Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-05-24

CILIFORNIA-lTS SLOW PROGRESS
The New York Times prints some in
teresting statistics in regard to the min
ing, manufacturing and agricultural
interests of California. The career of
this far Western State, as shown by
these figures, is remarkable instance
of how inferior, as a basis of prosperity,
is the mining interest, compared with
the agricultural or manufacturing.
Owing to the attraction of the mines the
growth of the State in population has
been remarkable. In 1850 it contained
81 ,G35 inhabitants ; in 1860, 323, Ut; in
1870, 400, 424, or an increase in the last
decade of over tifty-four per cent. In
1S49, the actual yield of gold in Califor-
mia was $4,000 900; in 1850, s35, O0O,-
600; in 1851, $4,000, 900; in 1858,
$57, 100000. The official reports of the
past year have not been published, but
it is believed that the yield will not be
more than $50, 900, 900. In the value of
her industrial products, including those
of the mines, California is the only State
in the Union which has made no pro-
gress in the last decade. She has en-
gagged in manufactures and mechanical
and mining industries, about the same
number of persons as those thus en-
ploycd in Connecticut-or 81 ,50S, against
S6,3 ,344 in the latter State. Yet the value
of the produce of Connecticut is more
than double that of California, or
$l61 ,065, ,474, against $66, 594, 566 (gold),
and while the increase in Connecticut
during the last decade has been 100 per
cent. in value, that of California has
been nil. The contrast between Cali
fornia and any of the wealthy Western
States is even more striking. Thus
Missouri has rather fewer persons, or
1850, engaged in industrial pursuits,
but the value of her manufactured pro-
ducts in 1870 was three times that of
the Pacific State, or $206, 2l3, 429, and
her increase during the last decade was
400 per cent.
There is, however, in this State n
most healthy progress i'll agriculture.
We have not the recent official statistics,
but an apparently trustworthy writer in
the OUcriand Monthty estimates the
total value of the agricultural products
of that State for 1872 at $s75, 900, 900, Of
which the exports will probably exceed
100000 The wheat crop alone
reaches about $25, 100000, being an ex-
cess of $5,OOO,OOO over the gold yield.
This valuable agricultural yield has been
produced by the labor of about $4,000
persons, including women and children.
This small agricultural population, how
ever, is the most striking proof of how
little the attention of the State has been
turned to agriculture, compared with
the Western States. The farming pop
ulation of California only numbers
about one-tifth of those over ten years
of age engaged in all classes of occupa-
ton, while in Missouri, Indiana, Illinois,
dHl uloop VI tllC Ntooelh houdtco, pIitJ
usually number about one-half. The
total area of land in the State devoted
to agriculture has increased remarkably
since 1860, it having been then 937, 1873
acres, while now it has reached the large
extent of 1868, lS3 acres.
1t is evident that at the present time
the mining is not nearly so profitable us
farming. While the small agricultural
population produce $75, 100000 annu-
ally, nearly double their number en-
gagged in manufactures and mining only
produce $66, 600, 900, and Il recent min
ing-stock report states that "the divi-
dends on all the miuing stocks deemed
of sufficient Importance to be quoted on
the Stock Board of San Francisco only
exceeded the assessments of 1872 by one
and half million of dollars" By far
too many people in the Pacific State are
employed in unproductive occupations.
Thus, with a poulation over ten years of
age of about the same number with that
of Connecticut, there are double the
number engaged in professional or
personal services" or 76,112 against
3S, 7O4 in the latter State while about
5000 more are engaged in trade and
transportation than in Connecticut.