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MISSOURI.

The number of horses and mules has increased in every decade since 1850. The number of dairy cows had gained steadily until 1890, but decreased in the following decade. The number of other cattle was greater in 1900 than in any other census year. Missouri is one (if the largest swine-raising States, but the number of swine fell off somewhat between 1890 and 1900. The number of sheep has decreased over one-half since 1880. The milk, butter, and cheese product in 1899 was valued at $15,042,360, of which amount 34.9 per cent. was received from sales. Probably no State exceeds Missouri in the extent of its poultry industry. The value of the eggs produced in 1899 was estimated at $8,305,371. The following table shows the number of domestic animals on the farms:

Missouri is the leading manufacturing State west of the Mississippi. The development in this direction has been favored by the variety and extent of its resources—agricultural, mineral, and forest—and by its location on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The industry, however, has been of a fluctuating character. In 1850 2.3 per cent. of the population engaged in manufactures. At the end of each subsequent decade the per cent. of population engaged was respectively 1.7, 3.8, 3, 4.6, and (1900) 4.3. In the decade 1880-90 the actual number increased 94.1 per cent.; in the following decade the gain was only 8.7 per cent. The value of all products, including custom work and repairing, in 1900 was $385,492,000. Of this, 52.8 per cent. was included in the fourteen leading industries, as shown in the table appended. The manufactures dependent on agricultural produce stand out prominently in relative importance. Slaughtering and meat-packing products attained the greatest value, and represented the highest per cent. of increase (134.9) between 1890 and 1900. The industry is centred principally in Saint Joseph and Saint Louis. The growing of tobacco in the State gives rise to extensive manufactures of this product, especially chewing and smoking tobacco and snuff. The industry is almost wholly confined to Saint Louis, and is also in a flourishing condition. The other two leading industries—the manufacture of flour and grist-mill products, and of liquor—though important, are declining in value. The decrease in the case of the latter is due to the depreciation of price. The increase of flour-milling in the Southwest has notably reduced the patronage of Saint Louis by that section. The forest resources of the State are being more heavily drawn upon

than ever before, and the abundance of supply constitutes an important source of wealth. In the swampy region in the southeast cypress prevails, but elsewhere hard woods are predominant. There is a larger cut of white oak than of any other one species. There was between 1890 and 1900 an increase of 33.7 per cent. in the value of the lumber and timber products.

The influence of the coal resources of the State is reflected in the establishment of foundries and machine shops. The railroad interests have developed a rapidly increasing industry of car construction, etc. The manufactures of clothing and boots and shoes are also prominent, the latter being a comparatively new industry, but already raising the State to the eighth rank among the boot and shoe manufacturing States. The printing and publishing industry is also prominent. The three largest manufacturing centres are Saint Louis, Kansas City, and Saint Joseph, the former on the Mississippi and the two last on the Missouri. The manufactured products of Saint Louis in 1900 amounted in value to 60.6 per cent. of the total for the State, but the increase during the last decade was only 2.0 per cent. Saint Joseph, on the contrary, made an increase of 161.9 per cent. The increase in the manufactures of Kansas City was largest on the Kansas side of the line, and is therefore credited to that State.

The table on the following page  below shows the relative importance of the fourteen leading branches of manufacturing. A network of railroads covers the northern half of the State, in contrast with the southern half, where the mileage is small and a number of counties have no rail communication. The northern half has the advantage in that it lies in the course of some of the great transcontinental lines, and furthermore is less broken than the southern part of the State. A large number of lines cross the Mississippi at Saint Louis, while Kansas City and Saint Joseph on the western border are also large railroad centres. In 1860 there were 817 miles of railroad in the State; in 1880, 3965 miles; in 1890, 6142 miles; and in 1900, 6887 miles. Some of the leading lines in Missouri are: The Missouri Pacific, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, the Saint Louis and San Francisco, Saint Louis Southwestern, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Chicago and Alton, the Wabash, the Saint Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern. In recent years there has been a marked development in the railways connecting the State with the Southwest and the Gulf. The State has a board of railroad commissioners, who hear and determine complaints against the railroads; but their decision is subject to revision by the courts. The water traffic between Saint Louis, the terminal for the larger river steamers, and the Gulf is large. Before the building of railroads the Missouri River was important as a means of transportation; but in recent years the trans-State traffic, which is extensive, is almost wholly by rail. The grain and animal produce of the West reaches its market in great part by way of Missouri.

The Bank of Saint Louis, chartered in 1813 and opened in 1816, was the first in the State. It went into liquidation in 1819. Next came the Bank of Missouri, which opened in Saint Louis in 1817 and failed in 1822. This left the State without any chartered banks until