The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-03-26
GRAIN TRADE
.Russia's Opinion Of her
Great Rival.
The United States admitted
to be Gaining.
From the Odessa (Russia, Li.tok. !

lrEOth the OQesea (huSsIa) LdEt0k.l
Each year it becomes more and more
apparent that the United States is tht
greatest competitor of Russia in the Eur.
opean grain market. In the past few years
Europe has not suffered, although Russia
her usual granary. has been famine
stricken. Oar transatlantic friends STEP
ped In our shoes, and even surpassed rs IL
readiness and ability to serve Europe with
their grain. provisions aud other products
With his abundant crops and our famine
last year, the happy Yankee became SO
bold as to count among his grain customers
even US. the foster fathers of Europe
Weighty data force us to pay the utmost
attention to our transatlantic competitor.
Let US begin from the beginning. As
regards climate, soil and natural wealth
no country 10 the world resembles Russia
so much as the United States This poin,
is very important. The Yankees are
richer in everything. Russia is chiefly an
agricultural country. The United States
tiIIs the soil with more ability and success
1t raises much more wheat and corn than
it wants for its own consumption. Grain
is one of the most important exports of the
Union. In 1880 the Yankees exported
$2S8, 900. 900 worth of grain. This alone
proves that the United States is an
agricultural country.
His experiments last year convinced the
American that his corn san successfully
compete with Russia rye. even in Russian
alcoholic distilleries. Several thousand
pood (equal to forty pounds) Of the Amer,
lean corn imported by distilleries inPoland
had opened for the Yankee a new and
profitable market for his iuexhaustible
stores of corn. The opinions expressed
By prominent Polish distilers encourage
him in his new enterprise.
Besides grain, American fields yield
cotton, tobacco. sugar cane and rice. The
export of cotton In 1880 brought to the
Yankee $2ll,000, and of tobacco $lS,-
442 600. The fertility of its fields is not,
hogeYer, the sole source of Americas
wealth.
The Yankees produce much more pro-
visions than they use, and their surplus
they send to Europe. According to the
official statistics for 1880. the United
States exported $40. 100000 in provisions
alone, which show an increase of $50. .000,.
600 against 1879 The statistics show
that as regards expectation of grain and
provisions the United States surprised the
whole world, Russia included
The Yankees owe a great deal to well
cording TO the Iron Age, 1927 miles of
1880. Nothing of the kind is possible 10
Russia. There are 93,704 miles of railroad
10 the United states, seven times moro
than in Russia
The Americans deplore the decrease of
their ocean carrying trade. In 1860 Ameri
Gan vessels transported 2.379, 900 tons of
goods; while in 1880 they carried only
3l4, 900. Ii we take into consideration,
however, with American sea-golng vessels.
their canal~boats and baggage wagons, We
pee that the Yankees possess springs for
pushing their foreign trade, of which Rus
sia can only dream. Yet the Yankee is
not satisfied with his merchant marine.
The idea that his vessels transport only
III per cent. of goods of the world seems
to worry him, and he intends to invest
more capital 10 ships.
Ip the United States. as well as in Rus
sia. thero are rich iron and coal mines.
Everybody knows in what a miserable
our mines are. The rich YAM
kee has worked his mines to the highest
degree OF perfection. built numerous fac
tories and manufactured vast amount OF
machinery. tools and plements. These.
Of course, have powerful influence on the
developments of agriculture,
We know how much the American plow
surpasses the Russian. The scientific
farming Of the Yankee is superior to the
prehistoric methods yet practiced here.
His machine reapers surpass our manuel
-eapiDg.
Russia is passing over an ominous inan-
,ial crisis. We hope that cur affairs will
De considerably improved if the years of
FOitnyva6 hu nf hyn Hap Z
;rops. But the question is whether the
European grain market will remain as
open for as ss it vas q few years ago.
This question deserves our immediate aud
earnest attention.