California (State in the Western)

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

a State in the Western which great streams of water were turned against the gravel banks. This process was successful, but by it the banks were rapidly swept away and the detritus threatened to choke the rivers, so that its use was soon prohibited by law. Gold is found in the metallic state, often associated with silver and other metals, on the slopes of the Sierras. It is also found in streams and alluvial deposits in coarse grains, and quartz deposits where it is extracted by amalgamation. A very rich quality of silver ४ occurs in small quantities, and magnetic iron and cinnabar abound in the Sierras. Pyrites of iron and copper are found in gold-bearing quartz, and a rich variety of argentiferous galena occurs in San Bernardino county. Other valuable mineral products are: tin, plumbago, cobalt, granites, marbles, sandstones, hydraulic limestones and bituminous coal. Mineral Production. - The combined output of gold, silver, copper, zinc, and lead mines for 1918 was valued at $32,- 223,500. The iron ore output was 25,000 gross tons. The yield of silver was 1,- 533,000 ounces, of copper 48,538,000 pounds, of lead 14,655,800 pounds, and of zinc 4,697,900 pounds. The gold production was valued at $16,528,953. The estimate for 1919 was of gold $17,320,- 250, silver $1,244,386, copper $4,236,934, lead $253,944, and zinc $68,533. The most notable development in the mineral production of California has been the extraordinary increase in the production of petroleum. The production in 1899 reached scarcely 2,000,000 barrels. This has increased in 1906 to 34,500,000 barrels, in 1914 to 86,450,797 barrels, and in 1918 to 97,531,997 barrels. In the production of petroleum California was exceeded in 1918 only by Oklahoma. The total value of the production of 1918 was $118,770,790. This development resulted from the discovery of oilbearing fields in various parts of the State. Soil. The soil varies with the surface conditions of the State. In the elevated portions it is rich, mellow, and easily worked, and timber land abounds. In the lower portions the soil varies from a rich loam to a heavy clay or adobe. What was formerly considered desert land can now, under irrigation, be turned into valuable agricultural districts. Agriculture.- The State is very rich in its agricultural interests. The acreage, production and value of the principal crops in 1919 was as follows: corn, 87,000 acres, with a production of 2,- 871,000 bushels, valued at $5,139,000; oats, 17 175,000 acres, with a production of 5,250,000 bushels, valued at - $5,040,000; wheat, 990,000 acres, with a uted as follows: State reform schools, production of 16,335,000 bushels, valued at $33,323,000; barley, 1,000,000 acres, with a production of 30,000,000 bushels, valued at $42,300,000; hay, 2,352,000 acres, with a production of 4,257,000 tons, valued at $73,220,000; beans, 395,- 000 acres, with a production of 4,464,000 bushels, valued at $19,418,000; potatoes, 88,000 acres, with a production of 11,- 352,000 bushels, valued at $19,412,000; cotton, 167,000 acres, with a production of 102,000 bales, valued at $21,930,000; rice, 142,000 acres, with a production of 7,881,000 bushels, valued at $21,042,000; and hops, 11,000 acres, with a production of 17,875,000 pounds, valued at $13,- 764,000. There were, in 1919, 88,197 farms, with a total acreage of 27,931,- 000, valued at $1,614,694,000. Manufacturing. -In 1914 there were nearly 5,000 manufacturing industries. There were 10,057 establishments, 176,- 547 workers engaged, with salaries and wages of $140,842,691. The capital invested was $736,105,455, and the value of the manufactured products was $712,- 800,764. The chief industries were meat packing, fruit and vegetable canning, lumber, foundry, and machine-shop products, flour and mill products, petroleum, and shipbuilding. Banking. In 1919 there were 290 National banks in operation, having $62,- 976,000 in capital, $22,017,000 in outstanding circulation, and $126,244,000 in United States bonds. There were also 298 State banks, with $34,391,000 in capital, $253,301,000 in deposits, and $342,137,000 in resources. In the year ending Sept. 30, 30, 1919, the exchange at the United States clearing houses in San Francisco aggregated $6,703,- 134,000. Education. The public school enrollment in 1918 was 596,155. There were 11,680 teachers in the elementary schools, and 2,882 in the high schools. The average salary of male teachers in the elementary schools was $905; female $895; in the high schools $1,450.64 for male teachers and $1,336.95 for female. The annual expenditure for schools is $34,133,122. There are 13 colleges with an enrollment of 15,136. The principal universities and colleges are: University of California (opened 1869, non-sectarian); Leland Stanford Junior University (1891, non-sectarian); St. Ignatius College (1855, Roman Catholic); Santa Clara College (1851, Roman Catholic), and the University University of Southern Califor nia (1880, Methodist Episcopal). See LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY;