The evening times., 1899-03-16
FEBRUARY LEADS IN EXPORTS
The Hammer Month in the Calendar
Within Ten Years.

The Hammer Month in the Calendar
Within Ten Years.
February exports are likely to prove the
largest of any February in the history OF
the United States export trade, with the
single exception of that Of 1898. The pre-
liminary statement of the exports OF bread
stuffs, provisions, cotton. and mineral oils
issued by the Bureau of Statistics gives the
total of those articles at $55. .9S9,S94. against
$49,S43,S06 in February, 1897, and S52.
373 in February, 1896, while, with the sin
gle exception of 1898. 10 February shows as
large export of those articles. The figures
for February 1898, are $62. ,536, about
Sc, 900 GOO greater than those of the month
just ended.
The slight reduction in February, 1899, as
compared with the corresponding month of
1898, does not indicate an actual reduction
in exports, but merely a slightly lower
price for some of the leading articles e3-
ported. Wheat exports, for instance, in
February, 1899, are nearly 100000 bush
els, against 7,0000 900 bushels in the corre-
spending month of 1898, while the value is
given at $7,3S5, ,399, against $6,434,02S in the
corresponding month of last year. The eX-
ports OF wheat in the eight months ending
with February, 1899. amount to 10S.SO7 800
bushels, against 101, ,425, ,562 bushels in the
corresponding eight months of last year,
while the value is only $Sl, 173, 049. against
500, 1882, 566 in the corresponding months OF
last year. The exports of corn in the
eight months ending with February, 1899,
amounted to Ill. .81I.73S bushels, against
0.557, 363 bushels in the corresponding
eight months of last year a slight reduc-
I r,
corn exports for the eight months ending
with February, 1899 is s43516. TO, against
Sal 006. 356 for the slightly larger quantity
| exported in the corresponding eight months
of 1898.
1t is therefore apparent that while ex-
| port prices of corn are slightly higher than
| those OF a year ago, those of wheat are
materially less, and that 1t is this reduc
| ton in the export price of wheat which is
making the apparent falling off in Ameri-
can exports. In other words. it is not a
| reduction in volume of exports, but in the
| price obtained for this largest article OF
| the United States export trade.
While the wheat producers are not OBJ
| tanning as satisfactory prices for their
| products as they did at this time last year,
| the cotton growers are more fortunate
| The February exports of cotton, when
amounted to 2S3 412. 706 pounds, were val
ued at ST, 1926. 463, while 36S S35, 600 pounds
| exported in February of last year were
valued at only $2l, ,76l, ,167. the average ex-
| port price last year being below cents a
pound, while this year it is considerably
above cents. In quantity the February
! exports of cotton in 1899 are larger thar
those OF February, 1897 or 1896, but consid-
erably below those of February of last
year. In l~e,tically all articles aside from
wheat February exports seem likely to bt
more satisfactory than usual. those of pro
visions in February, 1899 being larger thar
in the corresponding months OF 1898, 1897
or 1896, while manufacturers continue tn
| steady growth over last year and over any
| preceding year.
The reduction in prices OF agricultural
products is plainly apparent liz the relative
proportion of the total exports which they
| form in the seven months ending witt
| January. In that period they formed only
| 69.92 per cent of the total exports, while II
the corresponding months OF last year the!
were 71.Ss per cent of the total exports
Manufactures make a satisfactory showing
their percentage of the total exports being
24.74 per cent against 22.5S per cent in th'
corresponding month of last year. On onl!
two occasions have the exports of manufac
lures shown in the full fiscal year as largt
a percentage of the total exports as II
the seven months just ended. although tht
value of the expectations OF other article:
has been unusually large. 1t seems prob
able that the expectations OF the fiscal yea
which ends June 80 1899 will be the larg
est in the history of the country, the Ie
vised figures for the seven months showing
a total of s749, ,54g. .34S against S7lS.36I, 40
| in the corresponding months OF 1895 tn
| year making the largest export record il
the history of United States commerce.