The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-10
THE NATIONS GROWTH.
What the United States Will
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 tg-
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 IS years ago,
we find that our territory included 81
States, Territories, and the District
of Columbia; that its extent was
as it remains to-day, exclusive OF
Alaska, 3,O12,s52 square miles, and tina it
contained population Of less than p, Ooo,
900. The centre of population was near Park
ershurg, w. Va The vast territory west
of the Mississippi River, embracing States
and Territories 2,135, $40 square miles OF
land, or over seven-tenths OF the entire ma
tional domain, contained at this time only
1893, ,404 people, and of these there were only
92,29S living in the limits OF the tour Ierri-
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 and as an "Alkali Desert in another.
Even as late as 1866, in Lppincott's Com
prehensive Geography" it is said that
tains these plains are almost deserts. Much
of this region is suited to pastoral people,
as are the high plains of Asia" The greater
part of Northern Texas is described as an
1'arid, staked plain" and the southern part
Is called SANDY desert"
Now there exist in the trans NJ Mississippl re-
gion 12 States and Territories having a
population in 1880 of II, ,259, 500. According
to the census Of 1850 the true value of the
real and personal property west OF the
Mississippi was in the States S509, 704, il9
and in the Territories Sll,224. OPS In lSSO
this had increased to ST, ,ll9, ,OOO, or by
1900 per cent, in the six States, and to
$2,994, 100000, or by 272o per cent; IN
the States and Territories included in
the limit of the four original Territories. In
the same period of 30 years the true value OF
real and personal property in the entire
country had increased from 81, l35, 7SO, 225 to
S,642, ,0O0,0O0, or something over 6OO per
cent. During this period of IS years since
1858 the Territories of Minnesota, in 1851, and
Oregon, in 1859, were admitted into the Union:
the new Territories of Kansas 1854; Nevada,
1851. Nebraska, 1854, and Colorado,
1861, were organized and subsequently, ad-
mitted into the sisterhood Of States, and the
present Territories of Washington, 1859. Da-
kota, 1861, Arizona and Idaho, 1868, Montana,
1864, and Wyoming, 1868, were organized
The State of Kansas that was not even
organized as Territory until 1854, was
credited in 1880 with a property valuation
of S76O, coo, ,000-a sum exceeding by nearly
S1SO,OO0, 900 the aggregate valuation OF all
the States and Territories west of the Mlssls-
sippi in 1850.
In the direction of agricultural develop
ment the progress Of the Nation has been no
less striking. The corn crop Of lS49 was
592, OIL, ,lO4 bushels, and in 1870 it was
1,754,59l, ,676 bushels; the acreage had in
creased from $4,000, 600 to $1,000, ,0o0 The
wheat crop in 1S49 was 100, 49,, ,944 bushels,
produced on less than 10, 600, 900 acres; in
1870 the crop was 459, 4S3, 137 bushels, and the
acres IS, 1888 In 1S49 there were 65, 797, ,S96
bushels Of potatoes produced on 500, ,00o acres
of ground, and in 1879 the crop from 1,SOO,-
COO acres was 1859, ass, $50 bushels.
But perhaps as just criterion by which to
Judge Of the development Of the country as
can be taken is the statistics regarding the
building Of railroads. At the end of 1852
there were in operation 12, 9OS miles of rail
road, in 1862 there were 81, 120 miles, in 1879
there were &C. III, and in 1892 there were l H.
$50. According to the Annual Statistician
the number Of miles in operation at the close
OF 1886 was 1876, 24S miles.
The population by decades since 1850 was
as follows: