The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-07-12
SEEDS FROM FOREIGN LANDS
S2S, ZOO, 900 WORTH IMPORTED To
UNITED STATES LAST YEAR.
Big Sums Sent Abroad for Flax, SUI
gar Beet, Castor Bean, Glover,
Cabbage and Flower Seeds.

Cabbage and Flower Seeds.
A record importation of $2O,0O0,-
600 worth of fax seed in the fiscal
year 1911 is indicated by the records
of the bureau of statistics, depart
ment of commerce and labor, now
completed for the ten months ending
with April, 1911. During that period
the imports of flaXseed or linseed ag-
gregated S,250,000 bushels, copar-
ed with 100000 bushels last year
and $4,000 bushels in the CORES
pOnding period of 1909. The growth
in value is even greater, the ten
months figures of the current fiscal
year being S16,750,000 against 3d.
900, 900 in 1911 , and but $73, 625 in
1909. The estimated importation Of
$2O,000,00O worth of flaXseed in the
fiscal year which ends with the pres
ent month exceeds by more than
S1O,O00,000 the value imported in |
1909, is nearly $18,000,000 above |
the record of 1901, and is by far !
larger than that of any other year. |
During the ten years 1901 to 1910 |
inclusive a total of SIS 600, 900, or |
S1,30O,000, is shown as against $780,
100000 for the single year 1911 now
drawing to close.
FlaXseed furnishes the bulk Of the |
S28,000,000 worth of various seeds
imported during the year. The other
leading classes include sugar beet,
clover and castor beans. OF these
the imports of clover seed during the
year will be about 100000, and
those of sugar beet and castor seed
each about 100000. The remaining
$3,750,000 worth of seeds imported
includes grass, mustard, beet, cab
bage, poppy and flower seeds, also a
large number of seeds valued by rea-
son of the volatile oils and perfumes
contained, such as anise, caraway,
coriander and fennel.
The price of imported faXseed |
tends to increase from year to year.
In 1897 the average price per bushel !
was $1.03; in 1901, $1.27; in 1903,
$3.50; in 1909, $1.40; in 1910,
$1.7O, and in 1911, $2.04, for the
high record importation of $780,
600 bushels in the ten months ending
with April.
the fiaXseed imported into the United !
States, about 60 per cent of the i'm
ports during 1910 having been from |
that country, compared with about |
% per cent from Canada and about |
4 per cent each from the British |
East hides and Belgium. Nearly all
the sugar beet seed imported is from
Germany, while clover seed is inn
ported chiefly from Germany, Canada
and France
The very large increase in importa-
lions of f1aXseel during 1911 is due
to the partial failure of the crop last
year. The flaxseed crop of the Unit
ed States is, according to figures of
the bureau Of statistics of the de-
partment of agriculture, chiefly pro-
duced in Minnesota and North and
South Dakota The crop in North
Dakota last year was to a large ex-
tent failure, reducing the domestic
production by nearly one-half, and
the amount available for market pur-
poses, aside from seed, fully one
half, hence the large importations in
the current year from foreign coun-
tries.
The shortage in the domestic crop
OF faXseed and presumably in the
production of linseed oil is reflected
in the large imports of oil of that
character during the current fiscal
year. During the nine months end
ing with March, 1911, the imports
for consumption of linseed oil aggre-
gated 3,207,425 gallons, valued at
$2,193,679, compared with 467664
gallons, valued at $258, 800, in the
entire fiscal year 1910, and but 28,-
lO2 gallons, valued at $13,249 in the
fiscal year 1909.