MINING. Virginia rivals western Penn syl•ania as a mining region. Its large mineral wealth consists mainly of the mineral fuels— coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Coal-mining has developed chiefly since ISSO, since which year the production has steadily increased. The average annual gain for that period was over 1,000,000 tons. The output in 1901 amounted to 24.065,402 short tons, valued at $20,848. 1S4. Coal underlies a large part of the State .and was mined in 1901 in 21 counties. The ma ma was divided among the four districts of the State as follows: New and Kanawha River district, 8,036,292 short tons: Pocahontas or Flat Top district, 6.736,107 short tons; Fairmont or Upper Monongahela district, 5,174,160 short tons; and the Upper Potomac or Elk Garden dis trict, 1,S56,677 short tons. The development of coal-mining has been closely related with the improvement of transportation facilities, and especially with the improvements on the Great Kanawha River. West Virginia coal has a high value for coking purposes. (See Man ac t iwes, below.) The rapid increase in the produc tion of petroleum did not begin until after 1890. The yield was then only 492,578 barrels. In 1900 it surpassed the output of Pennsylvania, and ranked second only to that of Ohio. In 1901 there was a decrease in the yield, which was esti mated at 14,177,126 barrels. The greater part of the oil is forced through pipe lines to Philadel phia and Baltimore. Very little natural gas was utilized prior to 1892. The value of the yield in 1901 was estimated at 83,954.47,2. The principal centre of production is Wetzel County. The larg est part of the product is piped into the neigh boring manufacturing districts of Pennsylvania.
clays are utilized and some stone is quarried.
Aottict,TruiE. In 1900 10.6,54.513 acres, or 67.5 per cent. of tlu• State's area, were included in farms. The area of improved land (5,498,981 acres) is more than twice that of the correspond ing area in 1S70. The average size of farms has decreased nearly one-half since 1870, being 114.7 acres in 1900. In the latter year 75.2 per cent. of the farms were worked by their owners. Tin. soil in the western part of the State consists of rich clay and sand looms, well suited to general fa•m ing. The flat hills to the eastward are better adapted to grazing. The system of agriculture practiced is typical of the Northern rather than of the Simthern States. Between 1870 and 1850 there was a heavy increase in the production of corn and wheat. During the next decade these (Tops only about held their own. yet enjoyed a considerable increase again in the decade 1S90 1900. In but few States does buckwheat have so great ai relative importance. (fats and rye are 1 he other cereals worthy of note. Ilay and forage rank second in acreage. Potatoes a nil other vegetables are Gornnionlv grown. Tobacco and sorghum cane are worthy of mention. Probably the most noteworthy development between 1890 and 1900 was in the raising of orchard fruits. The total number of trees much more than doubled during the period. In 1900 there were 5,441,112 apple trees, constituting 70.2 per cent. of the total number of orchard trees. The fol lowing table of acreages is self-explaining: