830 



UNITED STATES CENSUS. 



which is still the prominent one, has begun to 

 decline, owing to the sharp competition of West- 

 ern farms. The farming population has migrated 

 westward, and the growth of manufactures is not 

 yet sufficiently rapid to repair these losses." This 

 sentence is quoted from the official bulletin on 

 population. The following paragraph, taken 

 from the same publication, contains facts preg- 

 nant with interest for those who are anxious to 

 know the causes of fluctuations in the Northern 

 Central group : 



During the past ten years the population of Dakota, 

 considering the two States of North Dakota and South 

 Dakota together, has increased from 135,177 to 51 1,527, 

 or 278 per cent. ; Nebraska from 4.52,402 to 1,058,910, 

 or 134 per cent. ; and Kansas from 996,096 to 1,427,- 

 096, or 43 per cent. This increase has not, however, 

 continued uniformly throughout the decade. In 1S85 

 Dakota contained 415,610 inhabitants, or more than 

 four fifths of its present population. Nebraska con- 

 tained 740,645 inhabitants in the same year, thus di- 

 viding the numerical increase quite equal Iv between 

 the two halves of the decade, but leaving the greater 

 percentage of increase in the first half. In the same 

 year Kansas by its State census had 1,268,530 inhab- 

 itants, showing that nearly .two thirds of the numeri- 

 cal gain was acquired during the first half of the dec- 

 ade. The industries of these States are almost purely 

 agricultural, and are dependent on the supply of 

 moisture, either in the form of rain or bji irrigation. 

 Through these States passes what is known as the sub- 

 humid belt, a 8trip_ of country several degrees in 

 width, in which during rainy years there is an abun- 

 dance of moisture for the needs of crops, while in the 

 years when the rainfall is below the average the sup- 

 ply is deficient. In this region little provision has 

 been made for artificial irrigation, the settlers having 

 thus far been content to depend upon rainfall. Into 

 this region the settlers flocked in large numbers in the 

 early years of the decade, drawn thither by the fertil- 

 ity of the land and by the fact that for a few years the 

 rainfall had been sufficient for the needs of agricult- 

 ure. During the past two or three year.-s, however, 

 the conditions of rainfall have materially changed. It 

 has fallen decidedly below the normal, and the set- 

 tlers have thereby been forced to emigrate. Thou- 

 sands of families have abandoned this region and gone 

 to Oklahoma and the Rocky Mountain region. This 

 migration is well shown in the progress of Kansas, as 

 indicated by its annual censuses. These censuses show 

 a rapid increase in population from 1880 up to 1887 ; 

 1888 shows but a slight increase over 1887, while 1889 

 shows a reduction in the population, leading up to the 

 further reduction shown by the Federal census in 1890. 



A diminution in the rate of increase is notice- 

 able throughout the South Atlantic and South- 

 ern Central States, partly due to migration west- 

 ward, while immigration has been but slight. 

 It is said that imperfections of the ninth census 

 had much to do with the apparent falling off in 

 numbers. The rapid growth of Florida during 

 the first half of the last decade may be noted. 

 Yellow fever and severe frosts kept down the 

 record of increase in 1887 and 1888. Arkansas, 

 Texas, Wyoming, Washington, and Oregon ex- 

 hibit remarkable growth of population since 

 1880. Concerning Colorado, New Mexico, Ari- 

 zona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, and 

 Oregon the official report says : 



The census of Colorado in 1880 was taken on the 

 top wave of a minitjg excitement, which had filled its 

 mountains with miners, prospectors, and speculators, 

 increasing its population enormously, especially in 

 the mountainous country. The census of the State 

 taken in 1885 was, on a superficial view, very sur- 



prising. It showed that most of the mining counties 

 had lost population during the five years preceding. 

 This loss was, however, more than made up by the 

 growth of its cities and its agricultural counties. The 

 census of 1890 shows still further reduction of popu- 

 lation in the mining regions of the State, and an ex- 

 traordinary development of its urban population and 

 its farming element. New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah 

 show rates of increase which arc small when the 

 sparsely settled condition of these Territories is con- 

 sidered, while Nevada shows an absolute diminution 

 of population of 16,505 or 26 - 5 per cent., leaving it 

 the smallest of all the States. This condition of things 

 is a natural result of the failure of the Comstock and 

 other mines ; work upon wbich has practically ceased. 

 Idaho has increased its population two and a half 

 times. Its prosperity is mainly due to its mines, al- 

 though people are now turning to agriculture in con- 

 siderable numbers. The growth of Washington has 

 been phenomenal the population in 1889 being nearly 

 five times that of 1880. As is shown by the State cen- 

 sus taken in 1885, this growth has been almost entirely 

 during the last five years of the decade. The induce- 

 ments which have attracted settlers are in the main 

 its fertile soil and its ample rainfall, which enable 

 farming to be carried on without irrigation over al- 

 most the entire State. The growth of Oregon, though 

 less_ rapid, has been at a rate of nearly 80 per cent, 

 during the past decade. The numerical increase has 

 been 138,999, of which over four fifths has been ac- 

 quired during the past five years. The additions to 

 its population are mainly in the valleys of the Colum- 

 bia and Willamette rivers. 



