Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/26

ARKANSAS. other occurrences of this ore, as well as of galena, are known in the northwestern part of the State. Aluminium ore in the form of bauxite occurs near Little Uock and farther west at Bryant in Salina County. Iron ores are of little importance, though they are found, at many places, in the form of limonite. Nickel is also known, but sparingly, in Salina County. The coal measures cover large areas and furnish a good quality of bituminous coal in abundance. Oil and gas have been found only in small amount. In the Cretaceous and Tertiary areas no metals have been found, but there are deposits of lignite and greensand.

Igneous rocks of great geologic interest are found at Magnet Cove and Fourche Mountain, in the eastern end of the novaculite region near Hot Springs. No Pre-Cambrian rocks are known in the State. Mineral springs are common, especially so in the Ouachita Mountains. Those at Hot Springs are famous for their medicinal qualities, and have led to the foundation there of a renowned health resort. The Ouachita Mountains have been shown to be the westerly extension of the south end of the Appalachian mountain system, and to have been formed at the same time and by the same causes that upheaved the Appalachians.

The lack of transportation facilities and of adequate geological surveys has delayed the development of the mineral resources of the State. Mining in some directions, however, is steadily growing. The output of coal (bituminous) has increased in value from $200,000 in 1886 to $1,687,000 in 1900. Granite, sandstone, limestone, and slate are quarried, and building clay is obtained. Whetstones of superior grade have been quarried since 1840. Some cement is manufactured, and small quantities of zinc ore and bauxite are exported.

Few States are so exclusively agricultural as Arkansas. It shared with the other Southern States the disasters of the Civil War, but not to so great a degree. It was new and comparatively undeveloped at that time, and it soon regained and rapidly exceeded its former importance. In 1860 the farm acreage was only a little more than one-fourth of the total area of the State; in 1900 it was 49 per cent. During the decade 1890-1900 the farm acreage increased by 1,755,000 acres. In 1860 but 20.7 per cent. of the farm land was improved, while in 1900, 41.8 per cent. of it was improved. There has been during the period mentioned a rapid increase in the number of farms and a decrease in their size. The average size in 1860 was 245.5 acres; in 1900 it was 93.1 acres. The farms in the cotton belt average a little smaller than in other parts of the State. In three counties in that section the number of farms doubled during the last census period, and in others the increase was almost as marked. The farms are there cultivated largely by negroes, who constitute about 26 per cent. of the total number of farmers (80 per cent. in two counties), but the acreage cultivated by them is only 13.8 per cent. of the total. Of the white farmers, 56.3 own their farms; of the colored farmers only 21.2 per cent.

As already mentioned, there are two agricultural sections in the State. The region north and west of a line drawn from near the northeastern corner of the State to Little Rock and thence west to the boundary is known as the upland region, containing much hilly and mountainous territory, resembling the Missouri region to the north; while the southern division, consisting largely of low ground and an alluvial soil—much of it requiring drainage and some of it subject to annual overflow—resembles the Louisiana region to the south. The cereals and temperate zone crops predominate in the northern division; while cotton and representative southern crops predominate in the other. The cotton product of the State yields nearly half of the total crop receipts, though the acreage is less than one-third of the total cultivated area. In 1900, 819,000 bales of cotton were marketed, giving the State fifth rank among the cotton-growing commonwealths. Corn, wheat, and oats are the most important of the cereals. Hay and forage crops are also of considerable value. Peas are raised in the southwest; Irish potatoes in the northwest; and sweet potatoes throughout the State. Sorghum cane is produced, but in less quantities than formerly. The northwestern part of the State has acquired an enviable reputation in the production of fruits. The number of apple trees increased from 2,114,000 in 1890 to 7,434,000 in 1900. The peach trees exceed 4,000,000. In 1900 there were 9600 acres of strawberries. A minor local industry is the cultivation of roses and other flowers for the making of perfumes and for seeds. As in most other cotton-growing States, stock-raising is on a small scale. Horses, mules, and asses are necessary to the agriculturist, and their numbers are increasing rapidly. The raising of swine is extensive and increasing; but the last census showed a decrease in the number of dairy cows, neat cattle, and sheep. There was, however, a large increase in dairy products. The figures for farm animals, and also for crops, will be found in the following table:

But little manufacturing is carried on in the State, the census of 1900 showing only 2 per cent. of the population engaged in that industry, yet the wage-earners (26,500 in 1900) have almost doubled in number during the last decade, and the capital invested has more than doubled. The value of manufactured products of the State has also doubled, rising from $22,700,000 in 1890 to $44,900,000 in 1900. The greatest increase was in the manufacture of lumber and timber products, and the vast forest resources of the State promise a bright future in this particular industry. The forest area exceeds 25,000,000 acres—an area larger than that of the State of Indiana. There are varieties both of hard and soft wood. The number of establishments manufacturing lumber and timber products increased, during the decade ending 1900, from 539 to 1199; and the wage-earners in that industry from 6563 to 15,895. Prominent among forest products are sash, doors, and blinds, cedar posts, cypress shingles, staves, and spokes.