Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 07.djvu/834

garden farming. In 1898 the public lands of the State—exclusive of swamp lands granted to the State—amounted to 1,757,000 acres. The State contains much excellent pasture land, especially in the central portion, and rapidly increasing numbers of cattle are raised. The decrease shown in the table in the number of dairy cows is only an apparent one, being due to a change in census methods. Horses, swine, and sheep are raised in considerable numbers. The following tables show the relative importance of the principal crops and farm animals, and the changes which occurred in the last census decade:

YEARS	Corn, acres	Oats, acres	Rice, acres	Peanuts,  acres	Sweet  potatoes,  acres	Sugar-cane,  acres	Hay, acres	Cotton, acres
1900	569,567	31,467	5,410	69,452	22,791	12,800	21,994	221,839
1890	378,906	5,410	1,787	26,166	18,698	9,345	7,661	227,370

YEARS	Dairy  cows	Other neat  cattle	Horses	Mules	Sheep	Swine
1900	78,830	534,038	40,572	13,562	102,709	464,277
1890	113,388	370,176	31,807	9,624	98,275	374,241

Manufactures. Manufacturing has always held a minor place in the economic activities of the State, but recently it has made remarkable progress. The total annual product ($48,000,000) more than doubled during the last decade of the nineteenth century. The manufacture of cigars and cigarettes is of great importance. This is confined largely to the southern portion of Florida—particularly to Tampa and Key West—and is the outgrowth of the immigration of Cubans to these parts. A large part of the raw tobacco is imported from Cuba—the port of Tampa being exceeded in the year 1900 by New York alone in amount received from that island. The following table, taken from the United States Census Reports (1900), shows the relative value of the different manufactures and the changes during the last decade of the century:

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INDUSTRIES

 Year 

Number of
 establishments 

 Wage-earners, 
average
number

Value of products,
including custom
 work and repairing 

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Total for selected industries for State

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$

1900

1,104 

33,101 

$32,059,830 

1890

431 

10,980 

14,905,966 

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Increase 1890 to 1900

......

673 

22,141 

$17,153,864 

Per cent. of increase

......

156.1 

202.0 

115.1 

Per cent. of total of all industries in State

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$

1900

52.2 

89.2 

83.9 

1890

53.5 

83.5 

81.8 

Tobacco, cigars, and cigarettes

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$

1900

128 

6,461 

10,891,286 

1890

86 

5,273 

8,123,220 

Printing and publishing

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$

1900

100 

406 

603,410 

1890

86 

468 

567,808 

Cars and general shop construction and repairs	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$
by steam railroad companies

1900

13 

958 

1,112,245 

1890

10 

280 

354,043 

Fertilizers

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$

1900

7 

117 

555,394 

1890

3 

23 

86,137 

Lumber and timber products

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$

1900

416 

7,081 

10,848,403 

1890

215 

4,363 

5,514,879 

Tar and turpentine

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$

1900

425 

17,937 

7,794,101 

1890

15 

484 

191,859 

Ship-building

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$

1900

15 

141 

254,991 

1890

16 

69 

68,020 

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Forests and Forestry. The most important factor in the manufactures of the State is its extensive forest area, which yields nearly one-half of the value of the total manufactured product. The forests cover over two-thirds of the total land area, the long-leaved pine extending over about 6000 square miles. From the forests of pitch-pine, tar, turpentine, and rosin are produced, and these products have increased during the last decade from almost nothing to a large figure. (See Table.) From the live-oak forests timber for ship-building is secured. As will be seen, the lumber and timber products have doubled in value during the last decade. The forest resources are found mainly in the northwest portion of the State, and timber worked in the Florida mills.

Transportation and Commerce. Florida is well provided with means of communication, both by land and by water. In 1900 there were 3255 miles of railroad, most of which was constructed during the two preceding decades. In 1880 there were but 518 miles, while in 1890 there were 2489 miles. There are 21 lines now in operation, of which the three longest are the Florida Central and Peninsular, 689 miles; Savannah, Florida and Western, 618 miles; and the Florida East Coast, 484 miles. In 1897 and 1899 the Legislature provided for a Railroad Commission to fix and enforce rates, the courts to hold the rates thus imposed as prima facie reasonable. The validity and constitutionality of this State Commission have been fully established by the Florida Supreme Court, and it is now one of the most effective in the United States. In the natural means of communication Florida excels, its peninsular shape affording more coast-line than that of any other state. This advantage is supplemented by many navigable rivers and bays.