The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-01

lcal survey, because of the discovery of
extensive beds Of phosphate rock; and, also,
lhaL sugar farms may be successfully estab-
hsned upon lands reclaimed by drainage.
Ine surveyor-general says:
it can hardly be doubted that the discovery
CT these deposits in Florida. exceeding in ex.
tent and thickness all such beds previously
SHOWN IN the world, is an event destined to
proaace great increase OF value not only in the
also
This remarkable discovery of unsusnacta5
wealth within few feet of the surface III scores
OF towas lbs has caused large numbers of men
70 explore the country geologically with spades
anu oor,ng apparatus. By snch means other
useful substances are said to have been foun5
such as mari. kaolin. fossil suano. slate rock
hica-schlst. mica. zinc ore, and sulphur and
specimens thereof have been submitted to the
tests OF the state chemist: showing hat Flori-
da ought long ago to have received the benefit
oil a thorough geological survey.
AS to sugar farming, he SAYS:
a very recent important agricultural develop
ment IN this STATE is the establishment Of sugar
farms upon lands reclaimed by drainage. These
sugar lands previously were vast watery areas
Oh saw grass growing upon deposits OF pure
muck OF nn6nown depth. OF the quality OF this
material an eminent official chemist wrote Of a
sample that 1t seems to equal tho best pottiDg
mold. ana partakes more of TIE character OF a
manure manure then ct a SOIL When drained and eul-
Sat Saae stalks per acre OF quality equal TO the
best raised III Cuba.
FORESTS.
The commissioner states that from an
examination Of tho annual reports of his
office for the past eight years. be finds that
the most valuable timber on the public
lands is being rapidly exhausted. ana that
the several laws now in force are wholly
inadequate to prevent the public forests
from illegal appropriation, OF to protect
the interests of the settlers who may need
TO use them in the development Of the
country.
INDIAN RESERVATIONS.
There are not moro than 100000 Indians
within the borders of the United States,
excluding Alaska. The greater part of
these reside upon or have some interest in
the existing reservations, the Others living
upon portion Of the public domain. The
aggregate area Of the Indian reservations
was, at the last report, about l16 600. 900
acres. or lSl ,250 square miles, which is, AS
calculated by the Iudial commissioner,
greater than that Of the New England and
nnddie states combined. greater than the
aggregate area Of the states of Ohio, In
diana, Illinois and Kentucky, and nearly
equal to the combined area of the two Da-
kotas and Montana; or, to carry the COM
parlson further, 1t is larger by half than the
United Kingdom OF Great Britain and Ire
land, larger than Sweden or Norway, and
nearly as large as either France or SPAN"
PATEETs.
The total number Of applications received.
including reissues, trade marks, designs,
etc.. was AZ, l40; the number of patents
granted was rs, S57; trade marks and labels
registered, 1876; patents expired, j, ,SS5:
the total receipts were 81, ,347, ,203 81: the
total expenditures were 81 ,08I, ,173 So, Ieav-
ing surplus of 1885, 029 65 to be turned
into the treasury of the United States to the
credit OF the patent fund, and making Il
total balance in the treasury on account of
the patent fund Of SO, ~. $50 2S.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF THE UNITED STATES.
The division of statistics shows that there
are enrolled in the public schools of the
United States 12, 291. $50 pupils Or 19. z per
cent. OF the total population. The increase
during one year has beeu 220,9O3, or at the
rate OF LIS per cent. per annum.
This, however, has not equaled the rate Of
growth OF the school population, which has
been Z. IL per cent. per annum. The public
school revenues amounted to Sl32, 12l 200 OF
this sum 50, ,743. .994, or IA per cent OF the
whole, formed the income on permanent
invested funds; $25, ,370, 390 or 1872 per
cent of the whole, were derived from
STATE taxes; ana SSS, SO, $50, or 668 per
cent of the whole, from local taxes;
1869, 43l, or 6 per cent. of the whole,
were derived from sources not included in
the foregoing.
The number of different public school
teachers is as follows: Males, 124, 920
females, 227,302; total, 352, ,23l
NUMBER OF PENSIONERS.
At the close of the fiscal year 1890 there
were 537 ,9H pensioners Lorne upon the
rolls. la-