Massachusetts
a State in the North Atlantic Division of the North American Union; bounded by Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode number of counties, 14; area, 8,040 New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and the Atlantic Ocean; one of the original 13 States; square miles; pop. (1890) 2,238,943; (1900) 2,805,346; (1910) 3,366,416; (1920) 3,852,356; capital, Boston.
The coast counties and rugged, with irregu- Topography. The surface of the State is mostly rough and lar mountain systems. The rounded hills, and rocky eminences on the coast. Cod is sandy are, however, mostly level, with low, Cape Cod Bay. There are numerous salt two mountain chains, the Taconic and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Between these ranges is the Hoosac valley, which at its N. end is 1,100 feet above the sea.
Mount Greylock and Mount Washington are the highest points of the State; the former has an altitude of 3,505 feet and marshes in the E. part of the State. The sac range to the Connecticut river vall W. part of Massachusetts is traversed by Hoosac, the latter a continuation of the the latter 2,624 feet. A rugged tableland 1,000 feet high extends E. from the Hoowith a series of trap ridges reaching their highest elevations in Mount Tom (1,200 feet) and Mount Holyoke (1,120 feet). The valleys of the Connecticut and Housatonic are noted for their beautiful scenery. The coast line is very irregular, being indented by numerous bays, the largest of these being Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and Buzzards, all of these afblood of Jesus Christ are really and truly offered to God under the species of bread of land extending in a semicircle around valley, MASSACHUSETTS cut, with its tributaries, the Westfield, Deerfield, Millers, and Chicopee rivers, forms the principal river system of the State. The Blackstone, Hoosac, Housatonic, Charles, Nashua, Taunton, and the Merrimac are large and navigable streams.
Geology. The rocks of Massachusetts are largely of metamorphic nature. The sands of the E. portion and Cape Cod are of glacial deposit. The rocks in the E. are of the Laurentian, Cambrian, and Carboniferous periods, and the Connecticut valley is largely Triassic. The mountains in the W. are chiefly of Silurian origin. The sandstones of the Connecticut valley are rich in fossil footprints. Mineral Production. -The most important mineral product is stone, especially granite. The value of the stone production is about $4,000,000 annually. Clay products are valued at about $2,000,000.
The total value of mineral products is about $7,000,000 per year. The State ranks first in the production of granite.
Soil. Most of the soil is too rocky for cultivation and is suited only for pasturage. In the central counties and in the river valleys the soil is more fertile, and agriculture is carried on to a small extent, the principal crops being garden vegetables, dairy products, hay, maple sugar, and cranberries. Of the latter, the sandy coast plains produce over 300,- 000 bushels annually.
Agriculture. The State is not an important producer of agricultural products, as its chief importance is industry. The production and value of the principal crops in 1919 was as follows: corn, 2,640,000 bushels, valued at $4,541,000; tobacco, 15,400,000 pounds, valued at $7,- 130,000; hay, 656,000 tons, valued at $17,712,000; potatoes, 2,970,000 bushels, valued at $5,643,000. The statistics of live stock are as follows: horses, about 65,000, valued at about $10,000,000; milch cows, about 160,000, valued at $10,500,000; cattle, about 85,000, valued at about $2,200,000; sheep, about 30,000, valued at about $175,000; swine, about 110,000, valued at about $1,700,000. The production of wool is about 130,000 pounds yearly.
Manufactures. - Massachusetts is preeminently a manufacturing State. The abundant water supply and transportation facilities give the State opportunities for the most varied manufactures. Lowell is noted as the largest carpet milling city in the United States. Worcester has the largest steel wire works in the world, and Holyoke ranks first in paper manufacturing, North Easton in shovels, and Lynn in electrical instruments. Lawrence is noted for its cotton and woolen MASSACHUSETTS mills; Haverhill, for shoe factories; Dalton, for note paper; Taunton, for cotton and silverware; Chicopee, for bronzes, automobiles and cotton; Roxbury, for rubber goods; Wakefield, for rattan; and many other cities and towns have individual industries. In 1914 there were in the State 12,013 manufacturing establishments. The wage earners numbered 606,698. The capital invested amounted to $1,548,961,000. There were paid in wages $341,310,000, and the value of the materials used amounted to $931,384,000, and the value of the completed products amounted to $1,641,373,000.
Banking. On Oct. 31, 1919, there were reported 159 National banks in operation, with $54,292,000 in capital, $21,306,- 950 in outstanding circulation, and $20,- 747,200 in United States bonds. There were also 196 mutual savings banks, with $1,089,550,000 in deposits, and 104 trust and loan companies with $37,406,000 capital and $31,661,000 surplus. Education. - The total enrollment for the public schools of the State in 1918 was 607,805. The average daily attendance was 506,478. The teachers, supervisors, and principals numbered 19,609. The State has always been notable for its progress in educational matters. Attention has been given in recent years to vocational education. There are many excellent private schools. The colleges include Harvard University, Amherst College, Williams College, Holy Cross College and Boston University.
For women there are Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and Wellesley College. Charities and Corrections. - The State takes abundant care of its dependents.
The charitable and correctional institutions in the State include the State Infirmary at Tewksbury, the State Farm at Bridgewater, the Norfolk State Hospital, the Lyman School for Boys at Westboro, the Industrial School for Boys at Shirley, the State Industrial School for Girls at Lancaster, and several sanitaria. The prisons include the State Prison in Boston, the Massachusetts Reformatory at Concord, the Reformatory for Women at Sherburn.
Churches. The strongest denominations in the State are the Roman Catholic; Congregational, Regular Baptist; Methodist Episcopal; Unitarian; Protestant Episcopal; Spiritualist, and Universalist. Finances. The total receipts for the fiscal year 1917 amounted to $55,402,628.
Expenditures amounted to $56,062,128.
At the close of the year there was a cash balance of $11,526,346. The funded debt of the State amounted to $126,555,662.
MASSACHUSETTS Railroads. The total mileage in the State for 1919 was 4,936 miles, of which about 2,141 miles was main track. The roads having the longest mileage were the Boston & Albany and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroads.
State Government. -The governor is elected for a term of one year. Legislative sessions are held annually begin ning on the first Wednesday in January, and are not limited as to length of time. The legislature has 40 members in the Senate and 240 in the House. There are 16 representatives in Congress. The State government in 1920 was Republican.
History. The history of Massachusetts begins with the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1620, though it is probable that portions of the coast were tem- MASSAUA setts was among the first to offer assistance to the National cause; and, till the final success of the Federal army, continued to perform a patriotic and liberal part.
MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, a non-sectarian institution in Amherst, Mass.; founded in 1863; reported at the close of 1919: Professors and instructors, 75; students, 500; volumes in the library, 61,439; income, $732,000; president, Kenyon L. Butterfield.