MARYLAND 



3674 



MARYLAND 



than that of the coastal plain. Corn, wheat, 

 hay and forage are grown extensively in this 

 section. On the west slope of the Blue Ridge 

 Mountains, the soil is peculiarly adapted to the 

 growing of peaches. The principal fruit crop 

 of the state is the apple, Anne Arundel County 

 being the best apple-producing section. The 

 most important of the small fruits is the straw- 

 berry. For many years Maryland produced 

 more strawberries than any other state, but has 

 recently been surpassed by three states, New 

 York, California and Missouri. 



The farm lar is in 1910, occupying eighty-two 

 per cent of the total area of the state, totaled 

 5,057,140 acres, of which 4,504,693 acres were 

 owned or worked by white farmers. The farms 

 average 103.4 acres in size and $32.32 per acre 

 in value. The cultivation of flowers and nur- 

 sery products is important, and beekeeping is 

 extensive. The total value of crops is about 

 $50,000,000 a year, of which fifty per cent is in 

 corn and wheat. 



The live-stock section of the state is in the 

 central plateau region, Hagerstown valley and 

 the central section of the east shore. Dairy 

 farming and poultry raising are important 

 branches of this industry! The dairy product 

 exceeds $5,000,000 in yearly value, and the in- 

 come from poultry products is even larger. 



Minerals. By far the most important min- 

 eral product of Maryland is coal, most of which 

 is mined in Garrett County and in the Cum- 

 berland field and George's Creek, in Alleghany 

 County. The coal is of two kinds, bituminous 

 (soft) and semibituminous. Most of the prod- 

 uct is of the latter variety, which is the best 

 quality found in the United States for the 

 generation of steam and for blacksmithing pur- 

 poses. The coal deposits, discovered in the 

 Forestburg area in 1804, were not extensively 

 worked until 1842, when railroad transportation 

 was secured. Since the War of Secession the 

 output has steadily increased, and for a number 

 of years the average production has been about 

 4,000,000 long tons annually. Maryland usually 

 ranks fourteenth among the states in coal pro- 

 duction. The methods of mining are not mod- 

 ern, and ninety-five per cent of the coal is still 

 mined by hand. 



Clay-working and stone-quarrying are next 

 in importance. The value of the clay products 

 of the state is about $2,000,000 a year. Mary- 

 land is one of the few states which produce 

 slate used in roofing. White marble is found 

 in Baltimore County. Granite, limestone, sand, 

 gravel and lime are other important products. 



The value of the mineral output including min- 

 eral waters is about $11,000,000 annually. 



Fisheries. In proportion to Maryland's popu- 

 lation, fishing is a more extensive occupation 

 than in any other state of the Union. The 

 sheltered waters of Chesapeake Bay and its 

 shallow estuaries yield more oysters than are 

 produced in any other state. The oyster prod- 

 uct is nearly 6,000,000 bushels a year, valued 

 at about $2,750,000, which is nearly seventy-five 

 per cent of the entire fisheries output of the 

 state. In the rivers, shad, soft and hard crabs, 

 striped bass, perch, sturgeon and terrapin are 

 caught in large quantities. In recent years, the 

 value of Maryland's fisheries has decreased, 

 falling from $6,460,759 in 1870 to $3,405,900 in 

 1914. In the latter year there were 8,400 fisher- 

 men and 1,100 fishing vessels in the state. 



Manufactures. Since the early settlement of 

 Maryland, manufacturing has been an impor- 

 tant industry. The chief industry is the manu- 

 facture of men's clothing, in the production of 

 which Maryland ranks fourth among the states. 

 In 1914, with an output of manufactured goods 

 valued at almost $377,000,000, more than $280 

 per capita, Maryland ranked fourteenth among 

 the manufacturing states. The canning and 

 preserving of fruits, vegetables, fish and oysters 

 are important; Maryland produces almost half 

 of the canned tomatoes used in the United 

 States. Baltimore, ranking thirteenth among 

 the manufacturing cities of the United States, 

 is the chief industrial center. Cumberland, 

 Hagerstown and Frederick are next in impor- 

 tance. 



Transportation. Maryland has ample traffic 

 facilities, both by land and by sea. The chief 

 railroads are the Baltimore & Ohio, one of the 

 first railroads of the United States; the Phila- 

 delphia, Baltimore & Washington; the Western 

 Maryland; the Chesapeake & Atlantic; the 

 Northern Central and the West Virginia & 

 Pittsburgh lines. In 1914 there were 1,401. 

 miles of steam railroad and 945 miles of elec- 

 tric railway in Maryland. The Chesapeake & 

 Ohio Canal, which in 1850 opened navigation 

 on the Potomac from Georgetown to Cumber- 

 land, now is used chiefly for the transportation 

 of coal. 



Unusual facilities for water transportation 

 are afforded by Chesapeake Bay and the wide, 

 navigable rivers. Thirty-three steamship lines 

 enter Baltimore, which is one of the best ports 

 of the Atlantic and which in 1914 ranked sec- 

 ond in the exportation of grain and first in the 

 export of coal. The Chesapeake & Delaware 



