The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-07-16
WE ARE THE PEOPLE.
AGRICULTURE is STILL OUR LEAD
ING INDUSTRY.

In Tch Years Farms Havo Increased Thirty
Per Cont In Vaiue-A Fourth OF tho
Worlds Coal md Third of It's Iron
Arc From Our Mines
America is the product of all nations.
Hero we SEQ mingled all the ruces, all
the civilizations all tho religions and
all tho virtues and vices of all aves and
all countries.
In one grammar school in New York
20 nations are represented. Doubtless
other schools i'll the western cities can
make similar showing. In the south
tho foreign elomcnt is notably absent,
falling short of per cent of the popu-
Iatlon OF Georgia and hardly exceeding
| per cont i'll North Carolina. Tho north
and west have Europe and Asia colo
nlZed within their borders. while we of
tho south have our little Africa.
Let us see what this composite nation
is doing, after celebrating the one hun
drod and nineteenth anniversary of its
independence. If we limit our nvcsti-
CATION to our material progress, the sta
tistics of tho last census will he very
gratifying. Agriculture is our leading
industry in the number of persons Gun
ployed and supported by it, but tho val
NC OF it's product it less than that of our
factories, the latter exceeding 81. 900
600, 900 i'll 1895, while that of agricul.
ture was only 81, AGO, 900, 600 But our
TURNS have increased in vnlue 80 per
cont in the ten years ending with 1890.
We produce tobacco in I2 states and
1N,,k L.. III
comes from Kentucky, Virginia, Ohio.
North Carolina, Tennessee, Ponnsylva-
MIA and Connecticut
Our wheat crop i'll 1891 was 6I2, OOO,-
600 bushels, and tho same year we pro-
duccVl 1850, 900, 600 bushels of corn.
In 1892 our cotton crop reached
9,03S, 707 bales. Our hay i'll 1885 was
AZ, 600, 600 tons. valued at sos, 600. 900.
In 1892 our farm animals were as
sessed Mt 81, 46l 900, 600.
In l western states aud territories
the rainfall is insufficient, and irrigation
is all that makes farming profitable.
Our mineral product for 1891 was
s6GS, 524, 587 in value We produce a
fourth of the world coal and third of
its iron. We furnish ne-,hird of the
worlds cteel, two-iifths of tho worlds
copper, % per cent OF its gold and the
greatest part of its petroleum
In 1850 the capital employed in
manufactures was $533, 900, 900; the
hands, 057 900; tho wages, S297, 600,
900; the material, $3.50, 900, 900; tho
gross product, Sl,0l9, 900, oO9; the ne;
product, S+d4 900. 900. In 1890 tho fig
ures stood as follows Capital, $G,lSO,-
900, 900, or nearly twolvcfold that of
1890; hands employed, 1866, 900, or
nearly fivefold. in spite Of the introduc-
ton OF labor saving machinery; wages,
$1,000, 600, 600, or nearly ninefold. thus
making the average wages far higher;
gross product, 80. 400. 900. 900, or over
nincfold; material, 81, 900, 600, 600. or
ninefold; net product, fl 400 900 600,
or nourly tcnfold
The average yearly wages Of employ
ecs III 1850 was Sa47; in 1890, s429.
In 1880 the employees got 3 per cent
of the profit and capital 80 per cent. In
1890 these proportions had become AZ
and 90 por cent respectively.
New York city alone produced $3.50,
600, 900 of manufactured products in
1890 and Chicago 5000, 600, 600 worth.
OF steel we now produce one fourth
moro than Great Britain and ~ per
cent more iron.
In 1880 we had 904 cotton factories
with 1884 900. 900 capital, employing
cal ,5S5 hands, with All increased pro-
duct Of 40 per cent over that OF 1880.
lndustrially our composite milton is
doing very we'll Politically, socially,
religiously, morally aud cducationally
wo fall far short of an ideal republic,
but measured by tho worlds standard
VIC are steadily advancing Altogether
the mixture Of races called the Amcri-
can people may be said to be in the van
of progress. Atlanta Constitution