Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-02-10
OUR FOREIGN TRADE.
Interesting Facts and Figures in an Az
rlcuitural Department Bulletin.
(Ry Telecraph

bulletin on our foreign trade in agricul-
tural products during the five fiscal
Years lS93-lS91 inclusive. prepared by
Frank II. Hitchcock. the chief Of the
section OF foreign markets The follow
ing is an abstract:
During the fiscal year of 1897 the Uni
ted states exported domestic ulerchan-
| disc amounting to S1O32 90. COS thus
outstrpplng all previous record: in the
history of our foreign trade. Of the
| various commodities comprised in these
enormous exports, &c. 81 per cent, with A
total value of s6S9, 15',193 had their orr
gin IN agriculture Only two producing
years. 1891 and 1892. each marked by
abundant harvests in this country.
coupled with mea ger ones abroad, show
| a larger expectation of agricultural
products than is recorded FOR 1897.
Compared with the agricultural re-
ports during 1896 the shipments Of 1897
| disclose a total gain of s115,356,929.
! AS regards our import trade. the fiS-
teal year 1897 shows q total valuation
| of all kinds OF merchandise of s76413O,-
4l2, and of this amount ST64 ,4GS eX-
pended for agricultural imports. Near
| ly $40. 100000 more than in 1896.
This exceptional growth of our agri-
cultural imports, however. is proba bly,
attributed in a large measure to the
fact that during 1897, in order to escape
| the prospective import duties of the
tariff legislation then pending. certain
! products We're imported much more ex-
teESively than would otherwise have
| been THE case. In the imports Of wool
| there was an increase during 1897
amounting to more than 100000 900. while
the receipts of sugar We're larger by
nearly $40. 900 900.
The falling off that took place in a
considerable portion of our agricultu-
raj imports for 1897 may be accounted
for in part by the recent introduction
into the United States and the success
full propagation here of certain prod
ucts we We're formerly obliged to pur-
chase elsewhere
Among the products that contributed
most to the gain in the exports of ag-
ricultural products during the year are
mentioned cotton, wheat and corn, the
combined increase in the total export
value of these three items amounting
to more than SIS, 900.
In cotton there was an exceptionally
large gain, the increase amounting to
$40. s34.51. Notwithstanding the aver
age export price fell from ST. cents per
pound in 1896 to IA cents in 1897.
After cotton the product uhat exhih-
tied the largest increase during 1897
was wheat. In 1896 our exports of this
cereal We're unusually small. but dur
ing the following year. stronger for
egn demand, occasioned by short CT ops
abroad called for increased eXporta-
tons. The gain in quantity was IS
91l,9io bushels. and in value $20,2lO.31G.
During some years the shipments of
wheat-tiour exceeded in value those cf
wheat in the grain, but in 1897 the order
was reversed, the exports of grain show
ing greater value by about $4,000, 900
than those OF flour.
One of the most Interesting features
Of the export trade of 1897 was the re
markable increase that took place III
the quantity Of Indian corn disposed Of
abroad, the total shipments of the year
aggregating 116.9l6, 1868 bushels, exceed
ing by more than $4,000. 900 bushels the
exports of 1896, and surprising by wide
margin all previous records
The value of corn sent to foreign mar
ketS in 1897 was $54, 0SI ,152.
Other cereals that We're exported in
greatly increased quantities during
1897 to meet foeign deficiencies We're
oats and BARLEY. Shipments OF oats
valued at $S.156.2G1 as against $.49I ,6l1
in the year preceding, while those OF
barley increased from $3.100,3i1 to ST.
6i6.3S4 in value. The exports of rye
also show notable gain, having ad-
vanced from $i45,0I5 for 1896 to s3,G67,-
sos for 1897.
Buck wheat shipments in 1897
amounted to 1.6I7.102 bushels. The
total value of breadstuffs exported by
the United States during 1897 amounted
to $l97 ,351,2l9 as compared With Sl4l.-
356,993 during 1896
Flax seed shipments also increased
from SO,453 bushels in 1896 to Alb, TAT
in 1897.
In the category comparing the various
kinds of live stock and their products,
the most important gains were in the
expectation of cattle, horses, fresh beef,
hams, bacon, butter and cheese The
principal increase of 1897 over 1896 were
approximately as follows: Cattle, So
100000: horses, S1.25O 600: fresh beef.
s3675, 900; hams, $780, 900: bacon, $745.-
600; butter. $1,500, 900: cheese, $1,000 900.
Other agricultural exports that made
gains exceeding S1,00O000 in value dur-
ing 1897 over 1896 were fruits, oil cake
and oil cake meal. and cotton seed oil
The value of fruits sent abroad adj
vanced from S5.5S5,7 1913 in 1896 to 81, 3d.
500 in 1897. With regard TO lard, coal
oil aud glucose, it happened in 1897 as
a result of lower export prices that
matera! increase in the quantity ship
ped was accompanied by an actual fall
ing off in the total value. u
Among the agricultural exports that
show for 1897 a decrease in quantity as
well as value, the most important are
canned beef sailed or packed beef.
picked pork, hides. skins and sheep.
except in the case of hides and skins
and sheep, the decline was less than
million dollars in each. Sheep fell off
about so per cent.
Aside from wool and sugar-agricul-
tural imports which showed the most
conspicuous increase-the gains Of chief
importance We're those made in tea, OPT
UNI, rice and rice meal and cattle. Tea
importations for 1897 amounted in val
ue to $14 ,S35 1852, as compared with S12.-
7O4 $40 for 1896: opium imports aggre-
gated $3.317.oSS. as against 81 ,4lS,4S1 in
the preceding year. The imports of rice
and rice meal amounted in value to
SO, ST., 160 as against $2,1S5.579 the pre-
ceding year. and cattle imports at s.
$685. as against $l.519.S56 in 1896. AS
to coffee imports for 1897 We're larger
| than for 1896, but owing to a decline of
35 cents per pound in average import
price the total valuation was less than
| the year before. The imports amounted
| in value to sS1. 544,3 1884.
Agricultural products showing largely
decreased importations during 1897 We're
| silk, leaf tobacco, hides and skins and
fruits. Silk imports decreased from
SIG, 76S, 1913 in 1896 to $1S,91S,2S3 in 1897;
lleaf tobacco from SIT, SOB. 100 to $9,5S4.155;
hides and skins from $50. 520,177 to S27,-
500, O26 and fruits from $16,957, 307 to $14,-
926,71.
1 The bulletin gives a table showing tl e