Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-09-12
OUR LONDON LETTER.
Regular Corresnondence.

| Regular Correspondence.
In an official report to Sir E. Thornton,
Mr.. Victor Drummond stated that during
| the year ending June Both, 1873, the value
| Of cotton and breadstuffs exported to the
| United Kingdom exceeded the value Of the
| total imports of merchandise from the
United Kingdom into the United States.
| In later report, dated Washington, April
s, 1879, just published by the Foreign Of
| tlce, Mr.. DrummOnd says this short para
! graph sums up the present commercial re
I 1atIOnS OF the two countries. As some
| slight consolation to the English lundown-
erS and farmers who are suffering from this
competition, he remarks that American
landowners and farmers in the Eastern and
Northeastern States also complain Of the
competition of the Western and North
Western States in farming produce:
This condition Of things arises from the
low rates, both by rail and water. from the
Western and Northwestern States to the
Atlantic ports, and from the development
of the agricultural interests in those States,
due to their practically ilhmiJable capacity
for agricultural productions, to the fact
that the cost of production is much less
than in the more eaSterly States, and TO
the fact that the railroad system of the
country has been widely extended through
out these States, thereby securing cheap.
rapid, and regular transportation. Dur
ing the year 1866 the average rate for the
carriage of wheat from Chicago to New
York by lake and Erie canal was a little
over p cents per bushel, but during the
year 1873, by the same route, the average
rate was u cents, and by rail u cents.
During the present year the average cost of
transporting wheat from the region of the
Red River of the North, in the northern
part of the State of Minnesota. to the city
Of New York has been only 26 cents per
buShel. This Is q marvel of cheap freight.
During the last 21 years the exports Of
bread-stutfS from the United States have
increased enormously. In 1860 they were
valued at S24 400, 900; in 1913 the bread
and breadstuffs exported were valued at
SlS1, ia, 600. In 1877 the total produc-
tiOn of wheat was 364, 1913, 600 bushels,
produced on an area of 26,277,000 acres,
an average yield per acre of 1873 bushels.
This was the highest average yield during
ten years, the annual average yield Of the
years lS6S-77 being -. .12 bushels per acre.
The average value per bushel in 1877 was
1922 cents. In 1868 the average value per
bushel was 1874 cents, but this seems 10
AAF'N OCCu OIL GAGCDbiOllal year / lie Nl-
miniShed value per bushel Of the other ce-
reals in the United States is shown still
more fOrcibly than in the wheat crops.
Corn, for instance-the total production of
which in 1877 amounted to the prodigious
quantity Of 1,342, 55S, 900 bushels. grown
on an area of 90, ,309, 113 acres-feIl in av-
erage value per bushel from 628 cents in
1868 to 35.S cents in 1877; the annual aver
age being 49, cents. Rye in like manner
fell in value from 1874 cents per bushel in
1868 to 59.2 cents in 1877, the annual aver
age in the decennial period being SO. cents. |
Oats, which were valued at $50 cents per
bushels in 1868, fell to 29.2 cents in 1877,
with an annual average in the 10 years of !
4Ol cents. Barley was valued at 1902 |
cents per bushel in 1868, and at only 63.9 |
IN 1877, with an annual average in the like |
period of 1919 cents.
From statistics it appears that the ex- |
ports of bacon and hams were fifteen times /
as great in 1878 as in 1870; beef three |
times and half as great; cheese twice as
great; lard nearly ten times as great, and
preserved meats more than sixteen times as
great. The average export price of bacon
and hams in the United States fell from
15.7 cents in 1870 to 81 cents in 1878: of
lard from 1916 cts. in 1870 to 8.S cts. in
1878; and of pork from 1872 cts. in 1870
to So cts. in 1873; while, on the other
hand the price of salted beef increased
from 7.3 cts. per pound in 1870 to rs cts.
per pound in 1878. The rapid extension
OF corn culture has increased the pork sup
ply very much beyond the requirements
for home consumption, thus leaving a
yearly increased surplus for expectation to
foreign countries. The falling price of
corn seems to have correspOnded nearly
with that of pork and pork products, the
export price Of the former having fallen
from 80 cts. per bushel in 1870 to 56.2 cts.
In 1873. 1t is estimated that the total
product of butter in the United States
during the year 1877 amounted to $50, 000-
OOO pounds, 1t would appear, therefore,
that the exports of butter during the year
1873 amounting to q, ,637 III pounds con-
stltuted about 2.3 per cent. of the total
production in the country. The total pro-
duction Of cheese in the United States dur
ing 1877 is estimated at 80, 900, 900 pounds,
Of which 1913, 783, 736 pounds constituting
about 40 per cent. of the entire product
was exported.
The value of exports oflive animals from
the United States during the last fiscal
year was eight times the value of such ex-
ports during the year ended the Both Of /
June, 1868. About So per cent, of the en-
tire exports of live animals was to Great |
britain and Ireland, about 10 per cent. to
Cuba, and about 10 per cent. to British /
possessions IN North America.