18 



BULLETIN 354, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Occupational statistics show that 33 per cent of the total popu- 

 lation * are engaged in gainful occupations, and that 62.8 per cent 

 of that number are engaged in ' ' agriculture, fisheries, and mining," 

 the two latter of which are almost negligible.^ Almost three-fourths 

 of the men and boys engaged in any gainful occupation are employed 

 directly in agriculture. Literacy is a feature of population statistics 

 which has changed so considerably since the American occupation 

 that but little value attaches to the 1899 figures, which are the latest 

 , available. Some idea, however, can be gained by a comparison of 

 the school attendance, which has increased from between 2 and 3 per 



Il5, 



STATE mMlS W THE OPDER 1 

 Of TH£lf> TOTAL 0£/VSiry\POPULATIOfJ 

 OF POPULATION \pef> SQ.M/LE 



pe/tCEfrr 



OF PU'ffAt 

 POPULATION O 



II 



/ PM0O£ ISLAND. SOB.S. J.SYc 



Z MASSACHUS£TTS, 't/S.B 7.2%. 



3 f/£tvj£-pser. 337.7 £■*.&%. 



4. PORTO R/CO 3ZS.S 79. 37^ 



5 CONN£CT/CUT.f. .231.3 /03% 



6 NEtVYVfiK 131 .Z., Zf.ZX 



7 fi£NN3yL\/'AWA. JJ/.0 33.6% 



8 MAPYLAND*. /30.3. -fS.aX. 



3 DN/O //r. O •*<'. /Z.... 



10 D£LAWJi/i£ „./03.0. S^.O%.... 



11 ILLINOIS.., ..../00.6. 3a.37o.... 



'l5 A£NTUCKr S7.0... 7S.7% 



/4 T£NNE3SEE. SZ.'f-. 73.87c 



/S yiPSINIA ^SI.Z. 77.0%.,. 



/6 WEST y/PSINM?*. .so.s. ei.37„..„ 



17 SOUTH CAPOLIN/l.t -fa.T. _ 3J.^Z .... 



Zf nOPTH CAROLINA 43.3. 83. 



^^ eEOPGiA, ..^^-.f. ao.oVc... 



B4- ALABAMA -^/.T. 62.7%.... 



as /OIVA.. -V-OO. 70.07<,.... 



27 MI3SISSIPP/. 38.8. ; 68.3%.... 



28 .LOUISIANA 3e.S. 70.0Z.... 



23 APA-AN3A3.*.. 30.0. 87.1% 



33 OflLAHOMA*. 23.9. .80.7%.. 



34 /(AN3AS* .....20.7. 70.8Z. 



SS /VE3PA3lfA?.*. IS.S 733%. 



37 CALIFORNIA?. IS.3. 33.Z7c. 



38 7E.XA3 /-f-.e 7S3Z 



3T/!r£S MAK/ceo THUS B CLOSELY APPPOX/MATC POXTO PICO IN YNE Nl/M8£R OF THEIP /!l/PAL POPl/LAT/OA/ 

 3rAT£S MAP/fEO TfUS * /lAYE 6POS3 POPULATIONS £XC££OIN6 THAT OP POP TO PICO WITLESS THAN 36 ^ 



Fig. 5. — Comparative density of populations, showing graphically the relative position of Porto Rico and 



certain selected States. 



cent of the' total population during the year following the close of 

 the Spanish-American War to 14.4 per cent in 1912.^ In 1899, of the 

 total population over 10 years of age, only 16.6 percent could read. 



TRANSPORTATION. 



The mountainous character of the island, the heavy and unctuous 

 qualities of the soil, and the excessive rainfall conspire to render road 

 building both expensive and difficult, so that until comparatively 



• Thlslow percentage of persons engaged in gainful occupationsis occasioned largely lay the abnormally 

 large number of women and of children under 10 years of age, most of whom are enumerated in the 

 dependent class. Thus 30.9 per cent of the total population are children under 10 years of age, and 43.9 per 

 cent under 15 years. (Census, 1899). 



2 The census of 1899 showed but 455 fishermen and 48 miners or quarrymen on the entire island. 



' Report of the Commissioner of Education (Annual Reports, War Department, fiscal year ending June 

 30, 1912, Report of the Governor of Porto Rico). 



