ARKANSAS. 



ASSOCIATIONS, SCIENCE. 



31 



ganese, the total value of the product for the census 

 year being $23,173. The total production of coal was 

 279,584 tons, which were sold for $395,836. The 

 capital invested in the coal-mining industry is $1,289,- 

 751. The total paid in wages during the year was 

 $252,679. 



In the State there are 213,620 homes and farms. 

 Of the 66,650 homes. 21,896 are owned by the families 

 living in them, and of these 1,280 are mortgaged. 

 The debt on owned homes is $1,081,425, bearing in- 

 terest at an average rate of 9'6 per cent. The num- 

 ber of families renting houses is 44,754. The number 

 of farms is 146,970 ; total acreage of farms, 14,891,356 ; 

 i number of acres improved, 5,475,043 ; value of land, 

 "'fences, and buildings, $118,574,422; of farming im- 

 plements and machinery, $5,672,400; of live stock, 

 $30,772,880. The number of families renting farms 

 is 67,695 ; number of farms owned by families operat- 

 ing them is 79,275 ; of these, 3.314 are mortgaged, the 

 amount of encumbrance being $2,032,345, which is 

 44-38 per cent, of their value ; the average interest 

 charged is 9-35 per cent., making the average annual 

 interest charge $57 to each family. Each owned and 

 encumbered farm is worth, on the average, $1,382. 



Arkansas produced 54,325,673 gallons of milk, 15,- 

 724,144 pounds of butter, and 21,328 pounds of cheese. 

 It planted 1,700,758 acres in cotton, which produced 

 691,494 bales ; 2 acres in flax, which yielded 12 bush- 

 els of seed and 26 pounds of fiber ; 2,470 acres in rye, 

 which yielded 15,181 bushels; 140,464 acres in wheat, 

 the yield being 955,668 bushels; 1,648,443 in corn, 

 from which was harvested 33,982,318 bushels. The 

 crop of oats consisted of 4,810,877 bushels grown on 

 288,332 acres ; 7,110 pounds of rice were also produced. 



Church Statistics. The number of church 

 organizations in Arkansas is 4,874 ; the number 

 of edifices is 2,791 : seating capacity of church 

 buildings, 1,041,040 ; value of church property, 

 $3,260,663; number of church members, 296,- 

 208. A little more than one fourth of the popu- 

 lation of Arkansas are members of some religious 

 organization. 



Penitentiary. In accordance with the law 

 passed at the last session of the Legislature, the 

 State assumed charge of the Penitentiary May 

 7, 1893, with an appropriation of $30,000. For 

 twenty years prior to that date it had been 

 leased. In August, 1894, the superintendent 

 reported that the institution, through the hiring 

 out of convict labor, had become more than self- 

 sustaining, and that the death rate of convicts 

 had decreased nearly 50 per cent. The cost for 

 transportation of convicts from the county jails 

 during 1892 was $36.84 per capita. Under the 

 present law, from May 7, 1893, to May 7, 1894, 

 539 convicts were brought to the Penitentiary at 

 a cost of $7.33 each. This includes the salary 

 of the transportation agent and all other ex- 

 penses. The Penitentiary leases or works on 

 shares the land that it cultivates. In August it 

 had 2,800 acres planted in cotton in Chicot 

 County, and 600 in Lonoke County, which it 

 was farming on shares. On 400 acres of rented 

 land enough corn was in cultivation to furnish 

 feed for stock and bread for convicts for the 

 next year. The Penitentiary cost the State 

 $12.523.40 for the twenty-two months from Oct. 

 1, 1892, to Aug. 1, 1894. In addition to this 

 sum, between Oct. 1, 1892. and Oct. 1, 1894, 

 $6,691 was paid for the apprehension of fugi- 

 tives, and $1,118.70 for inquests on convicts. 

 By a cyclone, Oct. 2, the Penitentiary buildings 

 were damaged to the amount of $20,000 ; 1 con- 

 vict was killed, 7 were injured, and 2 guards 

 were severely hurt. 



Education. The total enumeration of school 

 children for 1894 was 425,349; the enrollment 

 was 285.159, or 67 per cent. The common-school 

 fund apportionment was $310,504.77, and a bal- 

 ance of $1,657.14 remained in the State treasury. 

 The expenditures for 1893 and 1894 were : For 

 teachers' salaries, $1,171,454.16 in 1893, and 

 $1,051,608.91 in 1894; for houses, sites, build- 

 ing, repairs, apparatus, and commissions, $166,- 

 528.61 in 1893, and $193,209.56 in 1894; for 

 Arkansas Industrial University, $20,350 in 1893, 

 and $22,550 in 1894 : for district normal schools^ 

 $4,920 in 1893, and $3,000 in 1894; for branch 

 normal schools, $6,375 in 1893 ; for School for 

 the Blind, $30,079.55 in 1893; for Deaf Mute 

 Institute, $32,528.15 in 1893 ; and, for the last 

 three, the same amounts in 1894. The appro- 

 priations by the Legislature to the various edu- 

 cational institutions of the State for 1893 and 

 1894 were $199,9^)5.39, making a total revenue 

 for school purposes of $1,280,041.91 in 1893, and 

 $1,283,715.11 in 1894. Except the Legislative 

 appropriation, this was derived as follows : From 

 State tax, about three twelfths, $301,743.10 in 

 1893, and $331,070.02 in 1894 ; poll tax, about 

 two twelfths, $168,139.09 in 1893, and $155,- 

 361.45 in 1894; local tax, about seven twelfths, 

 $699,065.12 in 1893, and $676,459.76 in 1894; 

 other sources, $16,789.90 in 1893, and $26,231.19 

 in 1894 ; total, $1,185,729.21 in 1893, and $1,189,- 

 122.42 in 1894. The property valuation on 

 which the tax was estimated was $177,011,247 in 



1893, and $175,708,834 in 1894. 



Lunatic Asylum. The expenses of the State 

 Lunatic Asylum for 1894 were $159,791.12. The 

 cyclone of Oct. 2 destroyed the male side of the 

 main building and the annex of the asylum. 

 Dr. Jacob T. Ingate, second assistant physician^ 

 was crushed to death in the ruins. Drs." Robert- 

 son and Wells lost all their personal effects. 

 There were 260 patients in the asylum when the 

 crash came. The damage to the asylum build- 

 ings was estimated at $100,000. 



Mineral Discoveries. In southern and 

 southeastern Arkansas apparently inexhaustible 

 beds of clay and ocher have been found. The 

 ocher shows an unusually heavy body, and has 

 been made up in over 40 different tints. In 

 Bradley County 52 varieties of clays have been 

 secured ; it possesses the best material for com- 

 mon and pressed brick, vitrified brick, tile, terra 

 cotta, pottery, and vitrified piping. Silicates of 

 alumina also have been found, and in Columbia 

 County extensive deposits of kaolin of the best 

 quality. 



Cyclone. On the evening of Oct. 2 a cyclone, 

 lasting about three minutes, swept over Little 

 Rock, killing 4 persons, injuring 37, and damag- 

 ing property to the amount of $1,000,000. 



Political. At the November election the 

 Democrats carried the State by a majority of 

 about 30,000 in a total vote of 120,000, 'and 

 elected the six members of Congress. 



ASSOCIATIONS FOR THE ADVANCE- 

 MENT OF SCIENCE. American. The for- 

 ty-third meeting of the American Association 

 was held in Brooklyn, N. Y., during Aug. 15-24, 



1894. The officers of the meeting were : Presi- 

 dent, Daniel G. Brinton, of Media, Pa. Vice- 

 presidents of sections: A, George C. Comstock, 

 Madison, Wis. ; B, William A. Rogers, Water- 



