Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-30
Contribution of This Country
to Diet of Europe.
FIGURES GIVEN IN REPORT
Department of Agriculture Shows
Trend of Commerce.
VOLUME OF THE SHIPMENTS
Foodstuffs Thus Disposed of Largely
Ahead of the Increase In
Population.


What tins country has been doing to
ward feeding Europe iii the past fifty
wears and how the exports Of foodstuns
have largely outrun the increase Of the
nonuIatiou are All shown distinctly in Il
report of the Agricultural Department,
soon IL he issued The time covered by
the report is divided into five-year pc
RODS 80 that it is easy to follow the gen
craI trend III the movement.
While the exports have increased in the
aggregate. and are still increasing, there
has been an actual falling off in many
directions during the present century, as
the increasing demands for home con-
sumption have kept eatables here instead
of allowing them TO be sent abroad.
The last half century has seen a great
increase in the exports OF farm products
from the United States. From an aver
age Of S1.NGv.eo year in the tive-year
period Of 1s,l-1S;,,, the agricultural ex-
ports rose t. an average Of SSiJ,OO,ecO
= year i'll l9o1 and in two subse-
quent individual years C9O1 and 1909
surpassed billion dollars.
Rapid Increase Noted.
Not only have such exports increased
hut they have increased much faster than
the population In 1Sal-1SJ5 the average
value per capita Of the agricultural ex-
ports of the United States was S5.s3; in
1a11-19o5 il was S10.sS and since 1905 it
has been still greater.
The chief agricultural products exported
in the past half century have been cotton,
grain and grain products and packing
house products.
In 1s51-1SJ5 cotton made nearly two
thirds of the value of all agricultural eX-
ports. but in 1nl-1!p5 between one-third
and one-half only, although the average
quantity exported increased from l,o2o
million pounds in 1Sp11S.ho to BOT million
pounds in 1?ol-19u5, while in 1907, the
highest year. Abs million pounds were
sent out. In the period 1S61-1S6o the guam
tity of cotton exports was only about ,
per cent of that for 1SJ6-1s6o Increases
occurred afterward, however until In
1SI6-1SSo the average quantity exported
was somewhat greater than in the period
just prior TO the civil war
Highest Per Capita, 1s56-6O.
In quantity exported per capita. the
fye-year period 1SJ6-1SGo was highest
there were then exported AS pounds of
cotton per capita. The nearest approach
10 this was 44.5 pounds per capita in 1901
1900 Cottonseed products, such as cot
tonseed oil. oil cake and oil-cake meal,
have assumed considerable Importance in
the export trade of the United States in
recent years-that Is, beginning about
1876. The value of cottonseed products
exported averaged during the past several
years from - million to 30 million dol
lars a year, the highest being in 1907,
about 81 million dollars.
Grain and its products come second in
order of value. They increased from a
yearly average of % million dollars in
1sJl-1S55 to 1914 million dollars in 1901
1905, and in 1908 We're 215 million dol
lars. The chief items are wheat GnclHir
ing wheat -FOUR. corn. and oats. Exports
of these cereals during 1SJ1-1SJ5 were
equivalent TO about twenty million bushels
of grain annually, and fifty years later
To about 80 million bushels. The period
of largest grain exports was 1S96-19OO,
since which time there has been decline.
The per capita exports of wheat and
-four were largest in 1sS1-1SS5, when they
were equivalent to 30 bushels per capita;
IN 1!D1-105 the average exports per CAPT.
ia were two bushels, and since 1905 have
been less than two bushels.
Maximum in Corn.
In corn the maximum limit was reached
in 1Ss6-1ap0. when an average of "a
bushels per capita was exported.
Then came a downward tendency, the
"
Only IL bushels per capita, and in sue
ceedng years falling below one bushel.
Compared with corn and wheat, exports
of oats have been small. the largest aver
age for any fve-year period being 3d.
100000 bushels a year during 1S96-l9O0, or
something more than One-tifth the cor
responding exports of corn or of wheat,
including flour.
Exports of packing-house products, a
third leading group, have increased much
more rapidly in the last half century than
cotton or cereals. The average value of
Westinghouse products exported in 1851
1855 was Slo,0oo.W0 a year, and in 1901
1903 il was S1S,o0O,0OO. while in 1908
the value was S1960O0,0O. The principal
items of this group are pork, lard, beef
and oleo oil. AS I'm the case of grain, the
greatest exports of lard and pork We're
IN the five-year period 1S96-19OO.
Large Expectation of Lard.
The exports of lard have increased
nearly eight times fast as the popu-
iation of the United States. The average
per capita in ls51-1S55 was II pounds a
year. while fifty years later, in 19o1-1905
the average reached Sc pounds per cap
tia. Another great increase occurred in
per capita exports of pork The aver
age for 1866 1870 was g pounds per cap
tia: in 1S16-1SS0, 1876 pounds per capita,
and in 1aol-19o5, S.i pounds per capita.
oil chose in 1901-1905) amounted to 40s,
10000 pounds year for beef and 1916.
10000 pounds for oleo OIL Since 1906
here has been a marked decline in ex-
ports of beef. the average for 196-19OS
being only 349,0O.00o pounds a year. or
less than for any five-year period since
Issii-1SsU. On the other hand the average
exports of oleo oil during the three years
ending with 1905 exceeded the average
for rso1-19u5 by nearly 6O,UOUO pounds.
Prominent Place for Tobacco.
Tobacco, which century ago was
among the most important of our eX-
ports, still holds a prominent place. Elk
ports of manufactured tobacc6 have
averaged since lS3l-1s95 more than 300.
sb.tcp pounds a year, with an average
yearly valuation of about S30,OOo,Oo0
The per capita exports of this product
declined from 81 pounds in. 1S51-1So5 to
Al pounds in 1.0l-19O5 while during 1906
1905 the average was less than 4 pounds.
Exports of fruit increased from S11 ,O0O
in 1851 To S20.So.UD in 1904. and suisse
ON m