The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1911-01-12

other parts OF the world are max
ing to the comforts and requirements
of homes in the United States are
quite as interesting as the subjects
CT last weeks discussion, regarding
the articles which producers in the
United States had contributed TO the
comforts of homes in other parts of
the world Our teas, our coffee, our
corks, our bananas, our camphor, our
liccrice, our pepper, nutmegs and
other spices, our silk, some of our
cotton, a considerable part of cur
wool, and strange as it may appear.
some part of the onions, potatoes, an
cheese consumed in the United State!
are brought from other countries and
in many cases from the opposite side
of the globe and out of the way parts
Of the world.
Few people would suppose, for ex-
ample, that this great agricultural
country imports onions, or potatoes,
or clover seed, or honey; yet the
value of onions imported in 1907 and
1908 was nearly ai million dollars in
each year, and they came from Egg
pit, Australia, Japan, the Canary Is
lands, Uruguay, Cuba, the British
West Indies, Bermuda, Canada, Mex
leo and Spain. OF potatoes more than
three and one-half million dollars
worth were imported in 1909, the
largest contributing country being
Scotland with over one million dol
lars worth, Ireland and Great Brit
ain each three quarters of million
dollars worth, and the remainder is
largely from European countries and,
in smaller quantities., from the
British West Indies, Australia, and
even China and Japan. Pepper, of
course, is not produced im the Uni
ted States and it is not surprising,
therefore, that two million dollars
worth is imported annually, much of
it from the Dutch East Indies, al
though accredited largely to the
Straits Settlements, the southernmOs'
point of Eastern Asia, to which this
merchandise is transshipped from
the East Indian Islands, known a cen
fury ago as the "iSpice Islands," and
smaller quantities come direct from
Netherlands, the country which has
for so many years administered the
government of those islands and con-
trolled largely their lines of produc.
ton. Nutmegs, of which the impOr.
taticns amount to quarter million
dollars year, are also drawn chiefly
from the "Spice Islands, or the
Dutch East Indies.
One would scarcely expect thai
such an agricultural country as thu
United States would find it neces
sary to import clover seed, but tn
quantity imported runs as high a.
. twenty million pounds year, chief
ly from Germany and in smalle
Quantities from France, Italy an
Scotland.
> Sausage castings, which We woult
, scarcely expect to see imported init
!. country slaughtering food animal
in such large numbers, are importea
to the value of from two to tire
million dollars a year, by far tn
II +r;h o1op r
from which the importations in 100
were over enc and one-half millio
dollars, the remainder being fror
l widely scattered countries, from Gel
many, Turkey, in Europe, China Aus
tralia, and Turkey in Asia. Natura
gas is another article which we don
expect to see imported, yet the in
! portstions run as high as $4,000 pc
\ annum, being piped across the rive
from Canada at or lear Niagar
Falls
Of the more commonly used art
cles of which other parts of the wor
are the chief source, sugar is tn
largest in value, it's importation
ranging about 100 million dollars
year from foreign countries ard
million dollars year from our ow
island possessions, Hawaii, Porto
p co, and the Philippines. Nearly a
!. that coming from foreign countrie
is drawn from Cuba, which supple
us last fiscal year with three and Of
half billion pounds valued at rinet
three and one-half million dollars.
coffee, the importations range fro
sixty to seventy-five million dollaa
year and in exceptional years {
high as 100 million. The bulk of til
comes from Brazil, though a co
siderable portion comes from Jaw
Mexico, Central America, and tt
northern section of South Americ