The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-01-20
TO FOREIGN LANDS.
Where Our Surplus Farm Products
Have Gone for Five Years.
About IS Per Cent. to the United King.
dom-Notable Growth to Other Parts
OF the World-A Complete
Statement.

Washington, Jan. IA complete
statement of the quantities and values
of agricultural products exported from
this country, with the destination, has
been prepared by Chief Hitchcock, of
the section of foreign markets. 1t
covers the five fiscal years beginning
with 1894. So far as known this COM
prises the first complete showing of
the kind that has been published.
The agricultural products exported
from the United States during the five
years had an average annual value of
$663, 536,2O1. Of these enormous ex-
ports, about GO per cent. found a mar
ket in the United Kingdom and its
various dependencies. The sum paid
by the British people for the American
farm produce purchased during the
period mentioned reached as high as
S4O3, 1888, 1854 a year.
In the five years under consideration
the United Kingdom alone took more
than one-half of all u agricultural
exports, the consignments credited to
that country forming about SIS per
cent. of the total shipments, and hav-
ing an average annual value of $780,
407, 7O1.
Germany, which ranks next to the
United Kingdom as a market for
the products of American agricul-
ture, received about Is per cent. of the
exports for 1s94-1s9s, the average
yearly value amounting to $50, 1920, 274.
France, with purchases that averaged
s43, 9ss, 100 a year, was the third
try in Importance. The exports to
France, however, formed only about
&C. per cent. of the total, and were
hardly more than half as large as the
shipments to Germany. The ship
ments to Germany, on the other hand,
were less than o%ne-fourth the size of
those to the United Kingdom. These
three countries-the United Kingdom,
| Germany and France-received to-
gether nearly rs per cent. of the total
agricultural exports.
After the three countries just men
toned, the Netherlands, Belgium,
Canada, Italy and Spain afforded the
most important markets. The Neither
lands bought 4.3 per cent. of the total;
Belgium, SO per cent; Canada, 3.5 per
cent; Italy, % per cent; and Spain,
1.5 per cent. The average annual val
ues of the exports to these countries
were: Netherlands, $2S,S 500, 156; Bel
GUM, S23, 731, 669; Canada, S23, O20,517;
Italy, S14,264,424, and Spain, S9,7 $50.
Our agricultural exports to Brazil,
although forming less than 1 per cent.
Of the total, showed a yearly average
of $6,25S,129 Shipments almost as
large were sent to Cuba, the average
annual value being $685. 1924. The con-
signments 10 Denmark were more than
doubled in the fve-year period, the
annual average amounting to $780,
952. To the British West Indies there
were exports averaging 1924, 657 q
year. Mexico received shipments aver
aging ~4,636,4S6, British Africa 81, 1885,
920, and European Russia $4,000, 236.
The average yearly exports to Hong
Kong were valued at S3,555,5Ss, and
those to Japan at S3,407, 500. For Por-
tugal the average annual record was
se, 100 ,694; for Sweden and Norway,
s2.6s5,5i9; for Hayti, $2,2S1 300; and
for British Australasia, $2,O30,sO4.
The other countries to which the
United States SEN agricultural prod
ucts, having an average yearly value
in excess of 81 200, 900, were Austria
Hungary, Venezuela; British Guiana,
Puerto Rico, the Hawaiian islands and
the French West Indies.
With very few exceptions, the lead
ing foreign countries materially in
creased their purchases of American
agricultural products during the pc
Rod. In the total value of the agricul-
tural exports there was an advance
from $6S6.633,747 in 1894 to SS5S,5O7,-
!42 in 1898, making a gain of 1921, S74,-
ig5. The countries of destination that
contributed most to this increase were
the United Kingdom, Germany. France.
Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, ia
pan, Italy, Denmark and British Afri-
ca.
Our exports of farm produce to the
United Kingdom increased $50, ssh
during the five years, advancing from
$3.50, COG, 251 in 1894 to $438, 5S5, 105 in
1895. This was decidedly the largest
gain recorded, although the shipments
both to Germany and to France
showed an important growth. In the
case Of Germany there was an adj
vance from s72, Q ,3s2 to $119,425.72O,
and in the case of France from SILL
oil ,ssS to s75,327 ,O96. The gain for the
former country was S46,441,33S, and
that for the latter s33,415,2Os.
\ summary of the agricultural ex-
ports showing the total for each con
tinent brings out the fact that about
SIS per cent. of all the farm products
shipped from the United States during
the five years mentioned was marketed
In Europe. The value OF the shipments
to European countries from 1894 to
1o9s, inclusive averaged s5s6, 95s,9o7 a
year. In 1898 it reached as high as
$751;, S7O,7 S2, showing an increase OF
S195.5ss, 939 over the value for 1894,
which was $500, PSI ,s43.
After taking out the shipments to
Europe there remained only about 12
per cent. of the total agricultural ex-