The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1888-09-27
THE NATIONS GROWTH.
What the United States VIII
Become In the Near Future.
Figures Which Testify to the
Country's Greatness.

An interesting article in the New York
Times contains some startling facts and fig
ures concerning the future growth Of the
United States. The foundation for any
estimates of our future growth, says the
writer, must lie in the history OF its past
Beginning, therefore, at the dawn of the
present active generation, say 35 years ago,
we find that our territory included 81
States, Territories, and the District
OF Columbia; that its extent was
as IL remains today, exclusive of
Alaska, 3,0E,Sj2 square miles, and tha at 1t
contained population of less than 25,OO0,-
OOO The centre of population was near Park
ersburg, w. Va The vast territory west
of the Mississippi River, embracing O States
and 4 Territories, 2 l3j. 40 square miles of
land, or over seveh-tenths Of the entire ma.
tional domain, contained at this Tins only
1,gn, ,4OI people, and of these there were only
v2,23S living in the limits OF the four Terri
tories. Several peculiar fallacies respecting
this region gained such general acceptance
that they were recorded upon the maps
and in the biographies published in this
early period. The fertile region between the
River Platte and the Red River was des.
cribed as the "Great American DESERT in
one case ami as an "Alkali Desert in another.
Even as late as 1866, in Lipp ncotts Com.
prehensive Geography it is said that,
Along the eastern foot of the Rocky Noun
tains these plains are almost deserts. Much
OF this region is suited to pastoral people,
ms are the high pains of Asia The greater
part OF Northern Texas is described as an
arid, staked plain.n and the southern part
Is called a SANDY desert"
Now there exist in the trans Mississippi re.
gion IL States and y Territories having n
population in lSS0 OF II, ,2j9, 800 According
TO the census of 1850 the true value of the
real AMI personal property west Of the
Mississippi was in the States 500 TOi, ,i1a
and in the Territories sll,.2i,05S. In 1850
this had increased to S6.ll9,oO)O0), or by
100 per cent, in the six Sta,es, anl to
S2,9Ji, 100000 or by 2720 por cent, in
the States and Territories included in
the limit of the four original Territories. In
tho same period of 20 years the true value of
real and personal property in the entire
country had increased from 81, l35, iSU,.2i to
Si3,Oi!,OOJ,UOO, or something over 600 per
cent. During this period of 30 years since
1873 the Territories OF Minnesota, in 1851, and
Oregon in ls5l, were admitted into the Union:
the new Territories OF Kansas 1851; Nevada.
1851 Nebraska, 1854, and Colorndo,
1861, were organized and subsequently nd.
mitted into the sisterhood Of States, and tho
present Territories of Washington, 1888 Da.
kota, 1861, Arizona and Idaho 1865, Montana.
1861, and Wyoming, 1863, were organized
The State of Kansas, that was not oven
organized as Territory until 1851, was
OF 500 900, ,0J0-a sum eNcee ling by nearly
SlsD.OOO,OOO the aggregate valuation of all
the States and Territories west of the Missis.
sippi in 1850.
In the direction of agricultural develop
ment the progress Of the Nation has been no
less striking. The corn crop of lsi9 was
512,0il, lO4 bushels, and in 1879 IL was
1,15i, ,59l ,6i6 bushels: the acreage had in
creased from 25.00O,0J0 to 6!,0OO 900. The
wheat crop in 1919 was 1O0, ,is5.9ii bushels,
produced on less than l0,0JO,0 o acres; in
1879 the crop was 4jy, Is3. 1877 lushe =. and the
acres 80, i30.33 In lSi9 there were u, i97, s0G
bushels of potatoes produced Oil 500, 00J acres
OF ground. and in 1879 the crop from 500,
900 acres was l60, 0,45S $50 bushels
But perhaps as just a criterion by which tc
| judge of the development Of the country MS
can be taken is the statistics regarding the
building % railroads AT the end of 1852
there were in operation l2,90S miles OF rail.
road In lSG! there were 80 l20 miles in 1879
there were 65. II, and in 1852 there w.re III,
$50. According to the Annual St,tstician
the number o miles in operation ut tho close
OF 1855 was l3i2iS miles
| The population by decades since 1850 was
rs follows: