NEW HAMPSHIRE 8 57 



foreign parents, 19.5% in 1900 and 23.9% in 1910) and the foreign-born whites increased 

 from 21.4% to 22.4%. In 26 municipalities with more than 2,500 there was 59.2% 

 of the total (55% in 1900)* The cities and towns with more than 5,000 were: Man- 

 chester, 70,063; Nashua, 26,005; Concord, 21,497; Dover, 13,247; Berlin, 11,780; Ports- 

 mouth, 11,269; Laconia, 10,183; Keene, 10,068; Rochester, 8,868; Claremont, 7,529; 

 Somersworth, 6,704; Franklin, 6,132; Lebanon (town), 5,718; Derry, 5,123. 



Agriculture. The acreage in farms decreased from 3,609,864 to 3,249,458 between 

 1900 and 1910 and the improved land in farms from 1,076,879 to 929,185; the average 

 farm acreage fell from 123.1 to 120.1 but the value of farm property increased from 85,842,- 

 096 to $103,704,196 ($44,519,047 land; $41,397,014 buildings; $5,877,657 implements; 

 $11,910,478 domestic animals). Of the land area 56.2% was in farms. The average value 

 of farm land per acre was $13.70. Farms were operated largely by owners (24,493 by owners. 

 681 by managers 1,879 by tenants. In 1912 (preliminary estimates) the principal crops 

 were: Indian corn, 1,058,000 bu. (23,000 A.); oats, 468,000 bu. (12,000 A.); barley, 28,- 

 ooo bu. (1,000 A.); buckwheat, 31,000 bu. (1,000 A.); potatoes, 2,380,000 bu. (17,000 A.); 

 hay, 626,000 tons (501,000 A.); and tobacco, 170,000 Ibs. (100 A.). On January I, 1912 there 

 were on farms: 46,000 horses, 97,000 milch cows, 65,000 other neat cattle, 43,000 sheep and 

 53,000 swine. In 1909 (U. S. Census) the value of vegetables, excluding potatoes, was $i,- 

 071,551 (from 8,855 acres); of orchard fruits, $719,777 (apples, $637,990); of small fruits, 

 $107,365 .(strawberries, $68,552); and of maple sugar and syrup, $182,341. The decrease in 

 acreage of cereals in 1899-1909 was more rapid than that in the acreage of vegetables. 



Laws of 1911 provide for stricter protection of state forests, and regulate the sale of con- 

 centrated commercial feeding stuffs. In 1912 the National Forest Reservation Commission 

 recommended the purchase of 72,252 acres in Coos and Grafton counties for a national forest, 

 under the Weeks Act of March I, 1911. 



Mineral Products. Total value, 1911, $1,727,645. The only large item is granite, 

 $1,017,272. Clay products were valued at $430,748. Mineral waters, bottled at 6 springs, 

 including I resort, were valued at $139,130. In each of these items the total was less than 

 in the preceding year. Ja scythestones the state ranked first. Other products were garnets, 

 used as abrasives, mica and fluorspar. ~ 



Manufactures. From 1904 to 1909 the number of establishments increased from 1,618 

 to 1,961 and that of persons engaged in manufacturing from 69,758 (65,366 wage-earners) to 

 84,191 (78,658 wage-earners); capital invested from $109,495,000 to $139,990,000; and 

 value of products from $123,611,000 to $164,581,000. The principal products were: boots 

 and shoes, $39,440,000; cotton goods, $33,602,000; woollen, worsted and felt goods, $16,731,- 

 ooo; lumber and timber products, $15,284,000; paper and wood pulp, $13,994,000; foundry 

 and machine-shop products, $4,947,000; hosiery and knit goods, $4,764,000; flour and grist- 

 mill products, $3,187,000; and marble and stone-work, $1,818,000. The principal manufac- 

 turing cities were: Manchester, $46,812,000; Nashua, $17,326,000; Concord, $6,476,500; 

 Dover, $6,370,000; : Berlin, $5,896,600; Laconia, $3,818,500; Keene, $3,483,000; and Ports- 

 mouth, $2,871,000 (not including $1,153,000 from Kittery Navy Yard). 



Transportation. Railway mileage, January I, 1912, 1,253.12. Freight rates in force 

 were validated until July 1913, after an investigation had started upon the charge that the 

 Boston & Maine railway, with a practical monopoly of the rail traffic in the state, was charg- 

 ing higher rates than in 1889, when a law forbade the increase of rates by roads uniting or 

 consolidating thereafter. The Boston & Maine agreed to restore the previous rate if the 

 legislature granted it no relief. On December 2, 1912, the public service commission recom- 

 mended the establishment, with the railway's consent, of rational maximum rates. In 1911 

 the Federal government began work on improvements of the Exeter river and on improving 

 Portsmouth harbour on the Maine side at Pepperells Cove, where the depth over the ledge 

 is to be increased from 5 to 12 ft. and the harbour depth from i-u to 12 ft. 



Government. A constitutional convention (called by the legislature in 1911) met at 

 Concord in June 1912, and submitted to the people for their approval at the regular 

 election in November 1912 twelve amendments to the state constitution. Only four 

 received the requisite two-thirds vote: (i) Disfranchising and making ineligible for 

 office anyone convicted of treason, bribery or wilful violation of election laws, unless 

 restored by the supreme court, to which this amendment gives this power (22,383 to 

 8,322); (2). Making the election of the governor, councilors and senators by plu- 

 rality instead of majority vote (21,120 to 9,801) this will render impossible a recur- 

 rence of the situation which arose in 1912, when no candidate was chosen at the popular 

 election (see History below) ; (3) Empowering the legislature to give police courts origi- 

 nal jurisdiction to try criminal cases where the punishment is less than imprisonment in 

 the state prison subject to the right of appeal and trial by jury (18,606 to 8,291); and 

 (4) Making the division of the state and of councilor districts dependent upon population 



