REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 19 



FOREST PRODUCTS. • 



The value of the exports of domestic forest products was never so 

 high as in 1910, except for the years 1907 and 1908. In 1910 the 

 vahie is $85,054,602, and the highest amount ever reached, which 

 was in 1907, was $92,948,705. The vahie of exported naval stores 

 in 1910 was $18,681,962, a value larger than that of 1909, but smaller 

 than that of other recent yeare. 



The imports of forest products consisted mostly of India rubber, 

 wood pulp, pulp wood, and woods not grown in the United States. 

 Their value in 1910 is $179,610,886, which is by far the highest annual 

 value of imports. It was not until 1907 that the value of these 

 imports exceeded $100,000,000. 



PRICES OF FARM PRODUCTS. 



FARMER'S SHARE OF CONSUMER'S COST. 



AN EQUALIZING PROCESS. 



High prices w^as one of the subjects of my annual report for 1909. 

 It was shown that for many years previous to about 1897, or a little 

 later, the prices of farm products received by farmers were even less 

 than the cost of production, and often little if any above that cost, 

 so that during a long period of yeare the farmer was not thriving. It 

 was shown also that in the upward price movement, which began 

 about 1897, the prices received by the farmer have advanced in 

 greater degree than those received by nearly all other classes of pro- 

 ducei-s. That this should have been so was merely a matter of 

 justice to the farmer to equalize the reward of his efforts with the 

 rewards received in other lines of production. 



INCREASE OF BEEF PRICES. 



The price received by the farmer is one thing; the price paid by 

 the consumer is far different. The distribution of farm products 

 from the farm to consumere is elaborately organized, considerably 

 involved and complicated, and burdened with costly features. These 

 are exemplified in my report for 1909 by a statement of the results 

 of a si)ecial investigation mto tlie increased cost of fresh beef between 

 the slaughterer and the consumer. 



It was established that in the North Atlantic States the consumer's 

 price of beef was 31.4 per cent higher than the wholesale price received 

 by the great slaughtering houses; 38 per cent liigher in the South 

 Atlantic States; and 39.4 per cent higher in the Western States. 

 The average for the U^nited States was 38 per cent. 



It was found that the percentage of increase was usually lower 

 in the larger cities than in tlie smaller ones and higher in the case of 



