Several of Loudoun's more important enterprises were launched subsequent to the last general census and this circumstance renders its reports of manufactures, at no time complete or entirely reliable, of uncertain value as a symposium of the County's manufacturing interests at the present time. However, they are the latest reports obtainable and constitute the only official statistical exhibit of this subordinate source of wealth. They afford at least a partial insight into the present status of the manufacturing interests of Loudoun and, to this end, are reprinted below:
Number of establishments 164 Number of proprietors and firm members 197
Capital: Expenses: Land $25,957 Fuel and rent of power Buildings 79,350 and heat $8,811 Machinery, etc 104,402 Miscellaneous 12,935 Cash and sundries 141,548 Cost of materials used 424,538 -------- -------- Total $351,257 Total $446,284
The tables appearing under this and the two succeeding kindred headings were constructed from the latest general census reports, and are a most complete and trustworthy statistical exhibit of the agricultural resources and products of Loudoun County. TABLE I.--_Value of all farm property, including implements and machinery and live stock, with increase and decrease, and per cent of increase and decrease, by decades: Summary 1850 to 1900._
--------+----------------+-----------------+------------+------------ Census | Value of | Increase in | Per cent | Average year. | all farm | decade. | of | value per | property. | | increase. | farm. --------+----------------+-----------------+------------+------------ 1900 | $11,056,109 00 | $971,459 00 | 9.6 | $5,675 62 1890 | 10,084,650 00 | [#]729,731 00 | [#]6.7 | 5,547 11 1880 | 10,814,381 00 | [#]1,437,636 00 | [#]11.7 | 5,874 19 1870[##]| 12,252,017 00 | 323,187 00 | 2.7 | 9,896 62 1860 | 11,928,830 00 | 2,446,073 00 | 25.7 | 9,883 04 1850 | 9,482,757 00 | | | 7,549 97 --------+----------------+-----------------+------------+------------
An especially great increase in the total value of farm property will be noted in the decade from 1850 to 1860. Then followed the Civil War with its great destruction of farm property, and from this disaster the County did not fully recover before 1890.