BULLETINS OF THE ELEVENTH CENSUS. 479 



From general information obtained from the seed farmers and a study 

 of the figures in this bulletin it appears that this branch of agriculture has 

 kept fully apace with the general march of national progress. 



Prior to 1850 all the seed farms of the country were in the few north- 

 eastern states of the Union, Connecticut and New York for more than half 

 a century producing more seeds than all other states combined; and while 

 each has at present more seed farms than any other state, the general 

 westward tendency of all that pertains to agriculture has stimulated seed 

 growing on a very extensive scale in the central west and on the Pacific 

 coast. There has of late been a feeling of depression among the growers 

 generally, who, previous to 1883, made exceptionally fine profits out of the 

 business, and were thus stimulated to establish more seed farms than could 

 profitably find market for their products during the past few years. The 

 general feeling now is that prices must be advanced or some method of 

 production be discovered whereby a greater yield may be secured at less 

 cost of labor. 



Final census reports will strive to show in detail some of the methods 

 adopted by the more successful seed farmers in the different sections. 



HOETICULTUEE.— TEOPIC AND SEMITKOPIC FRUITS AND 



NUTS. 



Bulletin No. 97. 



For the first time the census office has made a special investigation for 

 the purpose of ascertaining the extent and value of the production of 

 oranges, lemons, figs, almonds, cocoanuts, and other tropic and semitropic 

 fruits and nuts as industries of the United States, and herewith is pre- 

 sented a preliminary report prepared by Mr. J. H. Hale, special agent, 

 under the direction of Mr. Moktimek Whitehead, special agent in charge 

 of horticulture. 



The material from which these statistics are compiled was obtained 

 direct from the growers upon schedules specially prepared for that pur- 

 pose and by personal visits of special agents to sections of the country 

 where these products are grown. 



From the tabulations in this bulletin and in the table herewith 

 appended it appears that in addition to the tropic and semitropic 

 fruits and nuts grown for home and family use there were in the 

 census year 13,515 acres of almond, 677.50 of banana, 169.88 of 

 citron, 9,864 of cocoanut, 4,477 of fig, 550 of guava, 1,362.25 of kaki, 

 7,256 of lemon, 495.58 of lime, 12,180 of madeira nut, 7,097 of olive, 184,- 

 003 of orange, 2,189.50 of pineapple, 171.89 of pomelo, and 27,419.50 of 

 pecan trees, representing 658,566 bearing and 800,010 nonbearing almond 

 trees, 577,782 bearing banana plants, 4,237 bearing and 14,110 nonbearing 

 citron trees, 123,327 bearing and 1,199,549 nonbearing cocoanut trees, 

 138,186 bearing and 285,201 nonbearing fig trees, 32,943 bearing and 

 120,529 nonbearing guava trees, 58,390 bearing and 124,522 nonbearing 

 kaki trees, 167,663 bearing and 498.784 nonbearing lemon trees, 19,096 

 bearing and 44,255 nonbearing lime trees, 188,409 bearing and 411,248 



