Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1873 [PAGE 215]

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211 $1,045. The counties producing in excess of $50,000 are Bureau, Edgar, Fayette, Fulton, Hancock, Johnson, Knox, Madison, Marion, McLean, Eandolph, Eock Island, Sangamon, St. Clair, Tazewell, Vermilion, Washington, Wayne. These indicate pretty well the regions where orchard fruits are well established and successful. It will be noticed that they are very generally counties along the great rivers. In the produce of market gardens, as we might anticipate, the counties near the great cities come first. Cook produced, in 1869, the value of $149,489, St. Clair (opposite St. Louis,) $93,142, and Madison, lying next to St. Clair, $69,753. Some counties return nothing, and many but a few dollars, showing that we have yet much advancement to make in that direction. This is still more obvious when we make comparisons with other States. The value of the product of market gardens was only $765,992 in Illinois, and it was excelled in this respect by seven other States, among which are Maryland and Massachusetts. The value of forest products, as might be expected of a prairie State, is not very great—$1,087,144—less than that of thirteen other States. Of our own counties, curious to say, Knox stands first, DeWitt second, Henderson third and McHenry fourth ) although popular belief would have assigned those places to some of our southern and more wooded counties. I very much suspect that the returns were imperfect. Home manufactures, as given in the census, indicate a more primitive state of society where they abound, and hence while we find Illinois to have the value of $1,408,015, wre are not surprised to find it outranked, not only by the large States of New York and Pennsylvania, but also by such States as Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee, the products of wliose home manufactures exceed in value those of any other State, So in Illinois itself. The county of Wayne, far down in southeastern Egypt, reports $280,773 in home manufactures, and is followed by its neighbor, Hamilton, with $98,620, while the great county of LaSalle has $91,928, and McLean only $74,694. The county of Cook reports but $605. In the value of animals slaughtered and sold for slaughter, Illinois occupies an enviable position. It amounted to $56,718,944, the next State being Ohio, with $40,498,375. This represents, however, not only animals grown, but those fed and fattened, and probably overstates the fact. Still the production of beef and other meats is great. Sangamon leads with a valuation of $2,293,734; McLean comes next with $2,133,735, and Knox is third with $1,891,483. Fifteen counties in all exceed $1,000,000 each. The counties that rate low are Alexander with $40,806, followed by Pulaski and'Massacas heretofore. In value of all live stock, Illinois comes second to New York. The latter has a valuation of $175,882,712, whilst Illinois has $149,756,698.