,734. 

 Raspberries and loganberries decreased in acreage from 

 3,394 in 1899 to 1,573 in 1909. In 1909 the production 

 was 1,728,547 quarts, valued at $191,037. The same 

 year the production of currants was 317,637 quarts, 

 valued at $27,315; and that of gooseberries 233,544 

 quarts, valued at $21,251. 



Of the vegetables, the potato is by far the most 

 important. In 1909, 169,567 acres devoted to potatoes 

 produced 14,710,247 bushels, valued at $6,629,234, 

 more than half the value of all vegetables produced. 

 Among the leading vegetables, other than potatoes, 

 their acreage, and the value of the products were: sweet 

 corn, 12,568 acres, valued at $219,220; cabbage, 2,789 

 acres, valued at $148,529; pop-corn, 5,345 acres, valued 

 at $135,270; sweet potatoes and yams, 2,274 acres, 

 valued at $125,763; onions, 849 acres, valued at $118,- 

 155; watermelons, 3,464 acres, valued at $112,217; and 

 tomatoes, 2,055 acres, valued at $100,457. Other 

 vegetables grown in Iowa in 1909 were asparagus, green 

 beans, cantaloupes and muskmelons, celery, cucumbers, 

 lettuce, green peas, radishes, and turnips. 



The acreage devoted to the production of flowers and 

 plants increased from 140 in 1899 to 361 in 1909, an 

 increase of 157.9 per cent. The total area under glass 

 in 1909 was 2,183,182 square feet, of which 1,870,845 

 were covered by greenhouses and 312,337 by sashes 

 and frames. The value of the flowers and plants pro- 



duced in 1909 was $657,393, as compared with $320,407, 

 their value in 1899. 



The acreage occupied by establishments producing 

 nursery products was 3,430 in 1909, as compared with 

 2,905, the acreage in 1899, an increase of 18.1 per cent. 

 The value of the nursery products in 1909 was $845,912, 

 as compared with $619,092, the value in 1899. 



C. L. WATROUS. 



Missouri. 



Its central position gives Missouri (Fig. 2503) a 

 medium climate, favorable to the growth of a variety 

 of horticultural products. The cosmopolitan character 

 of its plants is indicated by the native flora. Northern, 

 southern, eastern and western species blend and overlap 

 here. The wild crab of the prairie states and the June- 

 berries, capable of enduring the rigors of a northern 

 winter, flourish here in the same forest with the more 

 southern persimmon and the pawpaw. The northern 

 grapes of the Labrusca type, like Concord, are among 

 the standard varieties, while on the other hand tender 

 varieties like Herbemont and the tender hybrids usually 

 winter safely. The riparia group is native to the state, 

 while the more tender Vitis rotundifolia of the Gulf 

 region reaches splendid natural development in the 

 southeastern part of the state. While the berries and 

 small-fruits common to the northern states endure well 

 the warmer climate of Missouri, the oriental persimmon, 

 English walnut and Poncirus (Citrus) trifoliata are 

 hardy in the southern part. The northern plum (Prunus 

 americana) extends south into Missouri where it mingles 

 in the same woodlands with the southern Chickasaw 

 plum (P. angustifolia) . These two have hybridized in 

 nature, and some of these hybrids have found an im- 

 portant place in our list of cultivated American plums. 



Missouri's central position is also favorable to the 

 marketing of her fruit. Perishable fruits, such as berries 

 and peaches, are shipped to nearly all of the principal 

 markets east of the Rocky Mountains, from Boston and 

 Baltimore on the east, Omaha, Denver and Pueblo on 

 the west, and from St. Paul and Detroit on the north 

 to Mobile, New Orleans and Galveston on the south. 

 Some of the grain-raising, mining and grazing states of 

 the west and northwest, where but little fruit is pro- 

 duced, furnish a growing market for Missouri fruit. The 

 Mississippi and Missouri rivers, with their tributaries, 

 touching the entire length and breadth of the state, 

 furnish cheap freight rates north, south, and northwest, 

 and direct railroad connections with the Gulf ports 

 afford cheap shipment of apples to European markets. 



The following figures give the average monthly rain- 

 fall in inches as recorded at Columbia by the United 

 States Weather Bureau: January, 1.89; February, 2.57; 

 March, 2.97; April, 4.52; May, 5.87; June, 4.56; July, 

 4.85; August, 2.81; September, 3.60; October, 1.40; 

 November, 2.87 and December, 2.02. While these 

 figures show the rainfall is ample (approximately 40 

 inches annually) and well distributed throughout the 

 year, the records also show the percentage of sunny 

 days in this immediate section is high. During August, 

 September and October, especially, when most of the 

 fruit is maturing, the average amount of bright sunlight 

 is considerably higher than that of most of the orchard 

 states. No doubt the intense sunlight and the proximity 

 to the prairies are important factors in producing the 

 rich color and high flavor of Missouri fruit, and may 

 also account, in part at least, for its comparative free- 

 dom from many of the fungous diseases which are 

 known to thrive best in a moist cloudy atmosphere. 



The topography and soil of the state are both favor- 

 able to fruit-growing. The undulating areas, intersected 

 by the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tribu- 

 taries, are amply provided with both soil and atmos- 

 pheric drainage. The more important fruit-soils in- 

 clude the deep, rich, loess formation (see Fig. 2503) 



