IOWA
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IOWA
irregular lines of bluffs. The pictiu-esque ravines
and bold rocky bluffs, ranging in height from 200 to
400 feet, along the Mississippi from Dubuque north-
wards, lend to that portion of the river a striking
beauty all its own. There is but little native forest
in the state, the timber being chiefly confined to the
valleys of the rivers and the bordering bluffs. It was
found, however, that all deciduous trees throve on
the soil of the prairies; by special legislation, offering
fiscal privileges, the farmers were encouraged to
plant, and now woodland groves near the farm-
houses are seen in all parts of the state, adding
picturesqueness to the scenery. The principal trees
are the cottonwood, ash, elm, maple, hickory, black
walnut, poplar, box-elder, cedar, and varieties of oak.
There are no miasmatic bottomlands in the state;
the air is dry and invigorating, and the general cli-
matic influences salubrious. During the last ten
years (1899 to 190S inclusive) the average ex-
tremes of temperature were 102° above to 31° below
zero; the average mean temperature was 48° above
zero. During the same time the average rainfall was
33 inches. For the year 1908, the mean temperature
was 49-5°; the highest temperature was 101° (3
August) in Mahaska and Wapello Counties in the
southern part of the state; the lowest temperature
reported for the year was 18° below zero (29 January)
in Emmet and Wiimebago Counties in the northern
part of the state. The average amount of rain and
melted snow for the year was 35-26 inches.
Industries and General Social Conditions. — Iowa has less waste land than any other of the United States, 97 per cent of its surface being tillable. The soil of the greater part of the state consists of a dark drift loam from two to five feet deep and of wonderful fertility. In the western part of the state is found the bluff soil, or loess, believed to be the deposit of the winds from the plains of Kansas and Dakota; this soil is deep and very rich, and is peculiarly adapted to the growth of fruit trees. The soil of the river valleys consists of waste carried down from higher levels, and is known as alluvium; it is the richest soil in the state. Because of the richness of its soil Iowa has long held a leading place among the agricultural states of the Union. Travellers over the state cannot but be impressed by the sight of its vast fields of Indian corn and oats. More than one-half of its population are engaged in farming. The value of the agricul- tural products of the state in 1908, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, was $376,076,646. This includes 287,456,000 bushels of Indian corn, valued at $149,477,000, and 110,444,000 bushels of oats, valued at $46,386,000. The state ranks first in the production of oats and in the number of swine; second only to Illinois in the production of corn, second to Texas in the number of neat cattle, second to New York in the number of dairy cows, and second to Illinois in the number of horses. Iowa is famous for its dairy products, and the State Department of Agriculture estimates the value of these products for the year 1908 at .$44,500,000.
The most important mineral dt'iiosit in the state is bituminous coal; the coal-ficlils include an area of approximately 20,000 square miles in the southern and central parts of the state. The output in 1908 was 7,149,517 tons, valued at $11,772,228. Gypsum for stucco and plaster is fovmd in Webster County, and clay for tile- and brick-making is al)undant. In the year 1908 the value of clay products was $4,078,- 627. The mines in the vicinity of Dubuque, which attracted tlu; first white people to the state, and which became known as the Mines of Spain, are still yielding leail and zinc ore. The manufactures of the state are steadily increasing, becau.se of its growth and prosperity, anrl the possi-ssion of native coal. The valu(! of the out|)ut of manufactures for the last statistical year, 19f)5, was $l(i(),.572,313. The Missis-
sippi is now the only river navigable for large boats,
the shifting channel and sand-bars of the Missouri
constituting great obstacles to navigation. But the
facilities for transportation are excellent, the state
being covered by a network of railways, including
seven great trunk lines. The total mileage of rail-
ways in the state, in 1908, was 9886-2 and the total
mileage of electric interurban railways was 245-18.
According to Federal estimates made in 1908, the
population of Iowa was 2,196,970. By the last State
Census (1905) the population — 2,210,050 — was made
up of: 1,264,443 native whites of native parentage;
648,532 native whites of foreign parentage; 282,296
foreign-born whites; 14,831 coloured. There were
only 53 Chinese in the state ; but 39 per cent of the
foreign-born population were born in Germany.
.\dded to the immigrants from Germany, those from
Sweden, Norway, and Denmark make 63-69 per cent
of the foreign-born population derived from Teutonic
races. Eight per cent of the foreign-born came from'
Ireland. Most of the native-born population are
descendants of immigrants from the New England
States, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois.
There were many Frenchmen among the earliest
settlers (Bishop Loras preached sermons in the cathe-
dral in French as well as in English), but there are
now but few descendants of French families in the
state. Prior to 1852, the immigrants from foreign
countries were largely from Ireland and Germany,
with the Irish in the majority; these immigrants
settled in the eastern part of the state, and there were
among them a large proportion of Catholics. But
since that year the immigration has been largely
from the Teutonic nations. The State Census of 1905
gives the membership of the four leading Churches
as follows: Methodist Episcopal, 162,688; Catholic,
158,000; Lutheran, 91,889; Presbyterian, 47,765.
According to Federal estimates in 1908, Des Moines,
the capital and largest city, had a population of 83,-
717; the next largest cities in order are Dubuque,
Sioux City, and Davenport.
An admirably organized system of public schools exists throughout the state, generous provision for that purpose having been made by the State Con- stitution. The schools are supported chiefly by local taxation and the interest on the permanent school fund. Education is compulsory, the parents and guardians of children between the ages of seven and fourteen years inclusive being compelled to send them to some public, parochial, or private school for at least sixteen consecutive weeks during each school year. By statute passed in 1909, the attendance of the children during these sixteen weeks is excused for such time as they are attending religious service or receiving religious instruction. The State Superin- tendent of Public Instruction has general supervision of the public schools. In each county there is elected a county superintendent. Some of the townships of the counties constitute each a single district having one or two central schools, but generally the town- ships are subdivided into subdistricts and indepemlent districts; where the latter consist of cities, the schools are managed by boards of education. No religious instruction is given, the Bible is not excluded from any public school or institution, but no pupil can be required to read it contrary to the wishes of his parent or guardian.
In 1908 the number of schoolhouses was 13,914, the number of teachers 27,950, the enrolment of pupils .526,269, and the total appropriation for educa- tional purposes for the year .W,936,3G3. There are 534 high schools in the state in which the course of study, generally speaking, covers four years. The State University, the head of the public school .system, is located at Iowa City. It was estalilished in 1847; in 1908 it had 164 professors an<l instructors, and 231.5 students enrolled. The Stat(! also maintains
