MAN UFACTI'RES. is the leading manu facturing State west of the Mississippi. The development in this direction has been favored IT the variety and extent of its resources—agri cultural, mineral. and forest—and by its loca tion on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The industry, however. has been of a fluctuating character. in 1850 2.3 per cent. of the popula tion engaged in manufactnres. At the end of each subsequent decade the per cent. of population engaged was respectively L7, 3.8, 3, 4.0, and (1900) 4.3. In the decade 1880-90 the actual number increased 94.1 per cent.: in the following decade the gain was only 8.7 per cent. The value of all products, including custom work and re pairing, in 900 was 8385,492.000. Of this, 52.8 per cent. was included in the fourteen leading in dustries, as shown in the table appended. The manufactures dependent on agricultural produce stand out prominently in relative importance. Slaughtering and meat-packing products attained the greatest value, and represented the highest per cent. of increase (134.9) between 1890 and 1900. The industry is centred principally in Saint Joseph and Saint Louis. The growing of tobacco in the State gives rise to extensive manu factures of this product, especially chewing and smoking tobacco and snuff. The industry is al most wholly confined to Saint Louis, and is also in a flourishing condition. The other two lead ing industries—the manufacture of flour and grist-mill produets. and of liquor—though im portant, are declining in value. The decrease in the case of the latter is due to the depreciation of price. The increase of ilonr-milling in the South west has notably reduced the patronage of Saint Louis by that section. The forest resources of
the State are being more heavily drawn upon than ever before, and the abundance of supply constitutes an important source of wealth. In the swampy region in the southeast cypress pre vails, but elsewhere hard woods are predominant. There is a larger cut of white oak than of any other one species. There was between 1890 and 1900 an increase of 33.7 per cent. in the value of the lumber and timber products.
The influence of the coal resources of the State is reflected in the establishment of foundries and machine shops. The railroad interests have de veloped a rapidly increasing industry of car construction, etc. The manufactures of clothing and boots and shoes are also prominent, the lat ter being a comparatively new industry, but al ready raising the State to the eighth rank among the boot and shoe manufauturing States. The printing and publishing industry is also promi nent. The three largest manufacturing centres are Saint. Louis, Kansas City, and Saint Joseph, the former on the Mississippi and the two last on time Missouri. ,The manufactured products of Saint Louis in 1900 amounted in value to 00.6 per rent. of the total for the State, but the increase during the last decade was only 2.0 per cent. Saint Joseph. on the contrary, made an increase of 161.9 per cent. The increase in the manufac tures of Kansas City was largest on the Kansas side of the line, and is therefore credited to that State.
The table on the following page shows the relative import:nn•o of the fourteen leading branches of manufacturing.