The Missouri river, flowing across the state from w. to e., divides it into two parts, the largest of which lies s. of that stream. This portion of the state presents a consider able variety of surface. Extensive bottom-lands lie along the Mississippi from cape Girar deau to the Arkansas river. In these lands are many lakes and lagoons, with islands never submerged by the highest floods. In them also are many almost impenetrable swamps, filled with heavy growth of cypress. The most notable of these is the Great swamp, extending from a point near cape Girardeau s. 100 in. ; and then reaching far into Arkansas. These bottom-lands, if reclaimed and protected from overflow, would, no doubt, be highly productive. From a point a little below cape Girardeau, northward to the mouth of the Missouri, the Mississippi is bordered by highlands, which, between St. Genevieve and the Maramec, take the shape of solid limestone bluffs, rising from 250 to 360 ft. above the river. From these highlands westward across the whole state, the land is high and broken, but growing less precipitous as the Osage river is approached. In the s.w. part of the state are the Ozark mountains, or hills, lying not in continuous ranges, but in isolated knobs and peaks, rising occasionally from 500 to 1000 ft., and presenting occasionally perpendicular cliffs of sandstone. The river valleys are moder ately fertile, but subject to overflow, while the soil upon the hills is shallow. This part of the state is but sparsely populated. The region n. of the Missouri, and bounded on the w. by the same stream. is generally level .or undulating. except, atpoints where it is f intersected by the smaller with their outlying hills. The bottom lands on the Mis mil and the Mississippi are exceedingly fertile. Woodlands girt the streams, while the uplands are prairies, destitute of timber, but possessing a very productive The principal rivers of the state are the Mississippi and the Missouri; the former washing the entire e. boundary from n. to s:, and presenting a shore line of 470 In. ; the latter forming the w. boundary for nearly 200 in. from the Iowa line to Kansas City, at which point it turns eastward, flowing across the state in a tortuoas course for more than 250 m. to the Mississippi. These great streams are navigable at all times, except when obstructed by ice. The Osage, one of the s. affluents of the Missouri, is navigable for small steamboats half the year. The St. Francis, White, Black, Current, Gasconade, Grand, and Chariton are navigable for small boats at high water, usually in early sum mer. Among the principal streams of the class not navigable are the Fabius, Salt, South Grand, Nodaway, Platte, Spring, Sac, Niangua, Cuivre, Piney, Maramec, and Castor rivers.
The mineral productions of Missouri are various and rich. Gold is found in the drift sands of the n., and silver in combination with lead in the galena and other ores. Iron in some form is found in every county, and in some places the supply is inexhaustible and of the richest quality. There are extensive bog ores in the s.e. part of the state, and the specular oxide is found in vast masses in the Iron mountain, Shepherd mountain, Simon mountain, Pilot Knob, and other places. Lead exists in immense quantities in two great fields, one in the s.c., the other in the s.w. part of the state. The lead production of Missouri is larger than that of all the other states of the union. Copper is also found in abundance in many places, and was formerly mined to a considerable extent, but since the discoveries of this metal on lake Superior these mines have been neglected. Nickel and cobalt arc found at mine La Motte and the St. Joseph mines, and zinc is abundant in s.e. and s.w. Missouri. Carbonate of lime, gypsum, mica, hornblende, asbestus, bitu men, fire-clays, glass-sand, hydraulic lime and cement, polishing-stone, saltpeter, build ing-stone, granite, sandstone, marbles, etc., are abundant. The coal fields embrace about ore-third of the whole area of the state. The coal is various in kind and quality, from common bituminous to the best cannel. Much of it is adapted to smelting purposes, and to the use of locomotives and stationary engines. There are in the state a great number
of mineral springs, sulphurous, chalybeate, and saline. The salt springs of Howard county contain from 800 to 1200 grains of salt to the gallon.
The forests of Missouri are so extensive that wild animals are numerous. Among them are bears, panthers, wild-cats, wolves, foxes, raccoons, and opossums. Deer, rab bits, hares, and squirrels are abundant. Wild-turkeys, pigeons, quails, and prairie hens are in great numbers; song-birds and birds of gay plumage are numerous, and eagles, vultures, hawks, etc., prey upon the smaller birds. In the swampy regions on the Mis sissippi, wild-geese, ducks, herons, swans, etc., abound. Snakes, lizards, toads, frogs, and turtles are also numerous.
The climate of the state, with the exception of the river bottoms and swampy regions of the s.e., is generally healthful, though subject to great extremes of temperature. The summers are long, with a mean temperature of about 76°, the mercury sometimes mark ing 95°. The winters arc cold and raw, with piercing winds, and a mean temperature of about sinking at times to 12°.
The soils of the state present a great variety. The alluvial deposits on the Missis sippi and the Missouri are very rich and productive. The swamps, when drained, yield enormous crops. The prairies of the n.w. are very fertile, having lost little of their pro ductive qualities after 30 years of culture. The mixed prairie and rolling lands n. of the Missouri, on the e. side, produce wheat and tobacco of the best quality. They are also good for fruits. The lands in the s.w. part of the state are good for grapes, peaches, pears, and apples, and for most of the cereals. The least productive soil in the state is in the region between s.w. Missouri and the swampy lands on the Mississippi. This region is traversed by the Ozark mountains, and much of it lies at an elevation of from 1200 to 1500 ft. above the sea. Some of the valleys are rich, but the hills are only moderately productive. Near the Arkansas line is a narrow belt of fair cotton land. Only about one-third of the area of the state is cultivated, and much of the uncultivated portion is heavily timbered. The trees most common are the cottonwood, hickory, ...lack walnut, oak of many varieties, ash, walnut, sugar-maple, hackberry, elm, sassafras, dogwood, cedar, cypress, poplar, sweet gum, etc., and, near the Arkansas border, pine.
In 1870 there were in Missouri 21,707,220 acres of land in farms, of which 9,130,615 acres were improved and 12,576,605 unimproved. The estimated value of farms was $392.908,047; of farming implements and machinery, $15,596,426; value of farm pro ductions, $103,035,759; of orchard products, $2,617,463; of market-gardens, $406,655; wages paid, $8,797,487; forest products. $793,343: value of home manufactures, $1;737,606; of animals slaughtered or sold for slaughter, $23,626,784; value of all live stock, $84,285.273; number of horses, 493,969; mules and asses, 111,502; milch cows, 398,515; working oxen, 65.825: other cattle, 689,355; sheep, 1,352,001; swine. 2,306,480. The wheat crop was 14,315,920 bushels; rye, 559,532 bushels; corn, 66,034,075 bushels; oats, 16,578,313 bushels; barley. 269,240 bushels; buckwheat, 36.252 bushels; tobacco, 12,320,483 lbs.; cotton, 1,246 bales; wool, 3,649,390 lbs.; peas and beans, 43,986 bushels; Irish potatoes, 4,238,351 sweet-potatoes; 241,253 bushels; hay sold, 615,611 tons; milk sold, 857,704 gallons; clover seed, 2,494 bushels; hops, 19,297 lbs. ; hemp, 2,816 tons; flax, 16,613 lbs.; flax seed, 10,391 bushels; wine, 326,173 gallons; butter, 14,435,825 lbs. ; cheese, 204,090 lbs. ; maple sugar, 116,980 lbs. ; maple molasses, 16,347 gallons; sor ghum molasses, 1,730,171 gallons; beeswax,. 33„248 lbs.; honey, 1,156,444 lbs. In 1878 the live-stock statistics were: Mules, 191,900, valued at $8,324,622; oxen and other cat tle, 1,632,400, valued at $24,382,080; swine, 2,817,000, valued at $6,226,890; horses, 627,300, valued at $25,022,997; cows, 516,200, valued at $9,188,360; sheep, 1,290,400, valued at $2,031,276; total value of live stock, $75,208,231.