Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/776

UNITED STATES. rapidly developing industry. In the North peach culture is developing most rapidly in protected regions, especially along the lake coast region, where the trees are protected from frost by the moderating influence of the Great Lakes. The number of trees in Michigan increased 322 per cent. between 1890 and 1900, and that State took first rank, the centre of peach culture being along lower Lake Michigan. On the Pacific Coast California has become an important peach-growing State. The production of plums and prunes is restricted largely to the Pacific Coast, particularly California. There was the largest increase in this variety of trees of any included in the foregoing list. The United States now produces more prunes than it consumes. Cherries and pears are grown throughout the country. The raising of apricots is mainly restricted to California. Grapes are another crop which require a moderate climate. California is the most favored region for them, and it has over three times more vines than any other State. It is the only State which produces raisins. Besides California, the chief region for the production of wine grapes is the climatically favored Lake Erie region in northern Ohio and western New York.

The production of the three most important varieties of small fruits—strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries—is well extended over the country, but their production in commercial quantities is localized largely in the South, so as to have the advantage of the early market. Cranberries require boggy lands, and are limited to the Cape Cod region, southern New Jersey, and central Wisconsin. Massachusetts has the smallest area, but produces over 60 per cent. of the product. California is unsurpassed as a region for the growing of all kinds of sub-tropical fruits, as the remarkable development of that region during the period 1880-1900 fully demonstrates. While oranges and lemons constitute the chief varieties, olives, figs, and other fruits are included. This region is also the chief centre of almonds and English walnuts. Southern Florida is also a large centre of orange culture and is the only important centre of pineapple culture of continental United States. (For a fuller description of sub-tropical culture, see and .) Arizona and New Mexico also give promise of becoming important centres for the growth of sub-tropical plants.

Virginia maintained the primacy in tobacco production until 1850, when it was surpassed by Kentucky. The latter State has steadily increased, until it represents over twice the acreage and value represented by the former. In the decade 1890-1900 North Carolina more than doubled its acreage and thus advanced ahead of Virginia. In 1900 Kentucky had 384,805 acres; North Carolina, 203,023; Virginia, 184,334; and Tennessee, 71,849. The limestone soil of central Kentucky and of the district northward into Ohio contains potash and other chemical elements required by the tobacco plant, which gives

this region special advantage in its production. The principal other States producing tobacco are Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, New York, and Connecticut. The total acreage increased from 695,301 acres in 1890 to 1,101,483 acres in 1900. See map under .

The raising of sugar-cane in the United States proper is largely confined to (q.v.). The area devoted to sugar-cane in the United States in 1899 aggregated 386,986 acres. The production of cane sugar in 1899 amounted to over 158,000,000 pounds. The production of sugar-cane molasses in the same year amounted to over 6,213,859 pounds, and of syrup, 12,293,032 gallons. Sorghum cane is grown very generally throughout the United States. The total acreage in 1899 was 293,152, and the syrup produced amounted to 16,972,783 gallons. In the early history of the country a large part of the sugar and syrup consumed was manufactured from the sap of the maple tree. The maple sugar made in 1899 amounted to 11,928,770 pounds, which was but little more than one-third of the product reported in every preceding census year from 1850 to 1890. About two-thirds of this was made in Vermont and New York. The maple-syrup product in the same year amounted to 2,056,611 gallons. Since 1890 there has been a rapid development of the beet-sugar industry. The production of beet sugar increased from 2,203 tons (of 2240 pounds each) in 1889-90 to 195,463 in 1902-03. The latter amount was produced from 175,000 acres of beets. Over two-thirds of this acreage was in Michigan and California, and the remainder was distributed through a number of States. Unlike sugar-cane, the sugar beet is usually grown as an incidental to other farming operations. Owing to their high value per acre, they are both, however, important to the sections in which they are grown.

Compared with crop-growing, stock-raising is of much more importance in the United States than in European countries. The per capita number of horses, cattle, and hogs is much greater in the United States than in any of the principal European countries. The United States has five times as many hogs, over twice as many cattle, and as many horses as has European Russia, but the latter leads the United States in the number of sheep. Australia and Argentina are the only prominent countries in which the relative importance of domestic animals is greater than in the United States. Of the total value of agricultural products in 1899 more than one-fifth was fed to live stock. In the North Central division one-fourth (in value) of the products was fed to live stock. The following table shows the number and the increase of domestic animals on farms and ranges since 1850:

The foregoing figures do not include the young of animals. Furthermore, the census methods of enumeration have not been uniform, and the figures are therefore only approximately