report of the secretary of agriculture. cxv 



Need of Adequate Funds. 



This review of the work of the Office of Experiment Stations in all 

 its phases shows veiy conclusively the necessity for more liberal appro- 

 priations, as submitted in my estimates for the ensuing jesLi', for carry- 

 ing on the several lines of work assigned to the Office of Experiment 

 Stations. It is particularly desirable that the stations in Alaska, in 

 Hawaii, and in Porto Rico, which are under the direct supervision of 

 the Secretary of Agriculture, should be as liberally dealt with in this 

 respect as are the stations in the several States and Territories of the 

 Union. 



DIVISION OF FOREIGN MARKETS. 



Investigations made by the Division of Foreign Markets regarding 

 the status of our agricultural export trade in the principal markets of 

 the world disclose an exceptional activity on the part of some of our 

 most formidable competitors for that trade, and particularly such 

 countries as Australia, Canada, and Argentina. These progressive 

 exporting countries have within the last few yesirs been taking exceed- 

 ingly active measures for the extension of their foreign business. As 

 Was pointed out in a publication recently issued by the Division on the 

 subject of the British agricultural import trade, about two-thirds of 

 the farm produce required by the British people to supplement their 

 domestic supply is now being purchased from the various competitors 

 of the United States. The success of these competing countries sug- 

 gests the importance of constant watchfulness in the interests of our 

 own export business. 



Agricultural Exports in 1902. 



Statistics recently prepared by this Division show that the agricul- 

 tural exports of the United States for the fiscal year 1902 had a value of 

 about $860,000,000. In comparison with the record-breaking figures 

 of the preceding 3^ear, the value for 1902 exhibits a rather marked 

 decline. Next to the exceptional record for 1901, however, it is the 

 largest ever reported, being decidedly above the average of the decade. 



The decline from the high mark reached by our agricultural exports 

 in 1901 was principally due to the fact that a serious shortage in the 

 corn crop left a comparatively small supply of this important export 

 grain available for shipment to foreign markets. Our exports of 

 corn during 1902 amounted in value to only $16,000,000, while in 1901 

 we sent abroad consignments worth nearly $83,000,000. The loss to 

 our trade through the diminished shipments of this product alone 

 exceeded $66,000,000. 



Aside from the extraordinary falling off in corn exportation, the 



