Nevada

The value of all tangible property in the State was estimated in 1929 at $569,000,000, or $6,318 per capita of population. The 1935 assessment for tax purposes amounted to Education.—The governor, superintendent of public instruc tion and president of the University of Nevada compose the State board of education. There were in 1934, 19,365 pupils, or 97•8% of the school population, enrolled in the public schools of the State as against 18,041, or in 1930. Of the total 1934 en rolment 4,695 were in the public high schools. In addition there were 207 pupils registered in the private schools of the State. School expenditures in 1934 were $2,174,000, $22.18 per capita of population, or $112.16 per pupil enrolled, next to New York the highest figures in the U.S. The 875 teachers of the State drew a total salary of $1,185,000, or $1,317 each.

The only institution of learning of college rank is the University of Nevada located on an eminence overlooking the city of Reno. Its enrolment during the regular session 1935-36 was 909. The new Clark Memorial library, completed in 1927, contains about 38,00o volumes. The Mackay School of Mines, founded and en dowed by the family of John W. Mackay, one of the "bonanza kings" of the Comstock Lode, is an excellent and well-equipped department. A meteorological observatory is maintained at the top of Mount Rose.

Charities and Corrections.

A State orphans' home is lo cated at Carson City, a State hospital for mental diseases at Reno, and a home for male juvenile delinquents at Elko. The State penitentiary is at Carson City.

Agriculture and Live Stock.

Nevada is the most arid State of the United States because the high Sierra Nevada range inter rupts the moisture-laden clouds from the Pacific. East of these mountains, the valleys, however rich their soils, are covered with sagebrush and appear like monotonous desert wastes, except where some stream annually overflows its banks to create natural mead ows, or where the land has been cleared of sagebrush and arti ficially watered. Agriculture is dependent almost entirely upon ir rigation; how much so is shown by the fact that of approximately 396,769ac. of improved farm land cultivated in the State in 1929, 390,192 were under irrigation. In 1930, 983,717ac. were included in all the irrigation enterprises of the State which up to that time had cost a total of $15,458,000. Of these 486,648ac. were irrigated in 1929 and 39o,192ac. cropped. The value of the crops produced was $18,865,000 or $50.81 per acre. The cost per acre for operation and maintenance was $0.91.

The pioneer farmers of the State settled in the valleys where fertile bottom lands grew an abundance of wild hay for their stock, which ranged far and wide over the public domain. Gradually they supplemented the natural crop with tame hay, principally alfalfa. The hay crop in 1935 was still of first importance, amounting to 352,00o tons valued at $2,677,000, while the estimated value of all Nevada's farm products was but $11,400,000. In southern Ne vada, figs, pomegranates and cotton are raised. Vineyards are to be found here and on the Truckee-Carson project. About 9,000bu.

of peaches and 7,000bu. of pears were grown in The total number of cattle increased from 122,000 in 1930 to 158,0oo in 1935. Most of these were raised for beef purposes, the number of milch cows numbering but 21,000 in 1935. Nevada has comparatively little other live stock, except sheep. In 1935 there were 4,000 horses, 2,000 mules, and 17,000 swine. The sheep of the State, numbered in 1930 at 1,202,000, decreased to 834,00o by 1934 but increased to 852,000 in 1935. The 1935 wool clip was 6,256,000lb. or 7.81b. per fleece, as compared to 8.olb. which was the average weight in the United States.

The farm population in Nevada, similar to the trend in most of the mountain States, decreased from 17,034 in 1925 to 16,441 in 1930, amounting to 22% of the total population. Between 1930 and 1935 the number of farms increased from 3,442 to 3,696, but the acreage decreased from 4,081,00o to 3,622,00o. The latter fig ure represents but 5.2% of the total land of Nevada, a smaller proportion than is to be found in any other State. The average size per farm in 1935 was 979.9ac. and the average value per farm of land, buildings, and live stock was $15,222.

Mining.

From 1907 metal production steadily increased until it reached its peak in 1917, in which year gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc were produced to the value of $54,424,580. The years 1918-21 were years of swift decline, the production in 1919 being less than one-half that of 1918, and that of 1921 but 50% of that of 1919. An upward turn came in 1923 when the gross pro duction of all minerals rose to $28,598,627. From then through 2929 productions of metals continued to rise steadily, in the latter year production was valued at $36,776,000. The economic de pression which set in at the close of 1929 caused a tremendous decline in mineral production ; in 1932 it was only $6,568,000. By 1933 it had risen to $7,455,000; and to $14,703,000 by Gold and silver were first to lift out of the depression due to the revaluation of the gold dollar and the Silver Purchase Act in 1934. In 1935 the U.S. Treasury's price for gold was $35.00 per fine oz., and $.719 per fine oz. for silver, as compared with the 1932 prices of $20.67 and $.282. As a result of this govern ment action the production of gold, amounting to 98,590 fine oz. in 1933, rose to 144,275 fine oz. in and in 1935. Its value rose from $2,519,968 in 1933 to $5,042,517 in 1934, and $6,472,900 in 1935. Silver production increased from 1,148,621 fine oz. in 1933 to 3,057,114 in 1934, to 4,359,300 in 1935; with corresponding values of $402,017, $1,976,316, and $3,133,247. The production of lead increased from 880,8961b. in 1932 to 21,981,874lb. in 1934 and 25,304,00o in 1935. The value in the latter year was $1,012,160. Mines at Tybo and Pioche were the largest producers. Zinc production which amounted to 254,7951b. in 1932 increased to 27,880,7901b. in 1934 and 31,321, 000lb. in 1935. The value increased from $7,644 in 1932 to $1,378,124 in 1935. Most of the lead-zinc ore mined in Nevada contains substantial quantities of silver and gold.