The Grange advance., 1874-05-20
Pictures From the Census.

Pictures From the Census.
The following facts are from lecture
Of Prof. Walker, Superintendent of the
Ninth Census. 1t is almost universally
the case in the United States that the
densest population is found on the least
populated lands. The greatest fall of
rain in the United States is in the COT
tou and sugar regions of Mississippi and
| Louisiana 1t amounts in these regions
to from sixty to sixty-tour inches per
annun. Without this, the culture Of
cotton and sugar would be impossible.
In Dakota the least rain falls-on]y
about twelve inches annually. This is
because the wind from the Pacific
Ocean is robbed of all it's moisture by
the cold and lofty peaks Of the Rocky
Mountains. This is what causes the
aridity Of the Great American Desert.
The river systems Of the United States
were divided by Prof: Walker into the
Atlantic, Great Northern Lake, Pacific
and Mississippi systems. The Atlantic
system contains 297 900 square miles,
witha population Of 100000. Of
this population, 100000 are tounu
north Of the line drawn through Balti-
more. The Lake system contains $780,
900 square miles and a population of
4: 100000. The Mississippi system
contains $1,000 square miles and 49,,
600, 900 population. The Pacific sys-
tenn comprises 898, 900 square miles and
839, 900 souls-less than one person to
the square mile The population of the
Ohio basin is Z, 100000, and of the upper
Mississippi basin-north Of Alton and
Cairo, ILL.,, 100000.
The densest population in the coun-
try is in the eastern part Of Massachu-
setts, the southwestern corner Of Con.
necticut, and the region about New
York City and Philadelphia. There
are comparatively vacant spots in the
eastern part Of the country, in the
Adirondac region, in the northern part
Of Pennsylvania, a little west Of the
center, and in the mountains Of West
Virginia. If the whole were conceived
to be a fiat surface, on which the popu-
lation was to be distributed as at pres
ent, the point on which it would
balance is forty y-eight miles north by
east of Cincinnati. This point is called
the center Of population, and was in
1910, twenty-five miles south Of Clarks-
burg, West Virginia; in 1850 it was
twenty-five miles southeast Of Parkers-
burg, West Virginia; in 1860, twenty
two miles south Of Chillicothe, Ohio,
and in 1870, forty-cight miles north by
cast Of Cincinnati. It is noticeable
that it has moved almost none at all to
the north or south, but steadily to the
west: All the emigration to the west
has only produced few spots Of dense
population west of the Missouri. One
is in the central part Of California, one
about Salt Lake and extending in a
narrow str rip south, and another in Ari-
zona. The principal Indian reserva-
tions are the so-called Indian Territory,
which contains 10000 Indians, of whom
two-t thirds are civilized and have schools
colleges, courts and judges the Sioux
reservation in Dakota, west Of the
Missouri; the Black Feet reservation
on our northern frontier; and the
famous Ute country in Colorado. The
effects OF fashion, luxury, etc., on the
increase Of population, is shown from
the fact that the greatest number Of
births per 100 inhabitants occur on
our Western frontier, where man can
stretch out his hands in all directions
and touch no one Also in Kentucky
and Tennessee and all portions Of our
country where manners are most prim-
tive, the birth-rate is very large. It
is least on the Atlantic coast, and it is
noticeable chat the largest birth-rate is
always found where the population is
sparseest.