The evening times., 1898-12-14
FOREIGN FAVOR FOR
AMERICAN GOODS
French and Belgian Imports
From This Country.
REPORTS FROM CONSULS
Increased Demand for Agricultural
Machines and Implements.
Notes for the Edifcation of Wer-
chants and Manufacturers of
the Western World.

The following are extracts from annual
reports of consular officers in France,
which will appear in full in the CONNER
cial Relations for 1S9I-9S:
Consul Covert, of Lyons. says that
American goods are popular. Merchants
say they are packed better than those re-
ceived from other countries. Care should
be taken, however, to mark the country
of origin on goods shipped to France, as
otherwise they are likely to be held at the
frontier. Goods coming through another
country are subject TO a warehouse tax.
Direct shipments from America to France
would cause a substantial increase in the
volume of exports and would avoid many
difficulties. eTTij
Fruit is transported from the Austral-
las to London in six weeks, but it takes
seven weeks TO carry pork from Cleve-
land, Ohio, to Lyons. The first voyage is
about four times as long as the second.
The fruit is carried In cool chambers anI
sold at Covent Garden. California or-
anges, peaches. apples, plums. and per-
haps melons would find hosts of buyers
here. They ought to reach Lyons in
twelve or fifteen days and would be III
good condition il stored in cool chambers
with temperature not more than de-
greeS or degrees above freezing. Silk
buyers arrive in Lyons from New York in
eight days. Ii fruits and meats could be
transported in that time. there would
soon be a steady demand for them. The
same applies TO Spain and italy.
Shocks for silk boxes and stave wood
fgF hs4r firI
good market in Lyons. number of es-
adjustments are engaged all the year
round manufacturing boxes for packing
silks and other textiles Manufacturers
would buy sawed and pIaned boards from
America.
''An optician who passed some years in
the United States says that the Amerl-
can mounting for spectacies and eye
glasses is the best in the world. and that
he posse ssed quasi monopoly in certain
lines Of goods. because he bought the
Franklin glass with its frame in the Uni
ted States. He volunteered the informa-
tion that French dealers are generally ig-
norani Of the merit OF the American
mounting.
AT the recent agricultural fair held in
Lyons the American visitor felt quite a
home Excepting the wine presses-ca-
pacity from a half bushel of grapes TO
tons. prices ranging from s. up TO sI,0c9-
almost every implement bore an Ameri-
can name The churns, culJivators, hay
rakes, mowers and reapers. cornsheilers.
suIky rakes. steel tcdders, plows, thresh-
ers, binders and other implements nearly
all were of American pattern. They were
generally manufactured in France. and
were noticeabIy less neat and artistic
than the American make.
nf
The decided increase i'll the importa-
ton of dried apples and pears should call
the attention OF the shippers Of these
commodities to the necessity OF keeping
this market well supplied with informa-
ton in regard 10 the trade. This con-
su!ate was overrun during last autumn
and early winter with applications for
the addresses of shippers of dried fruits
IN the United States J found il very d!i-
ficuit from the resources At my command
to answer these inquiries In general
way this difficulty exists IN regard TO All
lines of trade At one time, when II
change in the French law left an oppor-
;unity during a brief interval 10 import
-four on peculiarly advantageous terms. !
had perhaps a hundred applications for
the addresses OF parties who might be
relied upon TO ship flour promptly in or
der 10 take advantage of this onDortunl-
~. There was not in this consulate the
address OF a single commission merchant
or exporter of flour in the United States.
might lust as we'll have undertaken tn
reply TO Inquiries regarding any particu-
lar traffic in the planet Jupiter.
The increase in the importation OF ium
| Der has been very marked anu ihuiCdtea ;
| no doubt, a continuing heaithful trade
| cannot refrain from commencing the Sood
! ,a.an e
al sagacity-of these lumber dealers VINO
| instead of relying upon more or less cor
| rect responses TO categorical inquiries,
/ have sent here agents thoroughly famiila'
| with the business and capacity OF theii
mills and also familiar with the French
| language, to study the trade, find exactly
what is required. and enable their mills
10 produce precisely what Is needed to
sunnly the. demand, taking care especially
! to use the metric standard employed py
| the consumer This increase IN the lum-
Der importation l regard as almost wholly
! due to such common-sense study of the
market il is desired TO supply.
Most of the trade in hardwood lumber
| products is done by English houses. Oi
| course the product originally comes from
| American mills. Wagons, spokes and han
| dies and all turned goods In this district
| are I think imported from England
can origin Whether it would pay 10 seek
| 10 get this trade direct Is question which
can only be determined by months of care
| ful study on the part of one familiar witt
every branch of the business
Concerning agricultural machines ant
implements the consul says:
The increase in the importation o.
these articles is a strong testimony to the
superiority of American work. At th'
=. I, Nr-,fa hot II.
study of the agricultural conditions O
this region would greatly increase the de
| mand for certain styles of agricultural
( implements. For instance, | find tha
| the plow used for cultivating the vine
| yards, even of the richest proprietors, i
drawn by a yoke of oxen attached to ;
wooden beam six or eight inches in di
ameter and eight or ten feet long, L
the rear end of which is attached th
plow. Why do they not use an American
plow with one horse or one mule, insteat
of a yoke of oxen and this long, ungainll
wooden beam? II is not because they d.
not know of improved mechanisms. Th
men who own the rich vineyards of tn
Medoc are not ignorant. Most of then
have visited the United States. The.
know how we do things on our American
farms. They are able TO purchase sucl
implements as they desire for the culti
walton of their vineyards. They know
the soil, the crops. the laborers. witt
which they have to deal. They are tn,
best detail economists of the civilize,
world. The saving of a cent a barrel il
the cost of production of wine is an i'm
| portant matter to them, worthy of TIL
| most serious consideration. If they us
the OK team and heavy wooden beam j
is because they believe they get the bes
results thereby. II American manufac
turers wish to sell them agricultural i'm
plements, they must provide something
equivalent to what they now use O
/ which has nIo 80