Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-08-13

I'm 1870 Maryland was the sixth
State in the Union in population. In
1900, although its inhabitants were 81
times as numerous, it had dropped to
the twenty sixth in rank, owing to the
rapid growth of the newer States in the
Mississippi Valley In 1900 the average
density of population was 100 persons
to the square mile. 1t has five cities
which exceed 5000 inhabitants, of
which Baltimore has over half million
The other four are as follows Cumbe
land, l7,12S; Hagerstown. 1851;
Frederick. 1896. and Annapolis. the
capital. S.525. These five cities contain
1919 per cent. of the population of the
entire State. In cities of more than
$500 inhabitants live 4S.S per cent. of
nearly one-half, of the population of the
State. while the remainder-5l.2 per
cent.-may be regarded as rural. In
1900 the population was divided al
most equally between the two sexes,
40 6 per cent. being males and 50.4 per
cent. being females.
NEGROES DIMINISHING.
1.-The negro population. though large
for a border State, is diminishing in
proportion to the whites. In 1900 the
whites formed S0.2 per cent. and the
negroes 1913 per cent. or nearly one
fifth of the population. The number of
foreign born inhabitants was also small,
the persons of native birth forming
92.l per cent, while those horn in
foreign countries were 30 per cent.
Immigration from other States has not
been large, since it is found that of The
native population IL per cent. were
born i'm other States.
For State cotaining so large a pro-
portion of negroes the illiteracy is slight.
In 1900 persons of 10 years of age and
upward who were unable to read and
write constituted Ill per cent. of the
population. The illiterates comprised
only IL per cent. of the native whites
over 10 years old, 1874 per cent of the
foreign born and $751; per cent. of the
negroes.
DIVISION OF WAGE FARMERS.
"Of persons 10 years old ard upward
practically one-half. or exactly 40 s per
cent, were engaged in gainful occupa-
tiOns. OF males, 20 per cent were
wage-earners; of females, 81 per cent
The following table shows the proper
ton of the wage-earners employed in
each of the five general classes of
occupations:
Agriculture ------.-- 2Ds per cent
Professions. ---- ------- ~ per cent
Domestic and postal service Nj per cent
Trade and transportation 1873 per cent
Manufacturing and mining $40 per cent
AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS.
agriculture is one of the leading
occupations. In 1900 the State contain.
ed 46.02l farms. of which seven eighths
were occupied by white farmers and
one eighth by negro farmers Two
thirds of the farms were owned by their
occupants and one-third were rented,
either for money rental or on shares of
the products. The farms had a total
area of 5.17O.O75 acres. The cultivated
area amounted to 3.5l6,352 acres, or
more than two-thirds of the farm area
and 55.7 per cent. of the total area of
the State The average size of the
farms was ll2.4 acres, being consider
ably less than the average for the
United States. The total value of all
the farms was $204. 645. 4O7. which was
made up of the following items
Land $500 2Os67. $50 Average value
Bnldings 5i,sio.7GO per farm s4i4s
implements Average value
machinery s,6ll 30 Of products
Live Stock 2.slis77 per farm 49,