Maryland

The State's population between the ages of 5 and 17, inclusive, was 407,500 in 1932. The enrolment in the public schools was 288, 169 (235,967 being in the elementary and 52,202 in the secondary schools).

The University of Maryland was enlarged in 1920 by an act of the legislature merging the University of Maryland, comprising the schools of law, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry at Balti more, the Maryland State college, formerly known as Maryland Agricultural college, at College Park, and the eastern branch of the university, for coloured students, at Princess Anne. The State board of agriculture and the State horticultural depart ment are also connected with the university.

Johns Hopkins university (q.v.), Baltimore, which was estab lished from a fund of nearly $7,000,000 left by Johns Hopkins, upon his death in 1873, for the purpose of founding a university and a hospital, is one of the leading educational institutions of the United States. Other institutions of higher learning in the State, with the names of such religious bodies as were originally re sponsible for them, are : St. John's college, at Annapolis; Wash ington college, at Chestertown ; Western Maryland college (Meth odist Protestant), at Westminster; Mount St. Mary's college (Roman Catholic), at Emmitsburg ; St. Mary's seminary and Loyola college (Roman Catholic), at Baltimore; Hood college (Reformed Church), at Frederick; Goucher college (Methodist), at Baltimore; the U.S. Naval academy, at Annapolis; and several professional schools, mostly in Baltimore. Other institutions of an educative character in Baltimore are Peabody Conservatory of Music (established in 1866) ; Maryland Institute for the Pro motion of Fine and Mechanic Arts; and Enoch Pratt free library (established 1886).

Public Health.

The State board of health of eight members consists of the attorney general of the State, health commissioner of Baltimore and six members appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate. Of those appointed by the governor, four are physicians, one a civil engineer and one a certified phar macist. The governor designates one of the four physicians as chairman who thereby becomes director of health. The gross death rate for the State in 1933 was 12.4 per i000. Births num bered in 1934, and deaths 20,946.

Agriculture.

Agriculture is an important industry in Mary land, and statistics show that the average yields of all the staple crops have increased. There has also been a tendency towards smaller sized farms, cultivated more intensively for the produc tion of food for human consumption, such as vegetables, fruits, dairy products, butter, eggs and meats. The soils and climate of Maryland are well suited to this class of products, and there are good transportation facilities for reaching the big centres of population in the eastern States.

The land area of the State is 6,362,24o ac., of which 4,383,641 is in farms. This is divided into 44,412 farms; 73.6% of these are operated by the owners. White farmers operated 39,518 farms and coloured farmers 4,894. The total value placed on all farm property within the State in 1935 was The following table presents some detailed figures concerning the principal agricultural products for the year 1934 The value of the principal classes of live stock, horses, mules, cattle, sheep and swine on Jan. 1, 1935 was $22,791,655, dairy cattle being the most numerous. There were produced in 1929, 87,786,00o gals. of milk and 3,626,000 lb. of butter.

The live stock, wheat and Indian corn sections of the State are in the Piedmont plateau, the Hagerstown valley and the central portion of the eastern shore. Garrett county, in the extreme north-west, however, raises the largest number of sheep. Most of the tobacco is grown in the southern counties of the western shore. The great centre for vegetables and small fruit is in the counties bordering on the north-west shore of the Chesa peake, and in Howard, Frederick and Washington counties.

Sea Foods and Game.

The conservation department has full supervision and control over all the natural resources of the State, including oysters, crabs, fish, clams and terrapin, as well as wild fowl, birds and game. In 1934, 7,676 persons were engaged in the fishing industry. The production in 1933 was 55,362,000 lb., valued at $1,733,800. During 1934-35 there was produced 2,601,066 bu. of oysters, 13,620,900 lb. of hard crabs, 2,288,800 lb. of soft crabs, 5,233,400 lb. of alewives, 2,131,000 lb. of croaker, 1,485,600 lb. of squeteagues and 885,300 lb. of shad.