The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-11-08
ENOEAOUs EXPORTS.
shipments OF Grain ana the Influence on
General Irsde.

year the average exports Of
wheat. nour included, Tor some years
had been about t5,Oyy.vO bushels a year,
rising In l,,s to ". OJj,tvJ bushels.
But about this time the European
grain harvests were almost unPrece-
dentedly snort, ana Tor several years we
hdu a phenomenal foreign demand Tor
wheat and corn. In 1873 the exports OF
wheat and flour advanced TO lil.ooO,OD
bushels, In 1870 10 isO. '5i,vVO bushels, ana
In loal TO 100000 bushels Under TINS
enormous European buying prices rose
from SLO5, the average export 'diue III
ls'9. TO Si.2i In iSs0. >l.ll IN loNl' ahd Wis
IN lSS2. But for this unprecedented bu-
rCpean demand that no one loiesd"' th'
enormous wheat crops OF 'hose years
would Inevitably have brought ABOUT eN-
tiemely low prices Making "A compar-
iscn by nve-year periods the Nalue Vi
the wheat and -four exports for the five
years ended June 80 lSsl was asoo'e,%'-
AZ. against 1891. so 90 for the preceding
live years. a gain OF over fic9OOO,OVO. The
increase in the value Of corn exports
for the same period was about 32OUo.OOo,
making a total gain in grain exports In
1--WE years Of i569 .OOO. 90 over the preceding
nve-year period. This enormous IN
crease In foreign exports completely
changed all business conditions, burden
ed our railroads with traffic to their Ut
inost limit, crowded our seapoi'S WIN
vessels. and resulted in great ana uh-
fOTeseen importatiOns OF goid.
once more the world seems to be nun
cry for our grain. snort supply III
Europe and in India has brought about
an active demand for wheat and corn
not many months ago foreign steam
ship owners were unable TO ma employ
ment for their boats, ana huhdredS Oh
ocean tramp" steamers were lying luie
in British harbors. Now there IS
pressing demand from shippers anu eN-
cry vessel that can reacn our ports mus
a cargo. Charters have Oeen maze LOT
vessels covering the entire winter. ana
in some cases late into the spring. al
Baltimore alone over l0J steamers have
Leon chartered i'm advance Of arrival TO
load grain. This alone represents tully
1900 900 bushels Of grain for which room
has been engaged at this port. At every
otner port on the Atlantic and Hpu
coasts the same thing IS going on ana
the agere safe engagements ALREADY naue
loot up over 100000 bushels. On tho
Pacific coast the charters have been pro-
portionately as heavy. some having Deen
made for grain 20 india, owing 10
grain famine in parts Of that country.
Even now offers are being considered
for shipments from Atlantic ports 10
india. and one charter is pending. II not
already closed. for a steamer 10 load
oats at sew York for Calcutta.
The immense grain exports OF 1879 help
cd to give us the boom Of that year
and II may POSSIBLY be that the wonder
ful activity now seen in our exports VIII
mark TIE beginning Of general revival
iu trade and a gradual rise IN prices
without any relation 10 silver. JUST a.
was the case In 1873 and 1850 There mas
already been marked advance IN wheat
which cannot be attributed TO any rise
IN silver for silver has at the same 1iihe
declined.
In this connection II may be well to
emphasize some statistics given last
y.eek showing the increase in grain pro-
duction since 1873. since the question has
teen asked whether this increase would
hold good II the COMPARISON be made by
"A series of years. rather than by sim
gie year In each period. Taking the hNe
wears prior 10 the so-callcd demonetiza-
tion Of silver IN ls.3 years Of great activ-
ifv following the war. and Of the hlsh
rrices then ruling. stimulai-7s all farm
inc oporations. we find that the totai
production Of Grain for the I'VE years
from 1859 TO 1S-2 both included. was T.
600 000 Ol0 bushels an average OF lo'o'-
100 900 bushels a year. our average pop
ulation OF that period. as given by Of
fetal figures. was 29.o-S.44. thus making
the AVERAGE production per capita ~
bushels. For the five years, lN>s TO lN'5
ioth included. years OF low prices. when
tt.rc was DO special stimulation TO In
creased farming operations, the totai
grain production was l5.0oQ0oCVl husneis,
an average Of 3Ti0ocJ.00o bushels year
The average population was 6il-3tle, Civ
ing an average gram production per cap
TIA Of as bushels. an increase Of 50
bushels per CAPITA. On our present pop
ulation Of about 7oo0lol this would
mean an annual increase Of 5eloo0W
bushels i'm excess OF the increase needed
no keen up with the growth OF population.
The Increase in average population lof
The twc nve-year periods was Oh per
cont The increase In average grain
PRODUCTION for the two periods was ~
her cent This. however. Is only n part
Of tre truth. Another item worth tax
mo into consideration is the increase IN
other fo0d-stuffs taking the place OF
broad such al, potatoes. Twenty years
.co tho average crop Of irish potatoes
far q Gvo-vear nerioa was lilloo0n nusf-
cfs. now the aNeraro IS about gfV"V"
t.,,sho,. n gain n nearly 100000 ON bush
els vear.-Na nufaoturors'. Record.