Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 February 1884 — WEALTH OF THE STATE. [ARTICLE]

WEALTH OF THE STATE.

Information Concerning the Social and Commercial Status of Indiana. Value of the Agricultural and Manufactured Products for 1883—Annual Report of Statistician Peelle. [From the Indianapolis Journal] The fifth annual report of the Indiana Stat'stical Bureau has been filed with the Governor by W. A. Peelle, the statistician. The report is quite voluminous, and when printed will make a volume of more than five hundred pages. It embraces statistics relating to the agriculture, manufacturing, railroad and mineral industries, and economic, educational, social, sanitary and criminal matters. AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. The year 1883. the statistician says, was an unusual ohe-for agriculture. A cold and wet spring, following an open and protracted' winter, delayed planting until a very late date., The cool summer was favorable for the growth of wheat in upland, while a good deal of bottom land wheat bad to be plowed up and planted in corn. On the whole, then, it must be said that corn and other crops were considerably retarded. It was not until July had well advanced that the outlook of the corn crop allowed a well-defined condition of hopefulness, and a rapid progress was not reached until Augujt. In some of the southern counties, e. g., Posey, an excellent crop was harvested. The wheat crop shows an average yield of 10 3-10 bushels per acre for the whole State. Based upon the reports of 888 out of 1,017 township trustees, the yield in wheat on 2,049,209 acres in 1883 was 31,405,573 bushels, against an areaof 3,063,348 acresand a production of 46,928,643 bushels for 1882. The highest yield for any one county is 839,030 bushels, in Posey, but her area of 60,867 acres does not make her average over 13 7-10 bushels per acre. The highest average was attained by St. Joseph Courty, which, on an area of 63,321 acres, produced 810,569 bushels, an average of 18 7-10 bushels to the acre. Lagrange, with 17 M bushels, stands second, and Elkhart and Kosciusko show a fraction over 17. The average in thirty-eight other counties ranges below 10 bushels to the acre; in ten counties it reached between 10 and 11 bushels: in nine counties between 11 and 12; in five counties it shows 18 bushels; in three counties between 14 and 15, and in two counties 16 bushels. The second tier of the northern counties shows the largest average, while some of the betjt wheat counties in previous years show a remarkable falling off in the yield. The area In corn was 3,125,376 acres, against 3,312, 683 last year, and the production was 89,699,237 bushels, while in 1882 it was 115,699,797 bushels. The yield shows an average of only about 28 bushels to the aqre. In thirty counties the average is about 30 bushels, while in forty other counties it reaches between 20 and 80, and in a few counties only it falls below 10 bushels to the acre. Posey county shows the highest average producing on an area of 49,451 acres 2.113,355 bushels, being 43 2-10 to the acre, while Vanderburg county,on an areaof only 21,892 acres, produced 934,540 bushels, making an average of 40 6-10. Knox county averaged 40 4-10 bushels per acre. The area of oats was 456,286 acres, from which was harvested 19,567,789 bushels. This yield of oats in 1888 was the largest per acre ever grown in the State. The same is true of clover and timothy. The acreage in clover was 939,615 and the tons produced were 1,628,519. The acreage in timothy was 1,167,323, and 1,831.187 tons of hay were produced. The Ir'sh potato crop is by far the largest ever’ reported in the State. The area was 87,100 acres and the yield was 8,353,412 bushels, against a yield of 7,264,836 bushels in 1882. There are 11,487,814 rods of tile drainage, while'in 1882 there were 9,524,297 rods, which is a marked evidence of the appreciation and utilization of this Important improvement in modern agriculture. The acreage of timber land is reported at 4,412,608, while in 1882 there were 4,585,012 acres, showing that the forests are rapidly disappearing. In the dairy products the statistics show that during the year there was a production of 130,803,785 gallons of milk, 29,591,845 pounds of butter, and 912,746 pounds of cheese. The area of grazing land was 1,778,232 acres, and the good hay crop has enabled farmers to Increase their herds of live stock. There are 485,739 horses of all ages, 47,979 mules. 1,059,296 cattle, of which 405,365 are milch cows; 1,911,820 stock hogs, 1,061,763 grown sheep, and 432,599 lambs. Fully 30 per cent, of the peach trees were winter killed. With the exception of Dubois, Pike, Posey, and Scott counties, which show respectively six, seven and eight tenths of a full crop, the peach crop was a failure, the average being less than one-tenth. In apples an average of 4 7-10 of a full crop was reached, while pears show a little over threetenths of a crop. Plums, quinces and cherries average about two and three-tenths. Siberian crab trees fall slightly below onehalf, and grapes show a small portion over one-half. The loss in fruit trees during the last three years has been more than made up by the’ farmers. During 1883, 624,324 young apple trees were planted, while 458,895 died. Of peach trees 313,055 were planted, and 226,590 died, showing a gain of 165,229 apple, and 86,465 peach trees. ECONOMIC STATISTICS. The statistics under the classification of economic comprise statements of the public expenditures of the different counties, the public debt of the State and each county, together with considerable information regarding the local and State governments. These statistics, the statistician says, are more complete than ever before, although reports from only eighty-nine counties were received. An increase in the expenditures of forty-nine counties is shown, while thirty-nine show a decrease. The estimated population of the State in 1883 is 2,056,262. The salaries paid county officers aggregate $404,361, the expenses of grand and petit Juries were $347,407, and the cost of coroners’ inquests amounted to $20,119. The cost of making assessments and appraisements of property was $167,100; for road viewing and surveying, while the salaries of County Superintendents and the cost of teachers' institutes aggregated $89,588. The cost of criminals and prisoners in the county jails iwas. $137,982; the maintenance of the poor, $489,801, and the expenses on account of the State benevolent and reformatory institutions were $54,870. New public buildings were erected at a cost of $539,661; the expenditures in the repair o,f pubi c buildings was $103,776, and interest was paid on county bonds to the amount of $171,7/3, while interest on gravel-road bonds in the sum es SBB,.770, and on county orders for $33,857, were paid. Books and stationery for the county 'offices cost $175,076; new bridges were built at a total cost of $593,616, and the expenditures for repairs were $81,871. The total expenditures made by all the counties aggregate $5,230,766. In the statistics on taxation the totals on the duplicates for the difierent purposes are as follows: County tax, $4,253,514; township, $291,136; special school, $1,455,540; road, $1,446,570; total State tax, $2,790,889; all other taxes, $2,030,350; total for all purposes, $11,730,596. The amount of delinquent taxes, with the penalty, interest, etc., is $1,777,252. The total valuation of real and personal property is $797,942,665. The total debt of the State is $4,852,608.34. THE RAILROADS. The statistics on railroads show an assessed valuation of all property in the State of $58,480,932. During the year 341.75 miles of main track were built, and there are now 5,240.18 miles of railroad in the State. Improvements were made on the right of way at an expenditure of $1,318,528. The valuation of the rolling stock is $10,742,228. The number killed in accidents which occurred during the year from causes beyond the contro' of the nailway companies was 17, and 84 were injured. Those killed by their own carelessness numbered 104, and ik;ured, 805. The amount ot damages recovered aggregated $3,954.90. the Manufacturing interests. In the statistics on manufacturing, it is

shown that there are 12,442 establishments in the State, which have a capital invested of $52,453,955. The value of •he raw material used in 1883 was $94'50*,806, and the value of the manufactured product from the raw material was $160,527,282. Employment is git en to 78,9 U) persons. The Increase in the number of establishment* sin e 1860 has teen 1.244. There ate 91 manufactories of agricultural implements giving employment to 2,714 persons, and the value i of tteir manufactured prcduct* is $4,875,792. ' There are 2,900 blacksmiths, and they earned j $2,440,616. There are 1,271 boot and shoe manufanuiera, and the Value of their work ! was $1,456,059. Fifty breweries, giving em- I ployment to 716 persons, had a production i valued at $2,748,853. The other classes of manufacturing, the number of persons employed, and the valuation of their production, were as follows: "W 5 j H I i CLASB ' Sf f | Brickkilns 396 3,016 $ 2,170,277 Cariiage shops 263 l,4tw 2,008,793 Cigar shops. 194 1,1’50 1,260,630 Cooper shops 333 1,786 1,496,779 Draintile 387 1,517 1,133,515 Distilleries 35 374 2,053,078 Flouring and grist mills... 790 2,581 27,758,231 Foundries 83 3,315 4,902,554 Ffirniture...;., 1.. 308 5,337 6,929,772 Harness and saddles 503 1,117 1,512,116 Marble shoos 155 538 862,706 Photographers 251 309 339,727 Planing and iron mills 297 2,495 4,688,254 Stone quarries. 121 745 555,085 Stove factories 142 2,196 4,970,200 Wagon factories 444 2,319 3,145,857 Woolen mills 361 1,476 2,458,100 Merchant tailors 207 1,432 1,208,240 Miscellaneous 'll4Ol 18,304 46,727,818 SOCIAL STATISTICS. In 1883 there were 2,169 persons naturalized in Indiana. Of these 1,044 were from Germany, 207 from England and Wales, 207 from France, 116 from Ireland, and 77 from Scotland. The divorces granted during the year numbered 1,227, of which 756 were to the wife, 361 to the husband, and 110 were not stated. The decree in most cases was granted on the complaint of ••failure to provide” and “neglect.” There are 4,163 church organizations and' 3,749 church buildings in'the State. The total membership is 460,714. The value of the property is $12,590,986. The salaries paid the ministers aggregate $1,015,337. The other church expenses amount to $349,292. The missionary and other charitable contributions during the year aggregated $224,859. There are 22,747 Sunday-schools, with an average attendance ot 224,447 pupils. MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS. The vital and sanitary statistics were gathered by the State Board of Health, and are given in full in the last report of Secretary Elder, filed with the Governor. The educational statistics are obtained from State Superintendent Holcombe, and are included in his official report. A volumlnoQs statement, giving statistics relating to the National and State banks, compiled from the report of the Bank Examiners, is also appended. There are ninety-eight national banks in Indiana, and they have a capital stock amounting to the aggregate of $51,708,571.01. The criminal statistics are not complete, mahy of the County Clerks having failed to furnish the information solicited. It is shown, however, that of 17,773 persons reported as prisoners in jail, 1,576 were from Indiana, 1,516 were from other States, and 2,194 were reported as foreigners. Indiana Items. James Hays, a farmer, living near .Petersburg, committed suicide. Miss Laura Montgomery, of Princeton, is under arrest, charged with infanticide. James Cheney, of Fort Wayne, has given $15,000 to complete the Masonic Temple there. In a quarrel at Fort Wayne, Harry Bowers aged 13, stabbed Charles Druhoff, 14 years old, in the back with a pocket knife, inflicting a fatal wound. ' William Gladden, a pioneer of Marlon County, died at his residence, near Indianapolis, aged 88 years. The following day his wife, ten years younger, also died, it is believed, from grief and the shook occasioned by her husband’s death. They had been married sixty years. Through the influence of Postmaster General Gresham and Senator Voorhees, a pardon has been issued to Oscar Goodwin, who embezzled $15,000 while 'cashier of the Logansport National Bank, and was sentenced to the Indiana Penitentiary for five years. Burdette C. Pile, of Jeffersonville, whose age is 84 years, celebrated with his wife the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage. Mr. Pile has been a resident of Clark County nearly all his long life, and of Jeffersonville for more than half a century. He married his wife in that city, she being his second. He has served os Mayor of Jeffersonville, and is esteemed as one among its most popular citizens.— Jeffersonville News. John Browning shot and killed Nathan Hall, at Elkinsville, Brown county. Browning fled, but was arrested. The parties were quarreling over the loss of a hog, when Browning stabbed Hall in the back. While Hall was having his wound dressed by a doctor, Browning again approached and fired two shots, one of them entering Hall's stomach, killing him in a short time. Browping then fled. Threats are made of lynching him when he is returned to Elkinsville, but he has been taken to the jail at Nashville for safety. Browning is liable to be strung up at any moment. Perry Mannis, who has been on trial at Terre Haute for the murder of Mrs. Susanna Nelson, stated to his attorney that he was willing to take a llfo-seh'tence. The Judge instructed the jury accordingly, and a verdict to that effect was returned. Mannis, since his conviction, states that he was not the only one concerned in the murder. Mannis was a preacher of the United Brethren church. Last fall ne induced Mrs. Susanna Nelson, an old widow of Anderson, Ind., to leave home with over SI,OOO and start for Kansas City. She left homo Sept. 6, and the latter part of October her remains were found in a dark ravine four miles from Terre Haute. Mannis, who had been away from Anderson, returned with plenty of money and some jewelery which was identified as the old lady’s. Over 1,500,000 hogs were sold last year in Indiana, of a total value of $8,000,000, twice as much as the value of the beef produet, and a third more than the value of cattle and sheep combined. During the meeting of the State Swine-Breeders’ Association, opinions were advanced that the white hog was the best in the market and found the readiest sale. The Jersey red was the poorest selling, while the Poland China could be placed on the market earlier and at a greater weight than any other hog. A resolution passed requesting the members of Congress from this State to use their influence to have foreign restrictions removed from American pork. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: President, Dick Jones, Columbus; Vice President, Elmsley Wright, New Augusta; Secretary, W. H. Harris, apolis; Treasurer, I. N. Barker, Thorntown; Executive Committee, L N. Cotton, Traders’ Point; T. M. Reveal, Clermont; D. L. Thomas, Rushville.