The Republican journal., 1912-03-21
FRUITS AND NUTS m THE FOREIGN
TRADE,

TRADE.
Exports of fruits and nuts from the
United States aggregated more than 200
million dollars in the last twelve years.
reaching their highest record in the cal
endar year just ended, with total of %
million dollars, or more than three times
as much as decade earlier. The fore
going sentence summarizes the results
4 of compilation just prepared by the
Bureau of Statistics, Department of
Commerce and Labor, suggested by the
large exports of fruits and nuts in Janu-
airy of the present year. which aggre-
gated 81, 537. 1872, or so per cent. in ex-
cess of those of the preceding January,
and giving promise that the high record
exports of fruits and nuts last year will
be exceeded by those of 1912.
Not only are the exports of fruits and
nuts increasing, but their growth is far
more rapid than that of imports under
that head. In 1901 imports were more
than twice as much as exports; last year
they were but so per cent. more than the
exports of similar articles. The move
ments in each at intervals since 1901 are
shown in the following table:
1901 s2o.1M.so2 $ s.s7s.2ls
1904 24,3s5.220 1885,, TIC
| 1907 4O,455,O67 Is, ,585
1911 44,164,650 29,153, 1913
The principal exports of fruits and
nuts in the calendar year 1911 consisted
of apples, million dollars; prunes,
l-2 millions; oranges, millions; canned
fruits, 3 ga millions; raisins and other
dried grapes, 1-3 millions; pears, three
quarters of million; peaches, a half
million; and peanuts, a little over a
quarter million dollars.
The leading imports under the head of
fruits and nuts in 1911 included bananas,
IA "a million dollars, or over one-third
the total; walnuts. 4 2-3 millions; al.
monds, 8 IA millions; lemons, 8 millions;
grapes, l3 millions; cocoanuts and
copra, each about million dollars; olives,
1-2 millions; and pineapples. figs, and
tilberts, each about l million dollars.
These figures are exclusive of 1-2 mil
lion dollars worth of pineapples shipped
into continental United States from
Hawaii and 2 IA million dollars worth
of oranges, pineapples and other fruits
and nuts shipped from Porto Rico last
year.
| The distribution of exports and the
sources of imports Of fruits and nuts are
shown in the December number of the
Summary of Commerce and Finance, re-
Gently issued by the Bureau of Statistics.
Our exported apples, dried, go chiefly to
Germany and Netherlands, those green
or ripe mostly to the United Kingdom;
dried apricots, chiefly to Germany, Eng
land, France and Netherlands, and
oranges, nearly all to Canada. American
prunes are exported in large quantities
to Germany, Canada, and the United
Kingdom, other European countries
being also important markets for this
and various other fruits of domestic pro-
duction.
Our imported bananas are derived
chiefly from the Central American States
and Jamaica, and smaller quantities from
Cuba and Colombia. Greece supplies
practically all the 35 million pounds of
currants imported, and European Turkey
the preponderating share of the approx
imately 20 million pounds of figs and
dates, respectively. Spain is the sole
important source of imported grapes, of
which nearly 100000 cubic feet were
imported last year. Italy holds like
position with reference to lemons, all but
a quarter million pounds out of 100 Ia
million pounds imported being from that
country. Spain, Greece, and Italy. are,
in the order named, the leading sources
of imported olives. Despite the increas-
ing domestic production, considerable
quantities of oranges are STILL. being i'm
ported from Jamaica, Mexico, Central
America, Japan, and Italy. Cuba sup
p les nearly all the imported pineapples;
| Spain. over half the imported raisins,
with Asiatic Turkey and Russia also M
portant sources of supply. Europe,
chiefly Spain, Italy, and France, sup
plies most of our imported almonds; the
British West Indies, most of the cocoa
nuts; the Philippines, French Oceania,
and the Straits Settlements, most of the
copra; Brazil. practically all the cream
nuts; Japan, Spain, France, the Dutch
East Indies, and China, most of the pea
nuts; and France and Italy, most of the
walnuts imported into.the country.