CHAPTER XXVI
Statistical information as to Henry County is most illuminating. The years show steady progress in every way. The present limits of the county embrace 476,160 acres, of which 436,833 acres or 91.7 percent of the total is in farms by the census of 1910. In 1900 there were 437,720 acres in farms. Under the census of 1900, 370,976 acres in the county were improved, but this increased in 1910 to 376,261 acres, when 86.1 percent of the total land in the county was in the improved class. The average size of a farm under the census of 1910, the last available, was 126.7 acres. Of this, 126.7 acres on the average 109.1 was improved. The total number of farms in the county in 1910 was 3,448; in 1900, it was 3,447. Thus though there were many changes of ownership and sales of farms in the decade between 1900 and 1910, in this latter year, there was only one more farm in the county than had been there ten years before. Under the last census, there were two farms, so called, of less than three acres; forty-five between three and nine acres, and one hundred and seventeen of from ten to nineteen acres. Thus one hundred and sixty-five of the farms listed by the federal officers were of nineteen acres or less.
Five hundred sixty-three farms were between twenty and forty-nine acres in size. Farms between fifty and ninety-nine acres numbered one thousand sixty-three, and those between one hundred and one hundred and seventy-four acres numbered nine hundred and sixty-five. As the farms get larger than one hundred and seventy-five acres the numbers fall off sharply. There were three hundred ninety-one between one hundred seventy-five and two hundred fifty-nine acres in extent - but two hundred forty-six between two hundred sixty and four hundred ninety-nine acres, and only forty-seven farmers owned farms of an average between five hundred and nine hundred ninety-nine acres. Finally there were, by this census, nine farms in Henry County of one thousand acres or more.
Of the farmers in the county under the last census, there were three thousand two hundred and fifty-six who were native-born white, one hundred and fifty-four foreign-born white, and thirty-eight negroes. Of the 3,256 native-born white men 2,037 owned the farms they operated; of the 154 foreign-born white farmers, 138 owned the land they tilled and of the thirty-eight negroes, twenty-four were owners of their farms. About sixty-three percent of the native white and negro farmers, thus are listed as owners, while nearly ninety percent of the foreign-born whites had title to their lands.
One thousand two hundred and sixteen of the farms in the county operated by owners were free of all mortgage encumbrance, while nine hundred sixty-six had a total indebtedness against them of $1,194,453 with a total valuation of the encumbered farms of $4,283,347.
In 1910, there were 63.8 per cent of the total of all farms operated by owners, a slight decrease from 1900 when 64.4 percent were operated by the men who held title to them. The value of the land and buildings in the farms operated by their owners totaled $15,458,476. The value of the land and buildings on the tenant farms amounted to $6,455,350.
The increase in land value and in the value of farm property in the years between 1900 and 1910 was remarkable. By the census of 1900, the total value of all farm property in the county was placed at $13,516,508, but in ten years, it had increased to $27,248,189; a gain of 101.6 percent. The value of the land also showed a gain of over one hundred percent - advancing from $9,309,020 in 1900 to $18,811,754 in 1910. The buildings on the farms showed about the same increase - in 1900, being valued at $1,854,500 and in 1910 being $3,488,812. Land in Henry County, in 1900, was valued at $21.27 per acre, but in 1910 it had advanced to an average of $43.06.
Three thousand three hundred and ninety-six of the 3,448 farms in the county reported having domestic animals on the premises and the value of the same reached the great total of $3,987,080. A total of 35,474 cattle were reported, 10,092 being dairy cows, 3,885 other cows, 3,562 yearling heifers, 3,946 calves, 4,609 yearling calves and bulls, 9,380 other steers and bulls. The value of the cattle amounted to $1,076,202. There were 15,462 horses reported, 13,390 being mature horses, 1,551 yearling colts and 521 spring colts with a total value of $1,653,234. The farmers at the time of the census owned 4,935 mules, of which number 3,744 were mature animals, 895 yearling colts and 296 spring colts. A value of $635,540 was placed on these animals at that time. Properly included in these statistics are 122 asses and burros with a valuation of $26,485.
The total number of swine reported was 70,609, of which number 44,756 were mature animals and 25,853 were spring pigs. The Government estimated these to be worth $550,109. The county reported only 9,685 sheep, of which 5,992 were rams, ewes and wethers and 3,993 spring lambs. The sheep were valued at $44,663. Two hundred and ninety-three goats with a nominal value of $847 completes the list of domestic animals as reported by the 1910 census.
The county reported 304,132 different individuals of the various sorts of poultry, having a value of $204,485, and had 3,566 colonies of bees, worth $9,008.
In 1900, the Government figures showed that the value of farm implements and machinery owned in the county totaled $344,350, while in 1910 the value of this property had doubled, amounting to $745,750. Domestic animals, poultry and bees, which in 1900, were valued at $2,008,658, had more than doubled by 1910, when they totaled $4,201,873.
The distribution of the rural wealth in the county by the 1910 census is shown by computing percentages. On a basis of one hundred percent, sixty-nine was in the farms themselves, 12.8 per cent in the buildings on the farms, 2.7 percent was invested in machinery and implements and 15.4 in domestic animals, poultry and bees. Averaging the reports as shown by the census the average of all property for farms was $7,903, of which an average of $6,468 per farm was in land and buildings and $1,435 in machinery, implements, domestic animals, poultry and bees.
In common with the most of the rural communities of Missouri, Henry County showed a slight decrease in population in 1910 over the preceding census of 1900 and even of the census of 1890. The decrease was practically uniform through the whole county and in some of the towns. However, Urich, Calhoun, Montrose and Deepwater showed slight increases, and Windsor a sharp growth, with Davis, Fairview, Tebo, Whiteoak, Windsor townships being a little larger; though the fact that Fairview and Windsor did not show a loss was due entirely to the fact that Deepwater was included in the limits of Fairview and the growing clay industries and the population attracted thereby in that thriving little city prevented the township from falling off in its population, while the Rock Island railroad and the growth of Windsor accounted for Windsor township growth.
By the last census, the total population of Henry County was, as set forth in the above tables, 27,242, of whom 13,728 were males and 13,514 females. Of the males 13,306 were white and 422 were negroes; of the females 13,094 were white and 420 negroes. Seven thousand six hundred forty-nine males were of voting age, an increase of 123 over the census of 1900, when the voters of the county numbered 7,523. Six thousand two hundred ninety of the voters were white males of native parentage as compared with 6,073 white males of native parents ten years before.
Seven hundred ninety-six white males were of foreign or mixed parentage as against 764 in the last preceding census. Four hundred fifty-five of the whites not of native parentage had both parents foreign-born while 341 were of mixed parentage and 330 white males of voting age in the county were foreign-born. In 1900, there were 431 foreign-born white males in the county; so in ten years the number of this class of inhabitants had decreased over 100, or more than twenty-five per cent. The negro males of voting age in 1910 numbered 233, which was twenty-two less than the enrollment in 1900. By percentages 82.2 per cent of the males of voting age were of native white parentage; 10.4 per cent were of foreign or mixed parentage; 4.3 per cent, were of white foreign parentage and three percent, negroes. Of the foreign born white 233 were naturalized; two had first papers; eleven were aliens and eighty-four made no report and their status as to citizenship was unknown.
The question of illiteracy is always important. In 1900, 5.3 percent, of the population of the county of voting age was illiterate, but in 1910, this had been reduced to 4.7 per cent, or 362 individuals. Three and eight tenths percent, of the total native whites or 270 individuals were illiterates. Eleven or 3.3 percent, of the foreign born white were illiterate and eighty one or 34.8 percent, of the negroes.
Taking the population of the county as a whole, there were under the 1910 census 21,204 persons in the county ten years old and over. Of this number, 715 or 3.4 percent, were illiterate. There were 19,941 native white persons in this total of whom 2.4 per cent, or 488 individuals were illiterate. Of the 588 foreign born white persons in the county in 1910 thirty-seven, or 6.3 percent, were unable to read or write and of the 67.5 negroes 28.1 percent, or 190 individuals were in this uneducated class.
The illiteracy, however, was largely confined to the older people, the splendid school system being responsible for the gradual improvement of their deplorable condition. Evidence of this fact is found in the fact that while the total number of illiterates in the gross population of 21,204 aged ten years and over was 715 or 3.4 per cent, yet in the 6,088 persons between the ages of ten and twenty years there were only fifty illiterates or eight tenths of one percent.
By the enumeration of 1910, there were 8,472 children in the county between the ages of six and twenty years of whom 6,220 or 73.4 percent, were attending school. Statistics as to the ages of those in school are interesting and instructive. Of the total enumeration of children of school age 2,385 were between the ages of six and nine years and of their number 2,114 or eighty-four per cent, were in attendance at the various schools. Between the ages of ten and fourteen years there were 2,839 children and of this number 2,729 or ninety-seven per cent, were in actual attendance.
Between fifteen and seventeen years, there were 1,674 children and sixty-two per cent, or 1,135 were in school, while of 1,575 between the ages of eighteen and twenty years only 342 individuals or less than twenty-three percent, were in the schools. The total school enumeration between the ages of six and fourteen years was 5,224 and of this number 4,743 or 90.8 percent, were in actual attendance. Between the ages of six and fourteen years there were 4,784 children of native-white parentage with 4,380 or 91.6 percent, in attendance; of the 284 native-white of foreign or mixed parentage 91.2 percent, or 259 children were in attendance. Only one foreign-born child was in the county in 1910 and it was in attendance at school while of the 155 negro children within the ages last above specified only 66.5 percent, were actually enrolled.
It is of interest to know that there were 6,463 dwelling houses in the county in 1910 and 6,557 families with a total population of 27,242. The statistics show that there was an average of 4.2 persons to a family and with a total school enrollment of 8,473 that the average of children of school age to the family was 1.3.
The population of the county decreased in the decade from 1900 to 1910 by 2.9 per cent., or 812 individuals. In the decade between 1890 and 1900, the population decreased six-tenths of one per cent, or 181 people. With the land area of 744 square miles the population per square mile in 1910 was 36.6 and excluding Clinton (the only city of sufficient size to be excluded by the census) the rural population was 29.9 per square mile.
However, excluding the incorporated cities and towns of Blairstown, Clinton, Montrose, Deepwater, Brownington, Calhoun, Urich and Windsor, whose population aggregated 11,102, the actual rural population was 21.7 per square mile with a total of 16,140 individuals. While the white population of the county decreased from 27,076 in 1890 to 26,962 in 1900 and then to 26,400 in 1910, the negro population decreased much more in proportion; for while there were 1,158 negroes in the county in 1890 they had decreased to 1,092 in 1900 and to only 842 in 1910.
Of the total population, 23,562 were of native white parentage, being 86.5 per cent, of the whole. In 1900, 23,737 or 84.6 per cent, were native whites. In 1910, 2,250 or 8.3 per cent, of the population were of native white of foreign or mixed parentage, while in 1900 there were 2,485 or 8.9 per cent, belonging to this class. There were 588 foreign-born white or 2.2 percent, of the population as against 740 or 2.6 per cent, of this class in 1900. Of the foreign born in Henry County by the 1910 census fourteen were Austrians, five Belgians, two French Canadians, twenty-six Canadians, eight Danes, eighty-six English, fourteen French, 290 Germans, six Hollanders, one Hungarian, twenty-eight Irish, two Italians, two Russians, fifteen Scotch, fourteen Swedes, fifty-two Swiss, five Turks, ten Welch and eight from other countries.
Under the reports, as shown by the 1910 census, there were 9,356 dairy cows on farms reporting dairy products and 9,121 dairy cows on farms reporting milk products. There was reported a production of 2,460,974 gallons of milk, of which 28,361 gallons were sold. Fifteen thousand nine hundred eighty-one gallons of cream were sold during the year and 36,348 pounds of butter fat. During that year the farmers of the county produced 598,871 pounds of butter and sold 258,395 pounds and also produced 800 pounds of cheese and sold 620 pounds of it. In value the dairy products, excluding home production of milk and cream, amounted to $156,275.
The poultry industry was profitable and particular statistics are worth while. The number of fowls of all sorts raised in 1910 in the county was 522,697 and 191,163 were sold. During the year 1,607,648 dozens of eggs were produced and 1,139,858 dozens of eggs were sold. The value of the poultry and eggs raised and produced that year totaled $528,399 and the actual cash received for that sold amounted to $307,107. The bees of the county produced 31,156 pounds of honey and 412 pounds of wax of a total value of $4,011. Four thousand seven hundred twenty-one fleeces were shorn from the sheep in the county in 1910 and together with 156 goats or mohair fleeces made a value of $7,999 of wool and mohair produces in that year. In 1910 there were sold or slaughtered in the county 2,248 calves and 17,668 other cattle together with 74,383 swine and 4,430 sheep and goats. The receipts from such animals above as were slaughtered amounted to $186,044. There were sold during this year 3,246 horses, mules and asses; the receipts from sale of animals during the year totaled $2,108,799.
Included in the county's wealth in live stock but owned in the towns and not on the farms as shown by the 1910 census were various animals, reported from 1,095 various enclosures and of a total value of $222,493. The animals reported included 1,037 cattle, 817 being dairy cows valued at $37,323; 1,412 horses, including sixty-two colts with a total value of $149,492; 155 mules, asses and burros, 129 of them mature animals with a total valuation of $25,440; 1,217 swine of all ages worth $10,222 and five sheep and goats nominally worth $16.
Acreage and value of the principal crops in the county according to the last available census show the very remarkable total of $2,946,598. The total value of all crops of cereals was $2,267,312. The value of other grain and seeds $5,471; value of hay and forage $370,811; value of vegetables $147,681; value of fruit and nuts $52,839, and of all other crops $102,484.
The total acreage in cereals in 1910 was 184,210 acres and the total production reported was 4,255,122 bushels. By crops 142,689 acres were in corn with a production of 3,520,626 bushels; oats 23,935 acres and a total production of 499,627 bushels; wheat, 16,404 and a yield of 211,943 bushels. Only eleven acres were in barley and but 250 bushels were produced; 105 acres were in rye and the total yield was 697 bushels. One thousand forty-six acres were planted to milo and kaffir and the yield was 21,689 bushels. Of other products twenty-one acres were planted to dry peas and yielded sixty-seven bushels and 387 acres were in flax seed with a yield of 2,516 bushels.
Forty-six thousand nine hundred fifty-six acres were in hay and forage and produced 52,851 tons. Of this 41,491 acres were in tame or cultivated grasses and yielded 44,554 tons. Of this 19,653 acres were in timothy with a yield of 19,217 tons; 17,413 acres were in timothy and clover mixed and yielded 19,560 tons; 930 acres in clover alone and yielded 999 tons; 129 acres in alfalfa and yielded 267 tons; 3,000 acres in millet with a yield of 4,197 tons and 366 acres in other tame or cultivated grasses from which 305 tons of hay were harvested that year. There were 3,170 acres in wild and prairie grasses cut, yielding 3,753 tons of hay. On 1,325 acres the grain was cut green for fodder and the yield was 1,616 tons while from 970 acres in coarse forage 2,928 gross tons was cut. Comparatively little attention was paid to any special crops. The largest single acreage was in potatoes, 1,056 acres producing 90,240 bushels while seventy-six acres in sweet potatoes yielded 8,775 bushels. A total of 1,230 acres were devoted to other vegetables of various sorts while six acres cultivated to tobacco produced 3,500 pounds. In common with many other Missouri counties some attention was paid to the raising of cane for feed and for sorghum, there being 521 acres so planted in 1910, yielding 2,507 tons of cane from which was manufactured 21,279 gallons of syrup.
The county reported 136,419 fruit trees with a total production of 56,833 bushels of various sorts of fruit during the decennial year. Divided into particular sorts there were 78,853 apple trees and a reported production of 53,692 bushels. The peach crop that year was light, the 39,237 trees only bearing 1,753 bushels. Four thousand five hundred thirty-nine pear trees bore 545 bushels while 8,641 plum trees are reported as bearing only 493 bushels; 4,859 cherry trees yielded 286 bushels. Twenty-seven thousand five hundred seventy-six grape vines in the county bore 238,805 pounds of grapes.
The total cultivated acreage in small fruits was eighty-four, producing 68,258 quarts of fruit. Of this acreage sixteen were in strawberries, showing a yield of 22,844 quarts and fifty-four acres were in blackberries and dewberries with a reported production of 35,216 quarts. In the statistics of the county for the year 960 cultivated nut trees are noted and the production totaled 12,240 pounds.
During the year 1910 there was spent for hired labor on 1,378 farms reporting $166,054 in cash and to the value of $36,522 in board and lodging. Only fifty-seven farms that year reported the use of fertilizer and but $1,686 was expended for the same. There were 1,281 farms on which purchased feed was fed, $316,813 being spent for it while the farms of the whole county received a grand total of $395,521 in cash from the sale of feedable crops.
