While the state will never be largely agricultural, it possesses, as will be noticed from the above estimate, an amount of arable land that will probably quite supply its own needs. Its great wealth is in its mines and mineral resources. Besides the precious metals, there have been found within its boundary lead, copper, iron, platinum, tin, zinc, antimony, nickel, cobalt, and arsenic; beds of pure sulphur, gypsum, rock salt, nitrate of potassa, carbonate of soda in large quantities, borax, lignite or brown coal, kaolin, etc. Gold and silver are commonly found associated with each other, gold predominat ing in the Antelope, Tuscarora, Gold mountain, Sacramento, and Sierra districts. Sil ver, however, is the staple mineral product, and the yield of this metal is constantly increasing. The Comstock lode, discovered in 1859, equals perhaps in value any deposit of the precious metals ever encountered in the history of mining enterprise. It is sit uated in Story co., about 25 m. from the western border of the state, on the eastern side of mount Davidson, and partly under Virginia City and Gold Hill. It has been traced on the surface 27,000 ft., explored 19,000 ft., and opened to a depth of 2,000 feet. Its ores contain about one-third in value of gold and two-thirds in silver. Other silver lodes are found in nearly every part of the state, some yielding from $65 to $100 to the ton, others from $400 to $2,000 or more to the ton. In 1874 there were 243 mines in 12 coun ties; and the yield of both gold and silver amounted to $35,402,263.
The interest manifested in agriculture and stock-raising throughout Nevada has greatly increased during the past six years. In agricultural industry iu 1874 the sur veyor-general's report shows that there were 77,564 acres of land under cultivation, and that there were raised, among other products, 73,600 bushels of wheat; 500,700 bushels of barley; 74,695 of oats; 1000 of rye; 13,960 of Indian corn; and 298,108 of potatoes. The live stock consisted of 22,131 horses; 4,739 mules and asses; 49,895 mulch cows; 28,005 calves; 75,582 beef cattle; 185,486 sheep; and 5,290 hogs. The census of 1870 shows the number of manufacturing establishments to have been at that period 830, which employed 2,839 hands and had a capital invested of $5,127,790. Their annual
product amounted to $15,870 539, divided as follows: milled quartz, lead, 004,800; iron castings, $641,250; machinery, $273,500; lumber, $447,590; gold and rulnced and refined, $260,000. • The number of railroads in the state in Jan., 1875, was 14, and their entire mileage, 603.06 miles. The chief among these were the Central Pacific, which crosses Nevada from e. to w., connecting with San Francisco and the Union Pacific railroad; the Virginia and Truckee, from Reno on the Central Pacific to Virginia; and the Eureka and Palisade railroad, from Palisade on the Central Pacific to Eureka. On Jan. 1, 1875, the state debt was $660,000, and the assets applicable to its reduction, exclusive of the school fond, were $471,835.67. There was a balance in the treasury of $517,639.39. The assessed valuation of real and personal property for 1874 was $26, 630,2r9.2.2.
In educational institutions Nevada is not old enough yet to have made much progress. Its school fund iu 1875 amounted to $250,000, and during the previous year there were expended for school purposes $154,812.43. About 4,000 children were enrolled, though not more than half that number were in attendance. A state university was established at Elko in 1874, and opened its preparatory department with 12 pupils. Of the religions denominations represented in the state there were, in 1875, 5 Protestant Episcopal churches, 11 Methodist, 5 Presbyterian, 10 Roman Catholic, and 10 Mormon, having 19 church edifices, and owning property valued at $212,000, The number of newspapers published in the state in 1879 was 12.
The constitution of Nevada provides that every male citizen who has attained the age of 21 years, and who is neither insane, an idiot, nor an unpardoned felon, shall be enti tled to vote. General elections occur on the Tuesdays next after the first Monday of November of even years. The state is entitled to two representatives in the U. S. senate and one in the house of representatives, and consequently to three electoral votes. The following is the state's electoral record: 1864, Abraham Lincoln, 3; 1868, Ulysses S. Grant, 3; 1872, Ulysses S. Grant, 3; 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes, 3; 1880, James A. Garfield, 3.