The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-24

OF the Goods Brought Into tho
United States Farm proar.t.
contributed In Large Measure
to Swell the Total of the Good.
Sent to Foreign Countries.
WASHINGTON, April 2s.-The fiscal
year OF 1893 was the banner wear for tho
foreign trade of the United States orr
exports being the largest ever recorded
Tor like period and our imports excen-
lionaiiy small. According to a compre
henslve report just prepared bv Mr.
frank H. Hitchcock, chief of the SEQ
tion of foreign markets of the ao,riou1-
tural department. the total value Of our
domestic exports reached the enorno,,.
sum of s1,G0.291.s 13 exceeding the record
breaking nsures of the preceding year by
el'0'zS4'olo. On the other hand the
ports during 1893 were the smallest since
1855. their value beig s616.o49,6 54. a de-
cline Of $14S.68O,75S from the figures of
1887. Broadly stated, for every dollars
worth of foreign merchandise brought
into the United States two dollars worth
or our products found a market abroad.
Our domestic exports as compared with
our imports showed an excess of $780,
G4z2o9, or more than twice the excess for
1887. which was the largest previously
reported.
An interesting fact developed by the
report of Mr.. Hitchcock is the increase
in the exports OF agricultural products,
being 1903 per cent Of the total, or $685.
501.942, a gain Of nearly Is per cent over
~ IL.
a greater gain proportionately than non
agricultural exports.
Our purchases Of foreign agricultural
products in 1895 amounted to only $314.-
POI ,796, as compared with s4OO 81, 468 In
1897, a decrease of $50, 759.672. or about "a
per cent. The value of the American
farm produce sent abroad during 1898 was
much more than double that Of our agri-
cultural imports, the excess of the for
mer over the latter amounting to s5A,-
PIG, 146. In 1897 the excess on the side of
the agricultural exports was only $685.
SS3,72 and in the years Immediately pre-
ceding still smaller.
ENORMOUS GAINS.
The total value Of the breadstuffs sent
abroad advanced from s197, S57 ,219 in 1897
to $3.50, 1891, 119 in 1898. In wheat and flour
alone there was a gain Of nearly $780,
oUVbVoV' w lICSo CIiOi 6dllI6 10
suited in part from the higher prices that
prevailed, there was at the same time
an important increase in the quantity
shipped The total wheat shipments
were las, 231, 261 bushels, nearly double the
quantity exported in 1897. Averaging the
export price at 9S3 cents per bushel the
value was s1456S4.659. a gain of $S5, .sA
over 1897, when the average price was
1853 cents per bushel and the total value
$59, 92O,708
Although our exports of wheat flour did
not increase very much in quantity dur
ing 1898, the gain in value, as a result
Of the higher prices, amounted to $13, 49,
371. During 1898 the export price averaged
as high as s4.51 per barrel making the to-
tai value Of the shipments $49,263 71S, as
compared with S55,914,347 for 1897, when
the average price per barrel was only
1884. In the quantity shipped there was
an increase from 14,569,545 barrels to 49,
$40 943 barrels during the two years men
toned.
The combined shipments of wheat and
flour would amount to 145, 124972 bushels
for the former year and 217, 306, O05 for the
latter. The total value of the exported
wheat and wheat flour reached as high
as $214, 948, 377 in 1898, while in 1897 1t was
only s115, ,525.
Next to wheat Indian corn showed the
largest gain, the total exports being 208.-
3 144,939 DuSnelS, valued at Sf9,lJO,oOU, us
against 1861 1865 bushels, valued at $751;
OS7, 152. in 1887. The average price in 1898
was 35.5 cents per bushel, as compared
with 300 cents per bushel the preceding
year.
INCREASED TOTAL VALUE.
The difference in prices again counted
in the increased total value of $40, 1O9,69S.
There was also q noticeable increase in
exports of cornmeal, S27, 6o1 barrels being
sent abroad in 1898, as against 1926 bar
rels in 1897. There was an increase In the
price of % cents per barrel, making the
value Of the exports S1,766O6S, as against
1902, OBJ in the preceding year.
The expectation of oats also showed 6.
gain, the total being 69,130,2S8 bushels,
valued at $50 632, 914, against a. O33, $50 BUSH
els, valued at 49, 1861 in 1897 The price
was 249 cents in the former year, and
1913 cents in 1898
OF rye, 1854 575 bushels were exported.
against S,56O,27 in 1897 AS regards the
value of the shipments there was an In
crease from s3.667,50S to sS.S25,769, the
price being 42S cents in 1897, and 56.S
cents In 1898
In several cases there were gains in
quantity exported, accompanied by
falling off in value A notable example
Of this was furnished by cotton. Our
shipments of cotton increased from 3,103.-
754, 949 pounds in 1897 to $3.50. 264, 296 pounds
in 1898, a gain of TAG, ,346 pounds. but the
total value of these shipments. owing to
a drop of IA cents in the average export
price, from IA cents per pound to cents
per pound, declined from $3.50, S90,9n IN
the former year to $3.50, 442.215 in the lat
ter a loss of S44S 756.
There were a few items that exhibited
a considerable falling Off in both quantity
and value. Chief among these should be
mentioned leaf tobacco, barley, canned
beef, sailed or picked beef, hides and
skins and butter Our leading agricul-
tural imports in 1898, named In the order
of their value, were coffee. sugar hides
and skins, silk, vegetable f1bers, wool.
fruits, tea, leaf tobacco and wines. OF
these items the only ones to show an in
crease over 1897 were coffee, hides and
skins. silk and vegetable fibers.