The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1910-02-05
EXPORTS OF FARM
PRODUCTSGROWING
COTTON, GRAIN AND PACKING.
HOUSE SHIPMENTS ANNUAL
LY sURPAss sf ,OoOyoOo,ooo.
$1,000, 600 GOO

Washington, Feb, B.--The last half
century has seen great increase in
the exports OF farm products from the
United States. From an average OF
t15o,Ooo,ooo year in the ave-year
period, 1s511s55, the agricultural ex-
ports rose to an. average of Ss75,OOO,-
600 a. year in 1s01-19O5, and in two
subsequent individual years (ls07 and
190s) surpassed $1,000, O0O, 900.
Not only have such, exports in
creased. but they have increased much
faster than the population. In 1851
1855 the average value per capita Of
the agricultural exports Of the United
States was $5.S5, in f901-1s05 II was
$10.ss, and since 1905. it has been still
greater. a.r
A report on the annual exports Of
farm products from the United States
from 1851 to 1908, inclusive, is about
to be published as Bulletin rs of the
bureau of statistics, United States de-
partment of agriculture. Averages are
given by fve-year periods, SO that It
Is possible to perceive the general
drift of the trade.
Three Chief Products.
The. chief agricultural. products ex-
ported in the past half century have
been cotton, grain and grain products.
and packinghouse products.
In 1851 1855, cotton made nearly
two-thirds Of the value Of all asricul-
tural exports, but in 1901-1905 be-
tween one-third and one-half only,
although the average quantity export
ed increased from 1,026, 600 pounds in
1S51-1s55 to S,577,0Oo pounds in 1901
1905, while in 1907, the highest year.
4,518,000 pounds were sent out.
In the period 1S61-1s65 the quantity
of cotton exports was only about 3 per
cent Of that for Is56-1s6O. Increases
occurred afterward, however, until in
1S76-1SS0 the average quantity export
ed was somewhat greater than in the
period just prior to the civil war. In
quantity exported per capita, the five
year period, 1S56-1s6O, was the
highest; there were then exported 44.S
pounds Of cotton per capita. The
nearest approach to this was 44.5
pounds per capita in 1901 1905.
Cotton seed products, such as cot
ton seed oil, oil cake and oil cake meal
have assumed much Importance in the
export trade of the United States i'm
recent years, that is, beginning about
1875. The value of cotton seed
products exported averaged during the
past several years from $25, 600, 600 to
S30,000,000 a year, the highest being in
1907, about sS4,O0O,O0O. -
Grain GaaanL - NnI.,~
Grain and it's products come second
in order Of value. They increased from
a yearly average Of $25,OOO, 900 in 1851
1855 to $194,O0O,00O in 1901 1905, and in
1908 were $215, 100000. The chief items
are wheat Oncluding wheat fiour), corn
and oats.
Exports Of these cereals during
1851-1S55 were equivalent to about
20,o00,o00 bushels of grain annually,
and fifty years later to about 25O,0OO.-
900 bushels. The period OF largest
grain exports was 1900, since
which time there has been a decline.
The per capita exports Of wheat and
-four were largest in 18S1-18s5, when
they were equivalent to 90 bushels per
capita; in 1901-1905 the average exports
per capita were bushels, and since
1905 have been less than 2 bushels.
i In corn the maximum limit was
reached in 1S96-1900, when an average
of "a bushels per capita was exported.
Then came a downward tendency, the
exports in the next five-year period be-
ing only IL bushels per capita. and
in succeeding years falling below /
bushel, t t +.
Compared with corn and wheat, ex-
ports of oats have been small the
largest average for any five-year per-
iod being 3s,O00,000 bushels a year
during 96-1900, or something more
than one fifth the corresponding ex-
ports of corn or of wheat, including
flour.
Value Reaches $f96,000 900.
Exports of packing house products,
a third leading group, have increased
much more rapidly in the last half
century than cotton o., cereals. The
average value of packing house pro-
ducts exported In 1S51-1s55 was s1O,-
600, 900 a year, and in 1S01-1S05 it was
$183, 100000. while in 1908 the value
was s1s6.0OO,OOO
The principal items of this group are
pork. lard, beef and oleo oil. AS in |
the case of grain, the greatest exports |
of lard and pork were in the. ive-year
period of 1s96-19OO The exports of |
lard have increased nearly eight times
as fast as the population OF the United |
States. The average per capita in
1851 1856 was IL pounds. year, while
fifty years later, in 1s01-1905, the aver
age reached SO pounds per capita.
Another great increase occurred in |
per capita exports of pork. The aver
age, for 1866 1870 was 1.s pounds per
capita; in 1s76-1SsO, 1875 pounds per
capita, and in 1s01-1s05, s4 pounds
per capita.
y The largest exports of beef and oleo I
oil Chose in 1901 19O5) amounted to
a0s.O0O,0O0 pounds year for beef and
l46,O0O,0 600 pounds of oleo oil Since
1905 there has been a marked decline
In exports of beef, the average for 1906
1908 being. only $4,000, 900 pounds a
year, or less than for any five-year
period since 1S86-1ssO On the other
hand, the average exports Of oleo oil
during the three years ending with
1908 exceeded the average for 1901
1906 by nearly 60000O0O pounds.
Tobacco Still Prominent.
Tobacco, which q century ago was
among the most important of our ex-
ports still holds a prominent place.
Exports of unmanufactured tobacco
have averaged since 1S91-1S95 more
Lhan 3O0,O00,c00 pounds a pear. with
an average yearly valuation Of about
B3O,O00,O00. The per capita exports
Dc this product declined from So
pounds in 185I-1s55 to Al noi1nds in