The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-12-07
Imports and Exports of Farm
er'S Materials.

American manufactures and other pro-
ducts for use in cultivating the soil,
while about $50, 900, 900 worth of foreign
products are annually imported into the
United States for use upon American
farms. The foregoing summarizes GER
tain information recently compiled by
the Bureau of Statistics, Department of
Commerce and Labor, in response to an
inquiry upon that subject received from
representative newspaper located in
the great farming area of the Middle
West, and refers more especially to
those classes of merchandise having their
chief, if not exclusive, use in the farming
industry, and does not include articles in
general use, such as clothing, furniture
and miscellaneous manufactures.
Of the exports from the United States
of articles required in farming, by far
the larger portion are composed of manu-
features, such as agricultural imple-
ments, binding Irvine, barbed wire, and
oil cake; while phosphate rock, to be
ground up and used as fertilizer, and
clover, timothy and other grass seeds
are among the articles exported in the
natural state. In addition to the exports
above enumerated as specifically for
farm use, there are certain articles for
which the agriculturalists of other coun-
tries draw upon the United States but
which cannot be classed as distinctively
for farm purposes, such as wagons, car
riages, traction engines, fiber bags,
pumps, etc In such cases the Bureau
of Statistics has no means of determin-
ing the proportion of the exports intend
ed for farm use and they are not, there
fore, included in the 100 million dollars
worth Of merchandise exported for ag
rcultural purposes.
Taking up the principal exports of the
class under discussion, agricultural i'm
Elements head the list, with probable
total of $40, 900, 900 in the year about to
end, comprised of nearly $4,000, 900
worth of mowers and reapers, SO, 900, 900
worth of plows and cultivators, So, $780,,
WV WOl III VI lilCoil0lSy anu lu6 ISHdlll>
der miscellaneous farming tools and i'm
Elements. These agricultural imple-
ments are exported to practically all
parts of the world where man has adopt
ed modern methods of cultivating the
soil, in the great wheat fields of Russia,
in the vineyards of France, on the coffee
plantations of Brazil, in the rice fields of
China and Japan, and in all the rapidly
developing countries of the New World,
including Canada, Argentina, Cuba, and
Mexico. The years exports will range
from nearly IS, 900, 900 to European Rus
STA, Sc, 100000 to Argentina, and about
$1,000, 900 to Canada, to about 81, 500, 900
to Africa, while to British Australia
and Oceania will be sent total of nearly
1900, 900, to other Oceania and Asia
about 81, 900, 900, and Brazil about $780,
900 worth. Even the great manufactur-
ing countries of Europe, the United
Kingdom, Germany, and France, are
represented in the years exports of
agricultural implements, the United
Kingdom with total of over 81, 900, 900,
Germany, 100000 and France, 3d.
900, 0OO
Fertilizers, of which the exports will
be about S12 900, 900 during the year, are
chiefly sent to European countries,
where long-continued use of the soils has
largely depleted their natural fertility
and rendered artificial fertilizers a ne
cessity. For American phosphate rock
and other fertilizers of that class Ger
many is the largest market, followed
next by the Netherlands and the United
Kingdom. Another class of materials,
used as cattle food, whose exports are
considerable, includes oil cake and oil
cake meal made from cotton-seed and
hnseed. Of these the exports amount
to about 10000 600 per annum, being
exported mostly to various countries OF
Europe.
Binding Irvine is another article of i'm
portance in wheat growing countries. Of
that article the years exports will be
about $4,000, 900, practically all destined
for Russia and other European countries.
Canada, and Argentina. American barb
ed wire exported, about SIS, 0OO 900 per
annum, goes chiefly to Canada, Austria
LA, Argentina, British Africa, Mexico,
Brazil and Cuba. In addition to these
articles, there are others largely, if not
exclusively, required by farmers, such
as windmills, with exports nearing ST.
100000 per annum; and clover and other
grass seeds, over 81, 000,0
On the other hand, American farmers
draw upon other countries for certain of
their requirements, most of the imports,
however. being articles in their natural
state. The largest item shown in the
imports of last year were fertilizers, in
GLIDING nitrate Of soda, ST., 600;
guano, manure salts, etc., $4,000, 900;
potash salts, $1,000, 900; sulphate of
ammonia, used in part as substitute for
manure and in part in the manufacture
of alum, SIS, 900, 900; animals for breeding
purposes, chiefly horses, nearly $3,000,-