INDUSTRIES. The principal occupations are agriculture and its allied industries. Of the total area, about 40 per cent. is under crops and gardens, about the same proportion is in forests, and the remainder is chiefly in meadow and pas ture. Most of the land is distributed into small holdings. According to the industrial census of 1895 there were 212.349 holdings ranging from less than 5 acres to 50 acres, and 4743 holdings of over 50 acres each. The chief agricultural products are rye, wheat, potatoes, flax, oats, and hay (including clover and alfalfa). Tobacco and beans are cultivated to a considerable extent. Among the well-known wines of the province are t he Johanniaberger, Hochheimer, and Rildesheimer. The forests are among the most extensive of Prussia, and belong mostly to the State and the communities. The trees are conifers, oaks. and beeches. The commercial yield of the forest is large. They abound in game. and the streams are rich in fish. Live-stock raising is not carried on extensively as a separate industry. In 1900 there were 85.170 horses. 587.S02 cattle. 304.499 sheep. 556,233 swine, and 171,959 goats.
The mineral deposits are important. principally iron and coal. Of the former about 400,000 tons are obtained annually: of the latter, over 600.000 tons. Hesse-Nassau is one of the leading iron producers among the Prussian provinces. There are some deposits of zinc, lead, and copper. Good clay is found. The mineral springs and health resorts of the province are both numerous and famous. including those of Homburg. Wiesbaden.
Ems, Schwalbach, and Setters. Several of the waters, especially the Setters, are exported exten sively to all parts of the civilized world.
The manufacturing industries, with some ex ceptions, are on a small scale. The industrial census of 1895 gives the total number of estab lishments at 128,888, employing 344,502 hands. This number includes 58,664 establishments em ploying no help, and 42,865 establishments em ploying from one to live hands each. The chief manufactured products are cotton and woolen goods, tobacco, cigars, and sugar. Also worthy of mention are the exports of marble, dressed stone, and burnt clay, and wooden wares, leather. and jewelry. There were 347 distilleries in opera tion in 1901. The province has important fairs and markets, especially horse markets, and the trade and manufacturing interests are furthered by means of numerous chambers of commerce. The banks of Frankfort, the financial centre of this part of Germany, are celebrated for their strength and the extensive scope of their under takings. The transportation facilities are fully adequate to the needs of the province. The rail ways are mostly controlled by the State. The splendid roads and natural waterways aid very materially in the distribution of products. The commerce is concentrated largely in Frankfort. Cassel, and Wiesbaden. Other important busi ness towns are Hanau and Fulda.