Agriculture.—Iowa is unsurpassed in the quality and extent of cultivated land. It pre sents mainly a friable black loam on the top, from one to five feet deep; is easily worked, is in the main free from stumps and stones, and requires little commercial fertilizer. It has three main varieties, the principal being the alluvial mud of the river bottoms, the glacial drift of the prairies, covering most of the State, a sand and clay loam, and the loess, a rich yellow deposit containing much carbonate of lime, found at great depth on the Missouri slope and along the streams in the central and eastern portions. There is now almost no waste land in the State. In 1915 the number of acres included in farms was 32,951,056—a decrease of 277,000 in 10 years, the decrease largely due to growth of cities, suburban residences and prim and a steady increase in the area of tim ber land. With remarlcable fertility and a steady and sufficient rainfall, the State has for many years been first in the Union in value of its products derived exclusively from the soil. The total value of its agricultural products in 1914, exclusive of livestock was $437,225,662, an increase of 76 per cent in 10 years. The total value of its live stock (farm, animals and poultry) in 1914 was $350,621,975, an increase of 76 per cent in 10 years. Its great crop is corn; it varies, in bushels, from 346,577,988 in 1904 to 397,117,376 in 1914, a gain of nearly 50,000,000 bushels in 10 years; value in 1904, ;117,688,099, in $223,680,692. More than a fourth of Iowa's surface is covered with corn fields. Its second crop is oats, with a total in 1904 of 134,150,609 bushels; in 1914, 178,330,591 bushels; its value in 1904, $34,225,390; in 1914, $72,433,992. Its third crop is wheat, in 1904, 5,859,747 bushels; value $4,787,042; in 1914, $132,174,507. Total horses, mules, etc., in 1905, 1,284,251; value $82,817,016; in 1915, 1,464,993; value $135,924,253. Total cattle in 1905, 4,755, 041, value $91,019,753; in 1915, 4,188,956, value $140,978,731. Total hogs in 1905, 6,447,630; value $34,464,153; in 1915, 6,683,476; value $57, 019,987. Total sheep in 1905, 500,743; value $1, 987,364; in 1915, 575,074; value $2,866,848. Total fowls in 1905, 23,471,063; value $8,083,184; in 1915, 28,115,683; value $13,800,363. It will be noted that with 566,085 fewer cattle in 1915 than in 1905, their total value was about $50,000,000 16,455,265; value $14,733,138; barley, in 1914, 7,463,395; value $4,199,810 rye, in 1914, 1,025, 201; value $839,208; and buckwheat, in 1914, 30,355; value $25,971. Iowa's cereals alto gether occupy nearly half of its area. It also raises considerable flaxseed. Its hay product in 1914 was 6,337,139 tons; value $50,746,183. Its garden crops are also of great importance. In 1914, potatoes 8,453,843 bushels; value $4,422,438, also 135,247 bushels sweet potatoes; value $93,487. Total vegetables, in bushels, 8,691,571; value $3,898,440. Iowa also has considerable fruit, especially apples; in 1914 the value of its orchard products was $1,149,305, besides $515,113 of small fruits and berries. Iowa's egg product increased from 79,456,462 dozen in 1904 to 120,930,552 in 1914; value in 1904, $10,794,193; in 1914, $20,593,720. Iowa's dairy products increased in value from $30,687,274 in 1904 to $38,779,869 in 1914.
Stock Iowa's live stock looms large. In 1905 its total value was $218,447,468; in 1915, $350,621,975, a gain, in 10 years of more than it was 10 years before. The im provement in the breed of cattle in Iowa, with the advance in prices, accounts for the apparent discrepancy.
The State's fast-growing population and prosperity and its abundant and almost inexhaustible supply of bituminous coal haN;e, together, within the last decade given a rapid impetus to manufacturing. Small fac tories have enlarged and many new factories have sprung up. Not a few of these are assum ing large proportions. Iowa's manufactured
products in 1914 aggregated $310,750,000, an increase of 93.5 per cent over the total in 1904, - a gain 16.5 greater than the increase in the value of Iowa soil products during the same periods. During the decade, 1904-14, the wages in Iowa factories have increased 73.5 per cent the number of employees has increased 27.5 per cent and the number of factories has in creased 17.3 per cent. Factories, 5,614; wage earners, 63,113; total of wages in 1914, $39, 860,000. The products of the slaughtering and the 33 meat-packing establishments in 1914 were valued at $74,289,000, giving employment to 4,430 men, their wages aggregating $2,740,000. The second industry, butter, cheese and con densed milk, numbers 518 establishments, with 2,182 employees, their products valued at $27, 606,000. There are 264 foundry and machine shops, employing 5,571 men; their wages aggre gating $3,887,000; their products valued at $16, W6,000. There are 1,076 printing and publish ing establishments, with 4,948 employees, their wages aegregating $3,336,000; their products valued at $15,934,000. There are 227 flour and grist mills, with 790 employees who are paid $486,000 wages; their products valued at $14, 337,000. Among the fast-growing industries of Iowa are artificial stone, with 384 plants, em ploying 809 workmen, and having an output of $2,082,000; button-making, with 81 plants, 2,406 employees and products valued at $3,255,000; men's clothing and shirts, with 22 plants, 954 employees, and products valued at $1,670,000; copper and tin products, with 86 plants, 558 employees and products valued at $2,489,000; gas, illuminating and heating, with plants, 768 employees, and products valued at $4,066, 000; pharmaceutical preparations, with 94 plants, 418 employees and products valued at $4,828, 000; canning and preserving, with 64 factories, 1,209 employees and an output valued at $3,255, 000; agricultural implements, with 34 factories, 1,164 employees, and products valued at $5, 216,000. These turn out cultivators, equalizers, harrows, hoes, plows, seeders, drills, harvesters, hay-carriers, hay-forks, horse hay-rakes, manure spreaders, separators, etc. Cedar Rapids has the largest oatmeal mill in the world. Dubuque has the only ship-building plant in the interior. Among the larger cities, Des Moines leads in brick-making, proprietary medicines, book and fob printing and binding, and hosiery; Sioux City, Ottumwa, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines in meatpacking; Davenport, Dubuque, Burling ton, Des Moines and Ottumwa in foundries and machine works; Dubuque, Council Bluffs, Grin nell and. Des Moines in carriages; Burlington, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Ottumwa, Reolcuk and Oskaloosa in cigars; Sioux City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Fort Dodge, Mason City, in flour and other food products; Des Moines, Ottumwa, Grinnell, Newton, Fairfield and Fort Madison in farm and other machinery.
Transportation and Commerce.— Several of the interior rivers are navigable for small boats, the Des Moines for 100 miles, the Mis souri for fair-sized steamers its whole length, and the Mississippi for large ones to Saint Paul. But steamers have, in the main, been superseded by railroads; the shifting channel, sand bars and snags of the Missouri make its navigation dangerous and slow. Only the Mississippi remains in practical use. The State, lying in the main path of transcontinental com merce, and originating much well-distributed local traffic, is a vast network of railroads, seven of the great trunk lines crossing it. Every one of the 99 counties 'has at least one railroad. The farthest distance between railroads at any point in the State is 13.79 miles. Iowa has 10,016 miles of steam railroad and 477 miles of interurban. There is a rapid but steady in crease in the mileage on interurbans. The chief cities of interurban lines are Des Moines and 'Cedar Rapids.