Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 73.djvu/280

276 From these figures it appears that nearly 80 per cent, of the annual product is coming from the western hemisphere, and if we add to this the output of Australasia, the proportion coming from what may he regarded as the newer parts of the world, so far as the question of its civilization is concerned, rises to 85 per cent. Finally, by including the European product, it will appear that Asia, where the metal is most in demand, and where it still retains all of its old debt-paying quality, produces less than 3 per cent, of the total world's crop. Hence there is still a large field for silver in the orient, and its exploitation and development is undoubtedly the next great task of the Caucasian. And in this view the silver miner may take some comfort.