272 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. 



cultural products with each of the several foreign countries during 

 1895-1899. These tables were later made the subject matter of two 

 reports, published after the close of the fiscal year, one of which 

 treated of our export trade, and the other oar import trade. 



PLANS FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. 



Since the opening of the current fiscal year the two reports relating, 

 respectively, to our agricultural export trade and our agricultural 

 import trade with the several foreign countries during 1895-1899, the 

 preparation of which was begun in the past fiscal year, have been 

 brought to completion and published as Bulletins Nos. 20 and 21 of 

 the Section. In these bulletins the various articles exported, or 

 imported, as the case happened to be, are collated under the head of 

 the several countries of destination or source, forming a series of 

 tables, each one of which shows at a glance the character of our agri- 

 cultural export or import trade with a single country, whereas in Bul- 

 letins Nos. 10 and 17, relative to the distribution of the agricultural 

 products exported and the sources of those imported during 1894-1898, 

 the exports and the imports were arranged primaril^^ by articles, the 

 countries of destination or source being grouped under the several 

 products. As each method of arrangement has its advantages over 

 the other, it is the purpose of the Section henceforth to issue these two 

 styles of reports on our agricultural exports and imi^orts in alternate 

 years. Tables similar to those published in Bulletins Nos. 16 and 17 

 are already in course of preparation for two reports that will bring 

 the statistics of our agricultural trade, by countries, down to include 

 1900, showing the distribution of the exports and the sources of the 

 imports during the last five j^ears. 



Work has also been begun on the briefer summary report issued 

 annually by the section under the title ' ' Our foreign trade in agri- 

 cultural products." The forthcoming report on this subject, to be 

 published as Bulletin No. 23, will review the leading features of the 

 import and export returns for 1900, comparing the statistics of that 

 year with the figures for 1899 and earlier years of the decade. 



A report on the trade of Denmark, a country that has had remark- 

 able success in the development of an agricultural export business, is 

 now in press. Several years ago data were collected for a similar 

 publication, which was to have been issued as Bulletin No. 9, but the 

 more urgent statistical work called for by the breaking out of tlie 

 war with Spain prevented its completion at that time. In preparing 

 the present report the material previously gathered was utilized as 

 far as practicable, but much new matter has been added, bringing 

 the facts down to date. Although several bulletins bearing higher 

 numbers in the series have been published, the report on the trade of 

 Denmark will be issued, in accordance with the original plan, as 

 Bulletin No. 9, that number being unoccupied. 



In connection with the report on Denmark's trade some elaborate 

 statistical tables were compiled regarding the commerce carried on 

 between the United States and the Scandinavian countries. These 

 tables, which were too large to be incorporated in Bulletin No. 9, 

 have been made the basis of a separate bulletin on the subject of our 

 trade with Scandinavia, to be issued as No. 22. 



Facts are also being gathered for several additional publications, 

 among them a comprehensive report on Chinese commerce, following 

 in general plan the bulletin published by the Section with reference 

 to the trade of the Philippine Islands. 



