The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-05-07
Increase. .4,S22,2I4

lncrease....4 ,3I4 3,3s2.776
Thus we see that the shipments
of corn had more than doubled,
and that of wheat nearly trebled, in
one year after the .Jetties became
an assured success. Unless Nature
has some check as yet unnoticed
we may soon see restored the con-
ditions of that good old time
when West and South were com
mercial allies, when the farmer
along the Wabash, Ohio or Upper
Mississippi followed the current to
find his best market.
Such impetus has this trade &C
quired tia despite the Arctic ri
gors of the winter, which interposed
unusual checks to navigation of the
Mississippi, the shipments for this
year have already shown a marked
increase over the same period for
1880. Especially is this the case
foC March, in which month no less
than 100000 bushels of grain left
St. Louis for New orleans. On the
last dav of March three tow boats
left St Louis with 1900 car loads
of grain In other words, these
boats and attached barges transpor
ted 10000 bushels of grain, besides
2, 500 tons of miscellane Gus freight
To carry the grain would require
sixty trains of twenty cars each, and
the other freight at least 200 cars
more-a total of 1900 carloads by
tow boats and barges in one day,
At this writing there is afoat on the
Mississippi no less than 1000, 900 of
| bushels from St. Louis for New Or
leans. And when it is remembered
that this vast bulk is approaching
the sea-board with more than the
average speed of railroad freights,
and billed through the European
ports at less rates than are now
granted by the Eastern route, it pre-
sents an array of facts that will be
| viewed with deep concern on the
one hand by those interested in the
Eastern trunk lines, and on the
other with lively interest and salts
faction by the great producers of
the. Mississippi Valley. And so
rapidly has this trade extended that
in one way it has reached up the
| Illinois River and threatens 10 di
vert the trade of the Ohio, while TO
meet this increase outflow fresh eff
forts are made abroad, and within
few weeks company has been in
corporated in France to establish a
new steamship line in the grain
trade between New Orleans and
Harve.
We are informed that the St.
Louis, New Orleans and Foreign
Transportation Company is now
sending flour through Liverpool at
ninety four cents per barrel, and
grain at correspondingly low rates.
both reaching Liverpool as quickly
as by direct Eastern routes. 1t is
claimed that at this rate of carriage
flour is laid down in Liverpool at
four cents per barrel less than it can
be shipped from St. Louis to Bos-
ton, and only twenty cents more
than present rates from ST Louis to
New York. AS a reduction in
freights is practically ..the same as
bringing the grower nearer to the
buyer, it thus appears that the
Trans Mississippi Region, seven as
remote as Kansas, Nebraska and
Dakota, is now quite as near the
foreign market as Ohio and Penn
hat fax1
and even nearer than Western In
diana. These forcible facts lead
one to an interesting train of
thought touching the future of the
great Mississippi Valley in. its indus
trial relations with foreign countries.
By reference to the statistics of
1880 it will be seen that there were
shipped to foreign ports 100000,
600 pounds of cotton valued at
S2Io,ooo,ooo; 100000 bushels of
wheat valued at over $53.ooo,ooo,
and 5000, 900 barrels of flour val
ued at $4,000, 900, besides vast
quantity of other agricultural pro
ducts: so that the immense total of
$S32, 900 worth of products
exported by us the last year, over
500, ooo, 900 were from the field
and farm. The astonishing fact
that nearly nine tenths of all our ex
ports in recent years have been of
this class opens a fruitful field for
the political economist. From this
it has resulted that we no longer
look to trade centers on our Eastern
border to fix the price of grain-it
is fixed both for them and us in
Mark Lane. Hence anything which
cheapens the cost of export at once
favorably affects the price of all
grain, whether consumed abroad or
at home.
AS all New England and Middle
States, and most of the Southern
States, are not even self-sustaining
in the important matter of wheat
production, the entire surplus for
export is grown in the West. The
Western States, as geographically
so defined, in the year 1880 produc-
ed ga, 667 900 bushels and consum-
ed but IA, 100000 bushels, leaving
a net surplus Of nearly 2oo,ooo,ooo
bushels. Similar results appear as
to the production of corn and other
grains. Thus it is evident that, be
Sides sunp1vinO the deficiency of