well represented in Texas. The Alluvial extends along the coast, and is bordered by the Tertiary, with wide expansion in the E. N. W. of the Tertiary are extensive tracts of Cretaceous formations, extending W. along the Red river and S. to San Antonio. The W. portion of the state is principally of Carboniferous formations with extensive coal measures.
Mineralogy.—Coal is the most valuable mineral product, but extensive beds of iron, lead, silver, bismuth, and gold are also found. Salt, building stones, clay, arsenic, antimony, mineral oils, and fertilizers are among smaller productions. There are numerous mineral springs and oil wells. In the latter part of 1900 extensive oil fields were discovered near Beaumont, and produced a great boom in the Texas oil industry. The mineral production is of great importance. Its value has been increased in recent years by the enormous development of the petroleum fields. This was especially notable in 1918, 1919 and 1920. The production in 1918 was 38,750,031 barrels valued at $74,867,537. The production of coal is of great importance. There were mined in 1919 about 1,600,000 tons, compared with 2,204,266 tons in 1918. The production of natural gas in 1918 was valued at $3,192,625. Other important mineral products are quicksilver, salt, gypsum, granite, clay products, asphalt, and zinc.
Agriculture.—The soil of Texas is, as a whole, extremely fertile. The two staple products are cotton and maize, both of which are largely cultivated in the lower or coast region, where sugar cane and tobacco also grow luxuriantly. Wheat, rye, oats, and barley thrive best in the black land prairie regions; and both there and at lower levels fruits in almost endless variety are abundant. The forests contain large tracts of oak. The pastures are often covered with the richest natural grasses, and the rearing of cattle is carried on to the greatest advantage. Texas is one of the most important agricultural States. It has over 420,000 farms, with about 120,000,000 acres of farm land, of which about 30,000,000 acres is improved land. In the arid region a large area has been reclaimed under the Federal Reclamation Act. The acreage, value, and production of the principal crops in 1919 were as follows: corn, 6,760,000 acres, production 202,800,000 bushels, value $239,304,000; oats, 2,250,000 acres, production 94,500,000 bushels, value $60,480,000; wheat, 1,900,000 acres, production 31,350,000 bushels, value $62,700,000; hay, 662,000 acres, production 1,258,000 tons, value $22,644,000; potatoes, 52,000 acres, production 3,796,000 bush- els, value $7,972,000; peanuts, 222,000 acres, production 5,550,000 bushels, value $13,209,000; sorghums, 1,798,000 acres, production 59,334,000 bushels, value $65,667,000; cotton, 10,346,000 acres, production 2,700,000 bales, value $472,500,000; rice, 218,000 acres, production 6,998,000 bushels, value $19,594,000.
Manufactures.—In 1914 there were 5,084 manufacturing establishments employing 74,853 wage earners, with an invested capital of $238,544,000. The amount paid in wages was $44,821,000; the value of the materials used $253,144,000; and the value of the product $361,279,000.
Banking.—On Oct. 31, 1919, there were reported 546 National banks in operation, having $58,473,000 in capital, $42,237,000 in outstanding circulation, and $158,327,000 in United States bonds. There were also 834 State banks, with $25,080,000 in capital, and $8,577,000 surplus. The exchanges at the United States clearing house at Dallas and Houston for the year ending Sept. 30, 1919, aggregated $2,291,966,000.
Transportation.—The railway mileage in the State in 1919 was 20,074.
Education.—There are about 1,000,000 pupils enrolled in the public elementary schools, and about 65,000 in the public high schools. The teachers number about 30,000. There are separate schools for white and colored children, and the employment of illiterate children under 14 years of age in factories, etc., is prohibited. There are six normal schools. The most important universities and colleges are the University of Texas at Austin, Agricultural and Mechanical College at College Station, College of Industrial Arts at Denton, Baylor University at Waco, Baylor College at Belton, Texas Christian College at Fort Worth, Southern Methodist University at Dallas, Howard Payne College at Brownwood, Southwestern University at Georgetown, Austin College at Sherman, and Rice Institute at Houston.
Finance.—The receipts for the fiscal year 1919 amounted to $21,287,911, and the disbursements to $20,641,335. There was a balance at the beginning of the year of $4,035,840, and at the end of the year of $4,682,416. The bonded debt amounts to about $4,000,000. The assessed value of real property is about $2,000,000,000.
Churches.—The strongest denominations in the State are the Methodist Episcopal, South; Regular Baptist, South; Regular Baptist, Colored; Roman Catholic; African Methodist; Disciples of Christ; Methodist Episcopal; Cumberland
