State is largely de voted to manufacturing, the energies of its people having been early turned in this direc tion, and developed by more than a century of industrial training. No special advantages ex ist based upon the possession of raw material, or due to natural resources, except water power, which, although changes in the methods of developing power render this less essential than formerly, is still an important factor. The climate of the southeastern part of the State is especially favorable to cotton spinning. In colonial days much was done to foster mantn factures, invention has been promoted and im proved craftsmanship stimulated, and the effect has been significant throughout the industrial history of the State. The power loom, first constructed by Francis C. Lowell of Boston and Paul Moody of Amesbury, and put in operation at Waltham in 1814, revolutionized the cotton industry in the United States. The first cotton mill in the country was built at Beverly in 1788. As early as 1815 there were 57 cotton mills in the State with 46,650 spindles. The first attempt at woolen goods manufacture was at Rowley, in Essex County, in 1643, fol lowed by more or less successful efforts in the same direction elsewhere in the State in the 17th and 18th centuries. The industrial his tory of Lowell, Lawrence and Fall River is, in effect, the history of the growth of the fac tory system as applied to textiles in America. The boot and shoe industry, developing from crude hand process of early times to the per fected factory operations of to-day, is inter woven with the story of the growth of Lynn, Haverhill, Brockton and many smaller mu nicipalities. The first printing done in the American colonies was at Cambridge in 1639; and from this small beginning onward the printing and publishing business has been im portant in the State. Much of the history of paper-making in the United States is the his tory of the industry of Massachusetts. The manufacture of india rubber goods in this country originated at Roxbury, now part of Boston, in 1833. Manufactures of metal, ma chinery of all kinds, wooden goods, jewelry, clothing, cordage, rattan and other furniture have always been important.
The following table shows the returns, ac cording to the census of 1915, covering the re turns of the previous year, of all industries in the aggregate and of the principal industries in detail: fourths of the total produced in the United States. The paper used by the national gov ernment for currency and bonds is produced within the borders of Pittsfield, but near the Dalton line, in a mill especially devoted to its manufacture. In the production of rubber boots and shoes the State ranks first, and in the manufacture of jewelry is preceded only by Rhode Island and New York. The labor em ployed in the factories of the State is highly skilled, its operations well orgvnized and its productive capacity correspondingly high. La bor difficulties have not been numerous nor protracted. The factory legislation, as a whole, is in advance of other States, and is well en forced, being supported by an effective public opinion. The laws against the employment of children (referred to under Education) are especially stringent, and such employment is reduced to small proportions. There is pro vision for efficient factory inspection under the State Board of Labor and Industries, with a corps of inspectors covering all parts of the Commonwealth.
Agriculture.— The agriculture of the State, as compared with that of the great farming In textiles, the most important industrial group shown in this table, the cotton industry leads with a product value of $195,481,626. The spindles employed in this industry numbered, in 1900, 7,784,687, increasing 1,960,169, or 33.7 per
cent since 1890, being 40.6 per cent of the total increase in the country. In 1910 Massachusetts had 9,375,004 cotton spindles, and its spindles and looms in the industry approximated one half of those in the country, and the State is first in rank among the States in the manu facture of cotton goods. The State led all others in the manufacture of woolen and worsted goods, the annual product in 1915 reaching $127,351,434. It also holds first place in the boot and shoe industry, the figures be ing shown in the table. It has long been first in the manufacture of fine writing papers, the value of this product approximating three States of the West, is not important. The in dustry has always been secondary to manufac turing. Following the lines of least resistance, it has turned chiefly to the production of milk, eggs, poultry and such vegetables as find a ready market in the growing factory towns and cities almost at the farmer's door. Considered from this standpoint and measured by the value of the product annually sold, no decline is shown in recent as compared with earlier years. For example, the total value of product for the year covered by the United States census of 1910 was $42,298,274 as against $28,072,900 re turned 10 years previously. The returns in the State census are more favorable than those secured in the national enumeration, since taken in the autumn and possibly with greater care ; but inasmuch as comparisons with other States can only be made by using the national figures, they will be relied on here. The total number of farms (1910) was 36,917; and the total acre age, 2,875,941, of which 1,164,501 was improved. The farm property was valued as follows: Land and improvements, except buildings, $105, 532,216; buildings, $88,636,149; implements and machinery, $11,563,894; live-stock, $20,741,366. The animals upon the farms in the State, 15 April 1910, included 252,416 neat cattle; 64,283 horses; 10,009 lambs (under one year) ; 32,708 sheep (one year and over) ; 103,018 swine, and poultry valued at $1,492,961. The total value of domestic animals on farms was $19,208,712. The persons, 10 years of age and over, engaged in agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry numbered 74,666, and the agricultural laborers (working out) 4,515. The farms operated by owners, part owners or managers constituted 91.9 per cent of the whole number, only 8.1 per cent being carried on by tenant farmers. The State ranked twelfth among the States with respect to the number of farms which derive their principal income from dairy produce, and the total dairy product for the year amounted to $15,187,774, the amount sold•being $14,840,927, the remainder being consumed on the farms. The value of milk sold was $13,297,634; cream, $475,824; butter and butter fat, $1,063,859; and of cheese, $3,610. The total value of poultry raised and sold during the year was $1,287,829 and the egg product aggregated 13,305,540 dozen. About 55,000 acres were devoted to cereals, the product in 1910 being valued at but $1,617,131, only a small per cent of the total ctop value. Of the pi cereals the acreage and bushels produced in 1910 are corn, 41,755 acres, 2.029,381 bushels; o.ds, 7,927 acres, 268,500 bushels, i y ‘, 59,183 bushels; barley, 349 acres, 9,021 bushels; buckwheat, 1,630 acres, 32,926 bushels; wheat, 109 acres, 2,404 bushels. The acreage devoted to hav and forage crops, exclusive of cornstalks, was 519, 503, and the value of the crop, $11,2S0,989 Cer tain sections of the State arc dcvutcd special products of considerable importance. Among these are tobacco raised in the Connecticut Valley, cranberries in Barnstable County and general market produce in parts of Middlesex County near Boston.