Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 10.djvu/832

IOWA. industry is rapidly developing, the total number of trees for all fruits having more than doubled during the decade 1890-1900. Over 71 per cent. of the total are apple-trees. Grapes and small fruits are successfully grown.

. Stock-raising is naturally associated with the raising of corn, oats, and forage crops. Compared with other States, stock-raising holds a still higher rank than the raising of crops. Texas alone rivals Iowa in the value of live stock, and is the only State which exceeds it in the number of cattle. Iowa is far in advance of all others in the number of swine, and leads also in the number of horses. A very low rank, however, is taken in the number of mules and sheep. The number of neat cattle, horses, and swine has increased for every decade between 1850 and 1900. The decrease in the number of dairy cows, as shown by the census for the decade 1890-1900, is probably due to the change in the method of making the count, and is therefore more apparent than real. Much attention is given to the improvement of the breed of stock, and the effect of this is shown in the high average of the per head value. The number of dairy cows being exceeded only in New York, the value of the dairy product is naturally great. $18,819,000 being realized from the sales of these products for the year

1899, of which amount $12,275,000 represented the receipts from milk. The value of poultry and eggs was even greater, being $19,508,000. The following tables show the number of acres devoted to the leading crops and the number of domestic animals for the census years 1890 and 1900:

. Iowa's prosperity is based upon agriculture and not manufacturing. Notwithstanding the excellence of the transportation facilities and the abundant coal-supply, the State depends upon the East in a large measure for its manufactured supplies, and a large portion of the farm products of the State are shipped to outside points to be manufactured. In the decade 1880-90 the number of wage-earners engaged in manufacturing increased 79.9 per cent., while in the following decade the increase was 14.7 per cent. The wage-earners in 1900 numbered 58,500, or 2.6 per cent. of the population. The total value of products, including custom work and repairing, was $164,617,800. Of this, $22,236,700 represented the products of hand trades. The remainder represents manufactures proper, which include a great variety of industries.

The table above covers the eleven leading industries for the census years 1890 and 1900. It will be seen that considerably over half of the total product of these industries is