The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-09-17

From ,ur Regular Correspondent, G


AoNDoN, aug -tt Ao'S.
In an official report to Sir +. Thorr
ton. Mr.. Victor Drummond state
that during the year ending June 81
1878, the value of cotton and bread
stuffs exported to the United King
dom exceeded the value of the tots
imports of merchandise from th
/ United Kingdom into the Unite'
States. In q later report, date
Washington, April s, 1879, just pub
Ilished by the Foreign Office. MI
Drummond says this abort paragraph
sums up the present commercial rela
tions of the two countries. As som
slight consolation to the English land
owners and farmers who are suffer
ing from this competition. he remark
that American landowners and farm
ers in the Eastern and North Easter
States also complain of the competi
tion of the Western and North. West
ern States in farming prodnce:
This condition of things arise
from the low rates. both by rail ant
water, from the Western and North
Western States to the Atlantic ports
and from the development of the ag
ricultural interests in those States
due to their practically illimitable ca
pacity for agricultural production. II
the fact that the cost of production
is much less than in the more easterly
States, and to the fact that the rail
road system of the country has been
widely extended throughout these
States, thereby securing cheap, rapiC
and regular transportation. During
the year 1866 the average rate fol
the carriage of wheat from Chicago
to New York, by Lake and Erie Ca
nal wac little over p cents pei
bushel, bat during the year 1878, by
the same route, the average rate was
II cents, and by rail IL cents. Dor
ing 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 Mime
sofa, to the city of New York has
been only 26 cents per busael. This
is q moral of cheap freight
During the last 2s years the ex-
ports of bresd-stuffs from the United
States have increased enormously.
In 1860 they were valued at $24,.
420, 600; in 1873 the bread and bread.
stuffs exported were valued at Sl8l,
III, 900 in 1877 the total production
of wheat was 364, 1884, 900 bushels,
produced on an area of 26,217 900
acres, an sversge yield per acre OF
1873 bushels. This was the highest
average yield dnring ten years, the
annual average yield of the years
Is6S7I being l2.l2 bushels per acre.
The average value per bushel in 1877
Was 1852 cents. La 1868 she aver
age value per bushel was 1924 cts,
bat this seems to have been an e4-
ceptio' al year. The diminished val
ue per bushel of the other cereals in
the United States is shown still more
forcibly than in the wheat crops.
Corn, for instance-the total prod1c-
tion of which in 1877 amounted to
the prodigious quantity OF ! ,sa2, $685.
900 bushels, grown on an area of
5O,369,l13 acres-fcll in average val
ue per bushel from 63.8 cents in 1868
to 35.8 cents in 1871; the annual av-
ersge being 49.1 cents. Rye 10 like
manner fell in value from 1874 cts
per bushel in 1868 10 5O2 cents in
1878, the annual average in the de-
cennial period being 1871 cents. Oats,
which were valued at $50 cents per
bushel in 1868, fel. to 262 cents in
1871, with an annual average in the
ten years OF 4O.l 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 89.9 cents. ess
From statistics itappears that the
exports of bacon and hams were If
teen times as great 10 1878 ss in
1870; beef 81 times as great cheese
twice as great lard nearly 10 times
as great; and preserved meats more
than l6 times as great. The average
export price of bacon and hams in
the United States fell from l57 cts,
in 1870 TO 8.7 cts in 1878; of lard
from 1915 cents in 1870 to S.S cents
in 1878; and of pork from 1872 cents
in 1870 to 6 8 in 1878 while, on the
other hand, the price of salted beef
increased from 7.3 cents per ID. in
1870 to 7.6 cents per ID. in 1878
The rapid extension of corn culture
has increased the pork supply very
much beyond the requirements for
homo consumption, thus leaving q
yearly increased surplus for exporta-
tion to foreign countries. The falling
price of corn seems to have CORE
sponded nearly with that of pork and
pork products, the export price of the
former having fallen from s3 cents
per bushel in 1870 to 56.2 cents in
1878. 1t is estimated that the total
product Of butter in the United States
during the year 1871 amounted to
$50, 900, 600 lbs 1t would appear,
therefore, that the exports of butter
during the year 1878 amounting to
81, 1887, iii lbs, constituted about 2 8
per cent. Of the total production in
the country. The total production OF
cheese in the United Ststes during
1877 is estimated st $40, ,000, 900 ibs.,
of which l23, 3,7S3,73e fbs., constitu-
ting about 40 per cent. of the entire
product, was exported" sas n
Toe value of exports of live ami
mails from the United States during
the last fiscal year was s times the
value OF such exports during the year
ended the 30th June, 1868. About
IS per ceEt. Of the entire exports Of
live animals Was to Grea: Britain and
Ireland, about Is per cent 70 Cuba,
and about IL per cent to British pos
sessions in North America.
a cyslens Heae Gsssy yssurs
GETTYSBURG, Pa, Sept. Allan
terstovn. . village fve miles north.
eass of Gettysbarg, was visited BY .
cyclone, which totally demolished the