EIGHTH DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 



441 



therefore take the year 1872 as a year of comparison with 1882, a 

 period of ten years. 



The following is a table showing the assessed valuation in 1872 and 

 1882 of the Counties of Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Butte, Colusa, 

 (Stanislaus, and Yolo: 



We perceive that in ten years Placer decreased in valuation 40 per 

 cent, Nevada decreased 16 per cent, and El Dorado increased 11 per 

 cent, while Butte increased 47.6 per cent, Colusa 98.7 per cent, Stanis- 

 laus 42.7 per cent, and Yolo 43.2 per cent. 



Take another view: What has been the man-power during ten 

 years in the above named counties? In other words, w4iat has been 

 the average production of wealth, retained in the county and not 

 exported, per man of the male population over twenty-one years of 

 age? 



I take the census returns of 1870 and 1880, as I cannot obtain the 

 figures for 1872 and 1882, but for our purpose the first named years 

 are sufficient. 



The male population over twenty-one years was as follows: 



The wealth created per capita, and retained in the county, is in 

 Placer and Nevada nothing. In El Dorado $72 72, in Butte $503 52, 

 in Colusa $2,035 07, Stanislaus $934 05, and in Yolo $900 35. 



Ladies and gentlemen: There is a little gleam of light in this 

 wofully dark array of figures, of which we may well be proud. 



Of the number of children in 1880 between the ages of five and 

 eighteen. El Dorado had 2,390, Colusa 2,953, Placer 3,087, Yolo 3,078, 

 Butte 4,000, and old Nevada 5,192. We rest our laurels on child pro- 

 duction. 



While the agricultural counties were thus increasing in store, what 

 were we doing? Sending out a stream of gold such as history fur- 

 nishes no parallel. From 1848 to 1881, California produced $1,115,000,- 

 000 of gold, of which $18,301,828 was produced, according to the late 

 census, in the year 1880. Am I far wrong when I estimate that El 

 Dorado, Nevada, and Placer produced one third of the latter sum? 



