7o8 



READINGS IN RURAL ECONOMICS 



plains of Dakota is sufficient to furnish one hundred and forty 

 in Boston with bread. Not thus, however, with social wants ; 

 they are unlimited and tend to multiply faster than population. 

 Consequently, in satisfying such wants, it is economically possible 

 to substitute machinery or natural forces for man in increasing 

 the volume and cheapening the cost of the needed commodities. 

 The labor thereby set free is again absorbed, either in meeting 

 the greatly increased consumption brought about by cheaper pro- 

 duction, or in satisfying other social wants which it is the nature 

 of a progressive society to evolve. 



Owing to such facts, although the number of persons ten 

 years of age or over employed at farming declined from 20.78 

 per cent of the population in 1870 to 17.48 per cent in 1890, 

 the number of persons employed in all remunerative employments 

 advanced from 32.43 per cent to 34.68 per cent ; the number 

 engaged in manufacturing and mechanical industries increased 

 from 8.28 per cent in i860 to 10.74 per cent in 1890; and 

 those engaged in trade, transportation, domestic service, and pro- 

 fessional employments increased in the same period from 13.7 

 per cent to 19.74 per cent. 



The following table reflects the more rapid production of 

 urban than of rural wealth : 



These figures tell their own story. With less than half the 

 capital employed in agriculture, manufactures and mining have 

 since 1870 annually created a per capita product two to three 



