The St. Johns herald., 1901-03-02
BOERS' FOOD SUPPLY.
Official Export Figures of 1898 and
 What They Show.
Many Shipments to Other Points Thought to Have Been surFep- titiOusly Taken to the Trans-
 vaal and Stored.

l V00A ana StOEGOse
 Intimations and statements have not been wanting to show how thoroughly the Boers in South Africa went to work to prepare for the war with Great Britain. Most of these accounts, however, have had reference to the ob- taining of munitions of war. There is no doubt that the burghers of. the 1ransyaal and the Orange Free State were just as thorough in providing supplies of food. Some data on the subject are contained in pamphlet just issued from the United States de- partment of agriculture. This publi- cation only brings the matter down to June 30, 1898, but -ne figures con- tained in it show that the Boers began their preparations as far back as 1896.
 In the figures given showing the distribution of agricultural exports from this country, nothing is reported relating directly to the Transvaal. The exports are credited to British Africa and Portuguese Africa, these containing the seaports through which the stuff for the Transvaal and the Orange Free State passes.
 Canned beef is a representative ar ticle. These figures, in pounds. shipped to British Africa, for five years, are as follows: 1894, s67,193; 1896, 1,371,761; 1896, 3,019. .493; 1897, 5,319,3O2, and 1898. 4,122. .457.
 The shipments of the same staple to Portuguese Africa show even great CT disparity between the earlier and the later shipments, thus: 1894. 96; 1895, none; 1896, 457,570; 1897, 791,r 23O, and 1898, s3s,797
 Ten salted, or pickled. beef may be considered. To Portuguese Africa the shipments were small, but from noth- ing in 1894 they increased to 26,200 pounds in 1897, and over 10000 in 1898. British Africa, however, took from us the following quantities, in pounds. during the five years inclusive of 1894. 9s, respectively: 202.226, 17s,195, 143,- $50, 371, 500. and 579,S00.
 Bacon to British Africa jumped from nothing in 1894 to 35,477 pounds in 1897, and hams from 11,816 in 1894 to 135,16e pounds in 1898. Shipments to Portuguese Africa of hams jumped from nothing during the first four years to 53,666 pounds in 1898.
 Salted or pickled pork sent to Brit ish Africa ranged from as low as 4aI- 565 in 1895 up to 113,5o0 pounds in 1897. Little of the article went to, or by way of, Portuguese Africa.
 The figures for lard are much larger, thus: British Africa, for five years. respectively: 289,O24, 291, ,2Oe, 446,663. 1,192,SO6, and 1,7OO,293. Portuguese Af- rica: 1,6OO, -, 64,917,. 116,75o, and 1S9,912.
 Lard oil is another large item for British Africa. It increased from 165,- 143 gallons in 1894, to 3OO,744 gallons In 1897.
 These arc the significant figures for corn in bushels: British Africa (for five years respectively)-1,0 57O, 2,331, ,06O, 1,485,s9 233,274. Portuguese Africa-62. 3, 154.O52, 307,595, 9O,9s2.
 Cornmeal sent to British Africa jumped from 25 barrels in 1898 to IT, 941 in 1898.
 No oatmeal was sent to British Af- rica in 1894 and 1895. The following years, 1896, 1897 and 1898, show the following figures in pounds respect lively: 29,S5Q, 40ss952, and 667,79s.
 Rye sent to the ports of British Af- rica amounted to @Ely 1929 bushels in 1896. The next year the figures were 9Ssa64.
 Then follow aM&Eing figures for wheat. British Africa took only 47,- H9a bushels il 1895, but the following year she took &S96, ,874. and the two succeeding years, respectively, 2,524.- 694 and 2,823,868. For Portuguese Af- Eica there were no shipments in 1s94-5, and only 1,971 in 1896. But in 1897 they amounted to 8371665, and in 1898 to 2,35S,515 bushels.
 Wheat flour to British Africa jumped from 9,674 barrels in 1898 to 195, ,16a barrels in 1896 and 259,SO5 barrels in 1898.
 British Africa took 22O bushels of beans and peas in 1Se5. The next year 1o,426 bushels were shipped, and in 1897 36,17S, the quantity the following year being 24,631.
 Portuguese Africa, which had taken none the previous yearss took 1898 bushels in 1897.
 There was an increase also in dried apples. To British African. ports there were sent in 1894 47s pounds. In 1897 the quantity was sO,sOO, and in 1898 27,177.
 Other items show minor increases, and many kindS of exports remain about stationary, the large increases in every case being of nonperishable foods.-N. I. Times.
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 Cold and Cruef