An examination of long-term trends in capital formation and financing in the U.S., this study is organized primarily around the principal capital-using sectors of the economy: agriculture, mining and manufacturing, public utilities, non-farm residential real estate, and government. The analysis summarizes major trends in real capital formation and financing, and the factors that determined the trends. Originally published in 1961. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.