The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-06-07
CROP PROSPECTS
 ARE BR|LL|AN I. Railroad Earnings Were Enor- nous Despite Small Tonnage BRAOSTREET REVIEW Bank cIearngs Are Quite Heavy, Not withstandng the Speculative Dull
 ness, and Business Failures
 Are sti , 3sereas ng.
BRADSTREE REVIEW

New yoriS June 6-Bradstreet's to- morrow will say:
 Crop prospects taken as whole are really brilliant, railroads earnings are enormous despite the small grain ton mage; bank clearings are quite heaVy' the speculative duiihess' and failures are fewer in number than in recent years. The ending of the Boer war. 1t Is believed, will also have ten dencv to stimulate export business in manufactures, although interfering with trade in horses, mules and other articles of export On the other hand the indus trial situation though improved by the ending of blast furnaces and the team sters' strike is still a depressing one, ow- ing to the prospect of the anthracite coal strike proving a long and bitter one' threats of Q strike. In the Virginia btu- minous fields and the general unrest noted among workers in number or in- dustries. In connection with the indus trial unrest 1t Is to be observed that many of the demands made now and Tor some time past have been based upon higher prices for food. Corn and cotton crop reports are positively excellent, and In striking contrast with any year ago. Winter wheat Is turning out better than expected in such states as Kansas though recent rains have interfered With harvesting In Oklahoma. Fruit crops promise to be very large and a favorable reflection of this already Is noted in
 f1rDpr NPRP- tables and other country products short ened a year ago promise heavy yield. Oats, barley and hay are doing splendidly in the west and northwest; spring wheat advices are optimistic, Warmer weather has stimulated spring recorder business in drygoods Rather more activity being noted by jobbers the country over.
 The eastern shoe trade is quiet. though reports from the west favor encourage ment. Eastern shipments are per cent less than a year ago. Leather Is rather steady though firm for some grades, and shoe factories are not actively employed. Rather more Is doing in mems wear woolens than of late and overcoatings have been well sold ahead. Woolen ma chinery Is actively employed except where labor trouble exists. while wool Is quiet with but a fair inquiry. Industries are active except where interfered with py strikes. The feature in the steel trade IS the conservative action of producers Who have fixed the price of steel rails TOT heN' year at s2S, this being partly caused py the carrying over of large. orders, dehF- cry of which Is impossible this year A large volume of new business Is also re- ported in this line. Steel bars are reported stronger Agricultural implement men have placed most of their orders In nn- ished products a year in advance ana are now bidding freely for pig iron for next years delivery. The nominal price TOT steel plates will not be advanced. Pig iron for immediate delivery is really as scarce as ever. Foreign pig iron and steel billets are being more liberally bought Coke is 8 cents higher. Light and heavy hardware and kindred lines report un- usual activity.
 Wheat dncluding flour) exports for the week aggregate 500. .055 bushels, against 900 645 for five days last week and 6,644,- 6A in this week last year. Exports from July 1 to date aggregate 23S, 025, 135 bush els, against 199, 457, ,36S last season.
 Corn exports aggregate s6.254 bushels, against 71, ATS last week and 2.455,102 last year. From July 1 to date corn exports have been 25, ,sS7 115 bushels, against 166.- fs. 4S3 last season.
 Business failures for the week in the United States number 153. as against 163 last week. 1s3 in this week last year, 1s4 in 1900, ITS in 1899 and 221 in 1898.
 In the Dominion of Canada failures were F for the week, against 10 last veek.