These increases in both imports and ex ports since 1870 are so great as to justify a careful inquiry as to their causes. The growth of exports is perhaps less surprising when it is considered the upper Mississippi Valley with its great possibilities in the production of cereals and meats increased its population from 13,000,000 in 1870 to 30,000,000 in 1914, and its railways from 23,000 miles to 98,000; the South with its great cotton, tobacco and timber areas increased its population in the same period from 12,000,000 to 30,000,000, and its railways from 13,000 miles to 85,000; the great Western area with its minerals, precious metals and live stock increased its population from 1,000,000 in 1870 to 9,000,000 in 1914, and its railways from less than 3,000 miles to 46,000, while the north Atlantic section, the great manufacturing area, increased its population from 12,000,000 to 30, 000.000, and its railways from 14,000 miles to 31,000.
The result of this increase in population and transportation facilities in the various sec tions was apparent in the value of the pro duction of these great natural divisions. The value of farm products in the upper Missis sippi Valley, including crops and livestock prod ucts, increased from approximately $800,000, 000 in 1870 to slightly less than $5,000,000.000 in 1910, the latest census year, and, of course, have very greatly increased since that time and especially in the war period; that of the southern section grew from $600, 000,000 in 1870 to nearly $3,000,000,000 in 1910; that of the mountain section from $65,000,000 to $800,000,000, while that of the north Atlan tic section, chiefly devoted to manufacture and giving little attention to agriculture, increased from approximately $500.000.000 to about $1,000,000,000 in the period 1870-1910. It is proper to add that these figures must be con sidered as only approximations owing to the changes in census methods from decade to dec ade which render impossible a close com parison of the figures of the two widely distant periods, 1870 and 1910. In general terms, how ever, it may be said that the value of the agri cultural and livestock products of the upper Mississippi Valley were in 1910 about six times as much as in 1870, that of the South about five times as much, that of the mountain re gions 12 times as much, while that of the north Atlantic region, the great manufacturing area, barely doubled. and the area of this north Atlantic section devoted to agriculture was practically unchanged, the tendency of the (New England Farm') to deteriorate rather than to advance its power of production being well recognized by the students industries of the country during the period in question.
The progress in manufacturing in the vari ous great areas is equally interesting. The value of manufactures produced in the United States was shown by the census of 1870 at $4,232,000, 000, and the output of 1914 was recorded by the 1915 census at $24,246,000,000, though the latter figure omitted the product of the hand trades and neighborhood industries which were included in the 1870 census, and which if in cluded in the 1914 figures would have brought the total value of products up to fully $26, 300,000,000 in 1914, as against $4,232,000,000 in 1870. The value of the manufactures of the
entire country in 1914 may, therefore, be said to have been more than six times as great as in 1870, while the value of the farm products in 1910 (the last census year) was about four and one-half times as much as in 1870, indi cating that the growth in manufactures has been greater proportionately than that of agri culture. The North Atlantic section increased its output from $2,750,000,000 in 1870 to $11, 000,000,000 in 1914; the upper Mississippi sec tion from slightly less than $1,000,000,000 in 1870 to $8,575,000,000 in 1914, the South from $350,000,000 to $3,130,000,000 during the same period, and the mountain section from $100, 000,000 in 1870 to $1,500,000,000 in 1914. The north Atlantic section gained about $8,250, 000,000, the upper Mississippi Valley about $7,500,000,000, the South about,750,000,000, $2 and the mountain section about $1,400,000,000. In the, north Atlantic section the value of the imports turned out in 1914 was about four times as much as in 1870; in the upper Mississippi section the value of manufactures in 1914.was more than eight times that of 1870; in the South about nine times as much, and in the mountain region about 15 times as much as in 1870. The north Atlantic section produced about 65 per cent of the manufactures in 1870 and but 45 per ceht in 1914; the upper Missis sippi produced about 23 per cent of those of 1870 and 35 per cent of those of 1914; the South about 7 per cent in 1870 and 14 per cent in 1914, and the mountain region about 3 per cent in 1870 and 7 per cent in 1914.
It is proper here to again call attention to the fact that the figures of production of manu factures in the various sections are 'materially affected by the fact that the census reports call all products of slaughtering, milling and dairy products as which gives to the upper Mississippi section a larger share of the total manufactures of the country than would be the case if the groups ordinarily considered as manufactures were included. The flour, meat and dairy products included in the census classification of aggregated in 1914 about $3,000,000,000, forming about 13 per cent of the census valuation of manufactures turned out in that year, and as most of these originated in the upper Missis sippi Valley they materially increased the per centage with which that section is accredited in the figures of manufactures produced. If these three groups, flour, meats and dairy prod ucts, were omitted from the general list of manufactures, the share which the upper Mississippi Valley produced and the remain ing $21,000,000 of manufactures would be ap proximately 31 per cent instead of 36 per cent' as shown in the grand totals of the census which includes these three groups of food stuffs as manufactures, although the labor per formed in making them is comparatively slight. The value added to the raw material by the manufacturing process, according to the census figures, is in the case of flour, meats and dairy products but about 15 per cent, while in all other manufactures the share added to the value of the raw material by the manufacturing process is approxi mately 80 per cent.