The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-04


has more than doubled since 1870. The
rural population, however, forms nine
tenths of the total, agriculture being the
chief occupation Of the people. The mum
bcr of acres under cultivation has moro tina
doubled since 1850, and there is now q
farming area Of Ave and q half acres per In
habitant, as against two and q half In
tho Middle States. Still, the Southern
States, considered as a whole, do not raise
enough grain for their requirements; all
but two, Kentucky and Tennessee, subsise
during four months of the year on grain
brought from the prairie States. There is,
on the other hand, a large meat surplus OF
500, 900 tons. The number OF mich cows
Is just sufficient for the population Oh
5000, 900, but there Ia a deficiency OF
poultry, the production Of eggs allow
Ing only ia to each ~inhabitnnt, where-
as the average consumption In the
United States is 100 per inhabitant. Be-
sides raising three-fourths OF the tobacco
grown in the Union, the Southern States,
1t is we'll known, have some crops peculiar
to themselves, such rs cotton, rice and
sugar. The amount Of sugar, however, in
1894, was no larger than that produced In
| 1850, namely, 10000 tons, and the rice
crop was smaller by $4,000. TIL crop OF
| tobacco, on the other hand, has risen from
85, 900 to $780, 900 tons, and that OF cot
ton from 2,47O,OO0 to 9,4sO,000 bales.
The average wealth per inhabitant In
much higher in Texas and Florida than In
the other Southern States, owing to the
fact that they are the only Southern COM
monwealths wherein the foreign popula-
| tion is considerable. The average wealth,
per head, in the other eleven States Is only
$47O, or half that possessed by the inhabi-
tants Of Texas and Florida. The annual
increase Of wealth in Texas during the
last forty years was nearly $50 per
head, and in Florida 1t exceeded $40.
II these two commonwealth were ex-
cludcd, the average accumulation In the
Southern States would be less than $11
yearly, whereas the average for the whole
Union is more than $35. How little re-
course Is made to insurance In the South
will be manifest when we say that the
amount of insured property Is but 1913 pei
inhabitant, against $685. in New England
Real estate in the South is mortgaged
only to the extent of 8 per cent. Of its value
Taxation is low, the aggregate of State and
local taxes in 1890 representing only $50
per inhabitant, against 1910 in the Middle
States. This circumstance is explained by
Mr.. MULHALL partly on the ground that thu
population Is nine-tenths rural, but he also
points out that the expenditure on schools
(S4 cents per inhabitant) Is only one-thirt
of what 1t ought to he. Even among thu
whites in the Southern States, the ratio
of illiteracy is ten times as high as l
is among the native population OF New
England; of the colored inhabitants 61.!
per cent. are illiterate. In this direction
nevertheless, there has been some progress
the number of children attending school II
1898 having risen to IA per cent. OF tn
population, as against 10 per cent. II
1850. What the Southern States need 70
the development of their natural resource
is more railways. At present they hav
but fifty-three miles of track to 100
square miles Of area, whereas the proper
tion in the prairie States is 1Os miles. w
observe, finally. that, although the South
ern Staten possess five Of the eleven set
ports of the Union which have commercia
relations of note with foreign countries
their aggregate trade is little more tina
that of Boston. The trade of the Soutl
/ indeed, with foreign countries has onl
, doubled in forty years, while hat OF tn
| Middle States has quadrupled.