The Republican journal., 1911-07-06
Exports of Farm Products
During the Fiscal Year 1911.


ports of farm products will aggregate a
billion dollars in the fiscal year which
ends with the month of June. The Gov
ernment's fiscal year has for many years
ended at the middle of the calendar year,
the purpose being to give opportunity to
classify and arrange the years figures
in time for consideration by the Congress
whose regular date of meeting is the
first Monday in December; thus the
Bureau of Statistics of the Department
of Commerce and Labor presents its de-
tailed yearly report of commerce for the
year ending June 3Oth. Figures for IL
of the II months of the fiscal year 1911
are now available, and show exports of
cotton STA million dollars, foodstuffs 354
million dollars, and tobacco IS million, a
total for the II months ending with May
of 963 million dollars, making it quite
app aren't that the sum added for the
month of June will bring the total ex-
ports of farm products during the fiscal
wear 1911 above the billion dollar line.
Cotton, as above indicated, is by far
the largest single item, STA million dol
lars worth being exported in the IL
months ending with May, indicating that
the total for the full fiscal year will ap
proximate GOO million, against $50 mil
lion in the fiscal year 1910, and 4S1 mil
lion in the former high record year,
1907. This very large increase in the
value OF cotton exports in the fiscal year
1911 over that of any earlier year is due
chiefly to the high prices, the quantity
of cotton exported in 1911 being ma
terially less than in 1909 or 1907, while
the value will exceed by more than 100
million dollars that of the years in which
the qua nifty was greater than in 1911.
The average export price of domestic
cotton in May, 1911 was Isl cents per
pound, ard for the 9 months ending with
May, 14.5 cents per pound; against JAP
cents in the cotton year 1910; II cents in
1904; ia cents in 1908; and less than 6
cents per pound in 1895, 1898 and 1899,
these figures being in all cases for the
cotton year ending with August 31st.
Meat and dairy products also show a
marked increase in value of exports in
the fiscal year 1911, when compared with
the Immediately preceding year, being
for the II months ending with May 1856
12 million dollars; against 120 million in
the same months of last year; and for
the single month of May Is 1-2 million
dollars, against 9 million for the CORE
spending month of last year. This in
crease is due in nearly all cases to larger
quantities, the, prices being in most
cases lower than last year. For example
the average export price of bacon in the
month Of May, 1911, is 1913 cents per
pound; against 1873 cents per pound in
May OF last year; hams, 11.9 cents per
pound, against 14.6 cents in May year
ago; lard, go cents per pound, against
1877 cents in the corresponding month
last year; butter, 207 cents per pound.
against 25.5 cents in May year ago;
and cheese, 11.5 cents per pound, against
15.5 cents in May last year.
Other articles showing an increase in
value Of exports in the fiscal year 1911
over that of the corresponding period of
the preceding fiscal year are fruits, %
million dollars, against II Sd million a
year ago; corn, SO million, against "a
million in the corresponding period of
1910; while cotton seed oil, oil cake and
meal, and flour also show slight advances
in the total value of exports when COM
pared with the corresponding period of
last year, though wheat shows marked
decline in the II months ending with
May, 1911, being but q 1-2 million dol
lars in value, against AZ 1-3 million in
The corresponding months of 1910.
Europe is, of course, the chief pur-
chaser Of these exports of farm products.
Most of the cotton goes to Europe, COM
paratively small quantities, however,
going to Canada and Japan, and Europe
is also the chief customer for wheat,
cotton seed oil, oil cake, live cattle and
tobacco. Of meat and dairy products,
the South and Central American coun-
tries, Mexico, and the West Indian
Islands take considerable quantities.
though more than half of the meats 90
10 Europe.