Evening star., 1901-09-06
MIR. Hitchcoek's Report on Agricul-
tural Products Abroad.
UNITED KINGDOM CHIEF BUYER
France Ranks High as Liberia
Customer.
OTHER NATIONAL PATRONS

Mr.. Frank H Hitchcock. chief Of the
section of foreign markets. has prepared
q report on the distribution Of the agrfeul-
tural exports of the United States for the
years from 1895 to 1900. the object Of
which Is to continue and bring down to
date the statistics published two years
ago in a similar report covering the five
year period 1S94-1S9S
There were a dozen countries In 1900,
says Mr.. Hitchcock, to each Of which the
United States exported over 10000, 600
worth of domestic farm produce. Chief
amongs these countries were the united
kingdom and Germany, the former pur-
chasing to the value of s4OS 600 900. and the
latter to the value Of $134 100000.
Our agricultural exports to the united
kingdom were the largest record, ex-
cepting those of the extraordinary year
1898, when a value of $439 100000 was at
tanned. In trade with Germany the
exports for 1900 were decidedly in excess
of any previously reported. Compared
with the shipments for 1896, five years ago,
which were valued at less than $T2.00O, 600,
they show an increase of nearly 100 per
cent.
After the united kingdom and Germany
the principal foreign market for American
farm produce in 1900 was that of the
Netherlands. to which country exports val
ued at S520OO,OOO were sent. These figures
were exceeded only in 1885, and then by
less than LOCO 900. AS contrasted with
the record for 1895, amounting to S21 ,0OO.-
600, they exhibit a striking gain.
France and Belgium.
France ranked next in Importance, and
Belgium fifth, among our foreign markets
in 1900, the former country receiving agri-
cultural exports to the value of s45, 900, 900
and the latter to the value of $33 ,OOO,OO
In comparison with the trade of 1896 our
expectations to each of these destinations
displayed an important growth, the ship
ments to France during that year having
a value OF only $31, 100000, and those Of
Belgium a value of little more than $1S,-
900, 1000. Our exports both to France and
to Belgium, however, attained a higher
value in 1893 than in either Of the succeed
ing years, the record for the former coun-
try being s75.00O.0OO. and that for the lat
ter $37, 100000
Italy was the sixth country in rank. the
products Of the United States agriculture
marketed there during 1900 having a value
Of S24,O0O0OO. Each Of the past four years
exports to that country. In 1896 they were
valued at less than S15OOO,OOO.
After these six European countries Can
ada was our principal customer, purchas-
cultural exports to Canada advanced in
value from $20OOO,0 900 during 1896 to $32.-
100000 in 1898, and then declined to the
figures just quoted for 1900.
The Japanese Market.
Japan furnished a market in 1900 for
over $4,000, 900 worth Of American farm
produce. The exports to that country af-
ford alone one of the most interesting ex-
amples of growth In our recent export
trade. During 1896 the shipments barely
exceeded 100000 In value. Subsequent
n oh In frSf 40
cided gain.
Agricultural exports worth nearly $15 Co.,
600 were also marketed in Denmark during
1900, that country furnishing another strik-
ing instance Of trade development. In 1896
the exports to Denmark were valued at
about s.. 00O.O 900, or little more than a third
of the value recorded for 1900.
Cuba was the tenth in importance among
the destinations under consideration. The
amount Of United States farm produce sent
to that island has greatly increased during
the past hve years. In 1895 the exports
were at low ebb, having q value Of less
than $4,0OO,OO0. Since then important gains
have been made each year. eliminating In
value of about $14, 900, 900 for 1900
Products Of American agriculture were
marketed in Spain during 1900 to the value
OF S1O500,OOO, these figures showing a
slight increase over the exports for 1896,
which amounted to a trihe less than $1O-
100000. In the three years following 1896
considerable decline occurred, but the
lost trade was more than recovered during
1900.
Another country that In 1900 purchased
over S10,OOO0OO worth Of American farm
products was British Africa the exports
to that destination having a value of $780,
100000, or nearly double the value reported
III 1896, which was only $500, COO Al
though there was a continuous increase
throughout the five-year period 1896-19OO,
the largest gain took place in the last Of
these years.
Exports to Other Countries.
After the twelve leading countries men,
toned, the most important destinations in
our agricultural export trade for 1900, with
the value recorded In each case, were: Swe-
den and Norway. $5,515 600; Hong Kong,
$5.4o4,0O the British West Indies. So 224,-
0O0 Portugal, 1905 900: Mexico. 81 572 600.
Brazil. 81 1893 600; Austria Hungary, s., $685.
600; European Russia, $3.215,0OO; Hawaii
$2,s46,000; Porto Rico. $2.311 600; British
Australasia, $2.0S6,0OO; and the Philippine
Islands, 81 .657 600.
Our total exports of domestic farm pro
duce to Cuba, Porto Rico, Hawaii and the
Philippine Islands in 1900 had an aggre-
gate value or over S2O,OOO,0O0 as compared
with only s6,269,OOO in 1885, The gain in
exceeded 200 per cent.
Other destinations to which the United
States sent agricultural exports In 1900
having value in excess Of S1.OO0.OOO, were
British Guiana, Haiti, Venezuela, the
French West Indies, Newfoundland and
Labrador and the Chinese Empire
The most striking gain disclosed by the
figures Of 1S96-19O0 was that exhibited In
our exports to Asia. The value of the
agricultural produce sent to Asiatic coun-
tries rose from s., 735 600 In 1896 to nearly
s23. 100000 in 1900, the latter amount far
exceeding any previous record Since 1906
the exports have advanced almost four-fold
in value. The increase of 1900 over 1s99
was particularly marked, amounting to
more than $1,000 900.
Trade With Oceania.
There was also an interesting gain in our
agricultural export trade with Oceania, our
shipments to the various islands comprised
under that term amounting In 1900 to s6,-
100 O00 as eompared with onlv 60 Ooe oOn u