SECTION OF FOREIGN MARKETS. 27 1 



of quinquennial averages, and were in other respects more satisfac- 

 torj" than statements embracing only five years. The report review- 

 ing our agricultural trade during 1890-1899 was pul)lislied as Bulletin 

 No. 19. 



According to the statistics presented in Bulletin No. 19, the agri- 

 cultural products sent from the United States to foreign markets 

 during 1899 had a value of $793,000,000, forming about 6(; per cent of 

 our total exports of domestic merchandise. Although the value for 

 1899 was somewhat less than the exceptionally high record of 1898, it 

 exceeded all previous figures except those repoi-ted for 1892, a year 

 made notable bj^ the fact that a remarkably abundant harvest in the 

 United States was accompanied by serious crop shortages abroad. A 

 situation somewhat similar to that existing in 1892, but less marked, 

 prevailed in 1898, causing an unusually heavy exportation of bread- 

 stuffs. Under the more normal conditions of 1899 the foreign demand 

 for grain was considerably^ lighter, and our exports naturally showed 

 a falling off as comj^ared with the extraordinarily large shipments of 

 the year before. When contrasted with the average of earlier years, 

 our breadstuff exports for 1899, amounting in value to $274,000,000, 

 appear to be unusually large. The shipments for 1898, however, 

 reached the enormous value of $331,000,000, far exceeding all previous 

 records, and in comparison with these abnormal figures the 1899 returns 

 exhibit a decline of $60,000,000. This marked falling off in the expor- 

 tation of breadstuffs, together with a loss of $21,000,000 in the value 

 of the cotton shipments, more than accounted for the total decrease 

 during 1899 in our agricultural exports. Aside from breadstuffs and 

 cotton, the only export groups of importance that showed lower figures 

 for 1899 than for 1898 were live animals, dairy products, and fruits 

 and nuts. The exports of live animals fell in value $8,400,000, dairy 

 products $1,500,000, and fruits and nuts $1,100,000. On the other 

 hand, our shipments of meat products increased $9,600,000, tobacco 

 $3,300,000, seeds $2,100,000, oil cake and oil-cake meal $1,900,000, and 

 vegetable oils $1,800,000. 



The agricultural products imported by the United States during 

 1899 had an aggregate value of $356,000,000. As compared with these 

 figures, the value of our agricultural exports for the same year showed 

 ah excess of $437,000,000. 



Preliminary statistics now available for 1900 disclose a marked 

 increase in our agricultural exports, the value of the farm products 

 shipped to foreign countries during that fiscal vear reaching close to 

 $845,000,000, or more than 150,000,000 above the value recorded for 

 1899. 



CIRCULAR OX AGRICULTURAL IMPORTS AXD EXPORTS. 



Some of the statistical tables prepared for Bulletin *No. 19 were 

 made the basis of a brief report, issued as Circular No. 22, exhibiting 

 the quantit}' and value of the various agricultui-al imports and exports 

 of the United States for each of the five years 1895-1899, the purpose 

 being to give the facts presented a more general distribution than 

 could be had through the limited edition of the bulletin. 



Statistics for Future Publications. 



During the last few months of the fiscal year such time as could be 

 spared from the work of meeting the requests for information received 

 by the Section was devoted to the preparation of a series of statistical 

 statements designed to show the character of our commerce in agri- 



