1024 



MISSOURI 



pheric drainage. The soil varies from the light, deep 

 flinty soil of the Ozarks, and the drift of the "loess" 

 formation (see/owa), to the rich soil of the prairie open- 

 ings and still heavier soils of the river bottoms, and the 

 swamp lands to the southeast, affording choice for dif- 

 ferent purposes. The immense crops of corn and gar- 

 den vegetables, sometimes grown in young orchards, 

 and the clover and cow peas, grown to prevent washing 

 of the soil in steep hillside orchards, prove (perhaps 

 too frequently), that even the so-called "fruit lands" 

 are capable of yielding a great variety of products. In 



fact, one great reason why Missouri has not earlier 

 taken front rank as a fruit state is because natural con- 

 ditions for general agriculture are too favorable. It re- 

 quires too great an effort to exclude the encroaching 

 blue grass and live .stock from orchard areas where 

 thrifty young trees fruit themselves to death in the 

 unequal struggle for existence and the reproduction of 

 their kind. 



The last report of the Missouri State Horticultural 

 Society (1897) contains Secretary Goodman's estimate 

 of the quantity and value of fruit produced in the state 

 that year, as follows: Apples— north Missouri, 2,500,000 

 barrels; central Missouri, 3,500,000; south Missouri, 

 3,000,000; total value of apples, $12,000,000. Peaches 

 —north Missouri, 500,000 bushels; central Missouri, 

 1 ,000.000 ; south Missouri,2,000,000 ; total value of peaches, 

 $3,500,000. Total value of berries, $2,500,000. Total 

 value of pears, cherries, plums and grapes, $1,500,000. 

 These, with nuts and miscellaneous fruits, reach a total 

 value of $20,000,000 for the Missouri fruit crop for 1897. 

 This report is based upon figures obtained from the 

 various railroads and shippers, and may be relied upon 

 as being approximately correct. Considering the fact 

 that 4 few years ago Missouri could hardly lay claim to 

 being a great fruit-producing state, the above figures 

 indicate very rapid growth of the industry in recent 

 years. In 1898 more young trees were planted than 

 in any previous year, showing an accelerating tendency 

 toward this line of business. A number of orchards in 

 the state comprise over one thousand acres each. The 

 size and number of these large orchards is annually be- 

 ins: increased. 



It will Im- seen that the apple is the leading fruit, ex- 

 c.i-.liiii,' in value all other kinds combined. Careful 

 stuiiy slh-ws that other things being equal, the best 

 pri.-cs i.iiv;iil in those parts of the state where the most 

 apples are grown, and where, consequently, there is the 

 sharpest competition among buyers. The peach ranks 

 second in importance, and the berries third. The city of 

 Sarcoxie shipped 239 car-loads of strawberries in 1897, 



MITCHELLA 



and now 1,500 acres of strawberries are growing in its 

 immediate vicinity. Liberal is one of the largest black- 

 berry centers. Hermann and several points in the Ozarks 

 manufacture large quantities of grape wine. 



Aside from the work of the Agricultural College and 

 Experiment Station in the promulgation of horticul- 

 tural work, the Missouri Botanical Garden at St. Louis, 

 being of international influence and importance, cannot 

 fail, with its splendid equipment and able management, 

 to lend an especially strengthening influence to the hor- 

 ticulture of the state in which it is located. The Mis- 

 souri State Horticultural Society, with nearly one hun- 

 dred local societies as auxiliaries, under the competent 

 leadership of its ofiicers and organized effort of it.s 

 members, is doing much toward the development of hor- 

 ticulture 



W hde horticulture is already one of the leading in- 

 terests of Missouri, the possibilities of the state in that 

 direction have not yet even been approached. Only a 

 small portion of the soil naturally well adapted to fruit 

 < ulture has ever been cultivated, and there are many 

 bases of horticulture that have not been developed. 

 ri rt lit years however, steps in advance are rapidly 

 I k II The best growers no longer cling to an- 



Utions and obsolete practices, but are evolving 

 1 idapted to the new conditions of the West. 

 1 t of extensive business training are invest- 

 hard and their business ability, combined 

 kill of the practical grower, is resulting in 

 keting and general management of the in- 

 \ t w varieties, better adapted to local conditions, 

 I c 1 ^ originated. Our native fruits and nuts are 

 rn.LHiut, attention, and improved varieties of these are 

 already the result. The working up of surplus and in- 

 ferior fruit by canning, evaporating, cider and wine- 

 niaking and distilling is increasing the value of the 

 fruit product, and the canning of tomatoes, peas and 

 other garden vegetables is quite extensively carried on 

 in some sections. In fact, the horticulture of the state 

 is in a rapidly growing condition, and bids fair to reach 

 very important proportions. j. e. Whitten. 



:i!biin 



of 



MITCHfiLLA (Dr. John Mitchell, of Virginia, one of 

 the first American botanists; correspondent of Lin- 

 naeus). MubiAcece. This includes the Partridge-berry, 

 one of the prettiest and hardiest of native perennial 

 trailers. It has small, shining, evergreen, roundish Ivs., 

 sometimes marked with white lines, and bright scarlet 

 berries, often borne in pairs, which remain all winter 

 and make a charming effect when peeping through the 

 snow. This plant can be easily collected, and is also 

 procurable from many dealers in hardy plants. It 

 thrives under evergreen trees, forming dense mats. 

 The fls., which are borne in spring, are small, white, 

 with pinkish throats, and are fragrant. The berries are 

 edible, but nearly tasteless. Fls. twin, the ovaries 

 united into one; calyx 4-toothed; corolla funnel-shaped, 

 4-lobed; lobes spreading, densely bearded inside, val- 

 vate in the bud: fr. a 2-eyed berry. 



1412. PartridEe-berry— Mitchella repens ( 



rtpens, Linn. PAKTRioriE-BERRY. Squaw-berry. Fig. 

 1412, Lvs. opposite, round-ovate, petioled, with minute 

 stipules: fls. in pairs, on the apex of a peduncle. Nova 

 Scotia to Minn., south to Fla. and Tex. G.W. P. 42. 

 D. 81. Mn. 3:49. L. B. C. 10:979. -Attractive in half- 

 shaded spots in the wild garden and rockeries. Propa- 

 gated by division of roots. 



M. ovdta, DC, from Ecuador, is the only other species. It has- 

 solitary, sessile fls., and ovate, acutish lvs. Not cult. 



M. B. COULSTON. 



