Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-03-20
UNITED STATES CEREALS.

Cultcu OlulCS - tue IlIlc VI d
monograph just published by the
treasury bureau of statistics as
the first of a series of studies
upon the production and trans.
portation of the great staples
and upon the internal commerce
Of the country.
The present article points out
the immense increase in the
agricultural production of the
country, the rapid and contin.
uous westward shifting of the
area of cultivation, and the
changes in the routes by which
Western grain reached the
Eastern consumers and the
European markets.
The development of the gram
production and trade is traced
from colonial times to the open
ing up of the Mississippi route
by the purchase of Louisiana,
when the shallow barges and
later the steamboats, descended
the Mississippi, and New Or
leans shipped grain to New
York and Boston. After the
completion of the Erie canal in
1928 and the settling of the Lake
Michigan territory, the great
bulk of the Western grain traf
dc moved eastward over he
lakes and the canal, and New
York became the great grain
shipping port of the country.
The monograph also presents
What appear as the two most
recent developments of the grain
trade of the United States;
firstly, the partial diversion Of
HE wheat and -four trade from
Lake Michigan to Lake Super
.rr ports and the rise of a great
milling industry at Minneapolis
and Duluth Superior; sec ,ndly,
the increased movement of grain
(notably of CORN to the gulf
ports, partly by river, to a
greater extent by rail from St.
Louis and near by points to an
ever growing extent by direct
rail rou,es from cities in the
southwestern corn belt.
The statistics contained in
this report throw light upon the
present grain and more espec-
tally wheat situation of the
United States. They show that
the expectation of grain is in.
creasing with great rapidity,
that both the production and
expectation of corn are assum-
ing greater volume and that a
constantly growing portion of
our wheat is exported in the
form of flour. During the last
81 years the amount of corn pro-
duced has increased from 1858,
100000 to 1, 924, 100000 of bush
els, an increase Of 1872 per cent,
while the exports of the cereal
increased fir DIN 5000, 900 to
III, 100000 of bushels, or over
1000 per cent. During the same
period our production of wheat
Increased from ]52,000,000 to
675, 900, 600 of bushels, gain of
S44 per cent, while our exports
increased from 12,60O,0OO to
222, 600, 900 of bushels, or almost
Is fold and our net exports of
this grain increased at a still
more rapid rate.
From this report it also ap-
pears that since 1875 and not
ably since 1881, an ever increas-
ing production of our wheat ex-
ports has been in the form of
1our, and that in this important
branch of manufacture Aneri-
cans have been able to compete
with European millers, even in
the face of adverse legislation
abroad. In 1880 only 1903 per
cent of our wheat was exported
in the form of manufactured
product, flour, while in 1899 the
proportion Was $3.50 per cent,
and in 1896 52.O3 per cent. In
1875 less than 4, 100000 barrels
of flour, in 1899 over $4,000, 600
barrels we're exported from this
country.
Aguinaldo's infant son has
died of small pox.