The Grit-advocate., 1904-05-27
LATEST NEWS FROM WASHINGTON
Our Agricultural Exports.

The Department of Agriculture has
issued report on the Nations Farm
Supplies" prepared by George X
Holmes. chief OF the division OF for
eign markets.
1t gives 81. 800. 600, 900 as conserva-
tive estimate of the value Of the farm
products of the country not fed to live
stock in 1903, on the basis of the cen
sus valuation The value of the ex-
ported farm products of this country
was, in 1903. $S7S.i79,i5 |, and the high
est value reached during the last elev
en- years was 1851 .G2S,33 in 1901, due
chiefly to cotton.
The value of the exported farm prod
ucts OF this country Is concentrated
/ mostly in a few principal products. or
it in 1903 cotton constituted thirty ysix
per cent, grain and grain products
twenty-five per cent, meat and meat
supplies and live animals twenty-four
per cent, these products equallins
over eighty-five per cent. Of the ex-
ports Of farm products last year.
Adding tobacco. whose exports
were valued at over S35. 900, oil
cake and oil cake meal. sl9,S39.279:
fruits and nuts over $4,000 900. and
vegetable oils over $4,000. 900. gives a
total of eight classes OF products.
each with an export value of over
s10,000,000, that comprises almost
ninetySiX per cent of the entire farm
exports of 1903.
Within recent years, ending with
1903, the cotton exports have been be-
tween three and four billion pounds
and the exported fraction of the crop
has been between siXty-three and sew
enty-One per cent. for long series OF
years. The fraction of the wheat crop
exported in the last dozen years has
been about thirty.one to forty-one per
cent. and the exported wheat and
wheat flour have yearly averaged
somewhat more than 2O0,00O,0 900 bush
els since 1897, before which period
for many years the quantity was usu-
ally 50,000,00O to 100,0OO,00O bushels
less.
Only a small portion Of the corn
crop is exported as corn, the highest
percentage, eleven per cent. being
for 1898. Notwithstanding the small
percentage, the exported bushels reach
| 100000 900 to 200,000,00O.
The beef exports weighed S5000,-
900 pounds, pork exports 55l 900. 900.
lard exports weighed 400 900, 900, oleo
|
tobacco 3GS 100000.
Butter and cheese exports have de-
decidedly declined within two or three
years.
The report says that within few
years the results of an enormous ex-
tension OF orchard planting will begin
| to be shown. and some Of these results
may be in a much increased fruit sur
| plus for export. The exports Of ami
nal matter are losing ground relative
ly with corresponding gain by vege-
table matter.
Taking up the destinations Of the
| surplus the report says the United
| Kingdom takes aDOut one-half, Ger-
many about one-sixth and France, the
| Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and
Italy from three to five per cent. each.
China in recent years takes mil
lion dollars worth annually and they
go to Russia, China. Korea. Greenland
and Iceland and other remote portions
of the earth. From eighty to nine
ty per cent. Of the total goes to
America and less than two per cent.
each to Asia. South America, Africa
and Oceanica.
The report also takes up the compe-
tition of this country in foreign mar
kets, showing that this country fur
nishcs thirty-twO per cent. Of the
United Kingdoms imports Of farm
products, thus leading in these i'm.
ports.