New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-13
TIE GREAT FARM EXPORTS.

There are some important lessons for farmers
~ the United States in the account Of exports
for the year Just closed. While the returns are
not yet complete they bring out certain OF these
lessons very clearly. Although tie year has
been by far the most successful yet known In
respect to the marketing Of farm products as a
whole It does not appear that as good prices
were obtained rs in other years. when large pro-
ductIon met extraordinary foreign demand The
farmers know that such condolences are rare,
and cannot afford to regulate their output year
after year in the hope Of the exceptional demand
which comes only once or twice In decade. 1t
Ia not because such hope Is seriously and.
widely cherished that the farmers so often raise
a crop exceeding the worlds demand, but main
" because the farmers themselves do not know
how much they are planting or how much they
have raised In previous years.
The wheat outcome was In all respects ex-
ceptional. owing In considerable measure to the
great speculation which Mr. Letter prolonged
for months with so much success. Before the
breakdown came, which seems to follow almost
inevitably the attainment OF conscious power TO
control for n time the worlds market this spec
ulation had secured for the wheat exports or
the crop year almost rs good price as was
realized in 1912, when 225,665.812 bushels,
-four included, brought In S236,161,415. This
year the slightly smaller quantity shown by pre-
lmnary reports, 215171061 bushels brought in
1912 sol .630 only a shade less than 81 a bushel,
I'm spite Of the fact that an enormous Increase
in exports of corn was made the same year.
The preliminary report shows exports Of
900 $50 102 bushels corn and meal. for which
S75. 26O,O67 was received, not SO cents a bushel.
and a little larger price was obtained In 1896.
81. 1896 S62 for 101, 100000 bushels and still
larger In 1890. S4265SO15 for 1903. 900. 900 bush
els. In the crop year 1897 the value was only
s549S0 212 for 1857 Al bushels exported. less
than 81 cents. 1t is evident that long continued
effort has at last opened n permanently increas-
ing foreign market for this American product,
OF which exports thirty years ago were inslg-
nlfcant and after rising nearly to one hun
dred million bushels In each Of the four years
1S7S-1SS1 inclusive, then about per cent OF
the crop, dropped of to less than per
cent Of the small crop Of 1893 and about 80
per cent Of the large crop Of 1889. The proper
ton was raised to 4.S5 per cent OF the good crop
OF 1890, fell to 372 per cent Of the crop OF 1892,
but for the last three years the proportion has
been A. per cent In 1896, 7S3 per cent In 1897
and not far from 10 per cent in the year just
closed.
The cotton crop during the last year brought
IN s2o99O7.4 AT for 33410 pounds ex-
ported, about 81 cents pound. but more
money. $3.50. S9O0I1. was obtained the previous
year from 3,1O3, OOOO 900 pounds exported, and
more in 1892, S25S, 46l ,241 for 20350000oO
pounds exported, and more still In 1891, $500
e12s0S for 2,9O7, 900, 900 pounds exported IN
deed II we 60 back to 1881 1t appears that
s247 695 748 was received for 219l 100000
pounds sent abroad and about as much In value
for Q 2SS 600 900 pounds In 1889. In effect, the
Southern farmers have been selling about one
half more cotton for less money than they for
merly received for a smaller proportion Of their
crop The yield has expanded more than the
worlds consumption. and for the last ten or
twenty years n little more than the consumption
In n'anuf1cture In this country. greatly as that
Inns increased. Nor can Il be expected that the
cost of production can be reduced In such pro-
portion ms II has been In petroleum. OF which
900 100000 gallons exported in 1877 brought
SCI. IS0. 43S, or about 90 cents n gallon, while
oI3. 900 gallons exported last year brought
s62 go O37 or "a cents. When such reduction In
selling price appears In farm products 1t Is rea-
sonable 10 infer that corresponding decrease In
cost has not been effected. and that the output
has been unwisely Increased. % that the farmer