L'UHi NOR TH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



plants aiul nursery prinlucts. The value of the fruitrS 

 and nuts puxlueiHl in 1909 was S4,t)r>0.875, as compared 

 with S2,l)J;{,7oO. tlieir \alue in 1899. The acreage 

 devottxi to ve{Ietabl^s, incliulinji potatoes ami sweet. 

 potatws and yams, was, in 1909, 'Jo2,U4:5 and their 

 value S12.1V_M,40S, thus niakiiis vegetables by far the 

 mast important of the hortieultmal crops grown in 

 Iowa. iSmall-fruits decreastnl in acreage from 9,1)3.') in 

 1S99 to T.l'll in 1909, when the value of their protlucts 

 was S9l>l),S94. As an industry, the growing of flowers 

 and plants and nursery products was of more im- 

 portance than that of snuill-fruils. The value of 

 flowers and plants and nursery- protlucts in 1909 was 

 $1,503,305 as compared with 1939,499, their value in 

 1899. 



The total production of orchard-fruits in Iowa in 1909 

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

 the most important of the orchard -fruits, produced 

 6,74t),6t>8 bushels alone, which was more than nine- 

 tenths of the total |)roduction. The value of tlie apple.s 

 prmluced in 1909 was .?3,.'),'')(),729. Cherries, the next 

 orchard fruit of importance, proiluced 260,432 bushels, 

 valued at §455,022. The production of pliuns 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 $;?6,922. 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 arc 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. 

 Ka.spberries and loganberries decreased in acreage from 

 3,394 in 1.S99 to 1,.573 in 1909. In 1909 the production 

 was 1,728,.547 quarts, valued at $191,0.37. 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 at^res devoted to potatoes 

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

 more than half the value of all vegetaliles i)roduced. 

 Among the leading veg(,'tables, other than potatoes, 

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

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

 acres, valued at $148,529; pop-corn, 5,345 acres, valu(*l 

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

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

 1.55; watermelons, 3,464 acres, vahie<l at $1 12,217; and 

 tomatoes, 2,0.55 acres, valued at $100,457. Other 

 vcgetabhw grown in Iowa in 1909 were asparagus, green 

 beans, cantaloupes and muskmeloiis, celery, cucumbers, 

 lettuce, green peas, radishes, and turnips. 



The acreage devoted to the |)roductif)n of flowers and 

 plants increa.sed from 140 in 1899 to 361 in 1909, an 

 moreasc 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- 



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

 their value in 1899. 



The acreage t>ccui)ied by establishments jjroducing 

 nursery products was ;},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 comi)ared with $619,092, the value in 1899. 



C. L. Watrous. 



Missouri. 



Its central position gives Missouri (Fig. 2503) a 

 meiliiun climate, favorable to the growth of a variety 

 of horticidtural 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, hke 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 rolundifolia 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 {Cilrus) Irifoliata are 

 hardy in the southern part. The northern plum (Prunus 

 amcricann) 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 foimd an im- 

 portant place in our list of cultivated .\merican 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 httle 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 

 aff'ord cheap shijjment of apples to European markets. 



The following figiu'cs 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 i)ercentage of simny 

 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 sunhght 

 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 jiroducing 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 tojiography and soil of the state are both favor- 

 able to fruit-growing. The imdidating areas, intersected 

 by the Mississip))i and Missouri rivers and their tribu- 

 taries, are amply provided with both soil and atmos- 

 I)heric drainage. The more important fruit-soils in- 

 clude the deep, rich, loe.ss formation (see Fig. 2.503) 



