KENTUCKY, a State in the South Central Division of the North American Union; bounded by Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Ten nessee, and Missouri; area, 40,000 square miles; admitted to the Union, June 1, 1792; number of counties, 119; pop.
(1890) 1,858,635; (1900) 2,147,174; (1910) 2,289,905; (1920) 2,416,630; capi tal, Frankfort.
Topography.—The surface of the State is in general a plateau, sloping from the mountains in the E. to the rivers on the N. and N. IV. The mountains in the S. E. the Cumberland and the Pine, run paranel and include the valley of the Cumberland river. This valley is 75 miles in length, 15 miles in width and has an elevation of 1,000 to 1,500 feet above sea-level. The mountain peaks bounding the valley often reach a height of 2,500 feet and give it more picturesque beauty than in any other part of the Appalachian system. The Mississippi, Ohio, and Big Sandy rivers form over one-half the boundary line of Kentucky, and besides these the Licking, Kentucky, Salt, and Green lie entirely within the State. The Tennessee and Cumberland rivers rise in Virginia and Kentucky re spectively, the Tennessee running through Tennessee and Alabama, and the Cumberland through Tennessee alone, enter the State and cross it in parallel courses and empty into the Ohio within 15 miles of each other. These rivers are all navigable.
Geology.—The principal geological for mations of the State are the Upper and Lower Silurian, Devonian, and sub-Car boniferous, with extensive coal measures. The entire State was at one time a great Lower Silurian lake, which has been pushed up by some subterranean force to a position 5,000 feet above that which it originally occupied. The sub-Carboni ferous limestone areas in the Green river region, contain numerous gigantic cav erns, of which MAMMOTH CAVE (q.v.) is the largest.
Mineral Production.—The chief min eral production of the State is coal. In 1919 there were produced about 25,500; 000 tons. The production of petroleum in 1918 was 4,367,768 barrels, valued at $11,286,162. Other products are clay
products and fluorspar.
Soil.—The soil is as a rule exceedingly rich and fertile, especially in that part known as the Blue Grass section, an area of over 10,000 square miles. The fer tility of this region is due to the con stant decay of a rich sub-stratum of lower Silurian limestone. It is said that there are not over 200 square miles of irreclaimable land in the entire State. There are quite extensive forests in the mountain regions. The principal trees are the ash, elm pine, tulip, hickory, sweet gum, black walnut, maple, oak, honey locust, cottonwood, pecan, catalpa, cypress, apple, and beech. • Agriculture.—The great fertility of the river bottoms and the Blue Grass sec tion makes Kentucky one of the fore most agricultural States in the Union. In 1919, the acreage, production and value of the leading agricultural products were as follows: corn, 3,300,000 acres, production 82,500,000 bushels, value $127,875,000; oats, 440,000 acres, pro duction 9,900,000 bushels, value $9,009, 000; wheat, 1,046,000 acres, production 12,029,000 bushels, value $25,381,000; tobacco, 550,000 acres, production 456, 500,000 pounds, value $174,380,000; hay, 1,115,000 acres, production 1,561,000 tons, value $39,649,000; potatoes, 72, 000 acres, production 5,040,000 bushels, value $10,584,00.
Illanufactures.—In 1914 there were 4,184 manufacturing establishments in the State, employing 64,586 wage earn ers. The capital invested amounted to $193,423,000, the wages paid were $31, 830,000, the value of the materials used was $114,829,000, and the value of the finished product was $230,249,000.
Transportation.—The total railway mileage in the State in 1919, was 4,118. About 50 miles were constructed during the year.
The principal industries were in con nection with tobacco, liquors, flour and grist mill products, lumber and timber products, iron and steel, slaughtering and meat packing, and foundry and ma chine-shop products.