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THE,UTILITY OF COMMON STATISTICS 33
to fill up the country with a rural population to the
level of the older States, while the same increase would
go a very long way towards filling up the last group in
the same way. But the speed with which the vacuum
will be filled will probably be even greater. The popu-
lation in the new regions grows at an increasing rate
as regards amounts. In 1840 the population in the
third group w.as about 74,000 only; in 1850 it had in-
creased by rather more than 800,000; by 1860 there
had l¥!en a further increase of 2 millions; by 1870
there had been another addition of 2 millions; and
between 1870 and 1880 there is an addition of nearly
4 millions. Thus only in one decennial period, viz .•
between 1860 and 1870, is the increase less than about
double what it had been in the previous decennial
period. The increase of population in this new region
at the past rate would therefore be, not 4 millions, but
8 millions, or about half what is required to fill up the
region with a rural population to the level of the
thirteen original States. By 1890, therefore, not only
will the second group of States very probably be filled
up to the level of the thirteen original States, but the
work of filling up the last group of all will have ad-
vanced very nearly towards completion. In another
ten years, that is by 1900, assuming the same pro-
gressive rate of increase, the addition to the popula-
tion in the last group of all would be 16 millions,
which would be far more than sufficient to fill up the
vacuum.
There is still another way of looking at the matter.
During the decennial period 1870.80, the increase of
population in the United States was about equally
distributed between the three groups-about 4 millions
to each, the increase in the first group being, however,
mainly in the cities. Assuming an equal division of
the 50 millions additional population whi(:h will be on
the territory of the United States in twenty-five years
. -and it is more likely that the Western States will
have a larger proportionate share-this would give 16
II. D