SECTION OF FOEEIGN MARKETS. 381 



value for 1902 amounting to $113,000,000, as compared with only 

 $97,000,000 for the year before. 



Another agricultural export that showed a considerable gain during 

 1902 was lard. The shipments of this product for the year in question 

 had a value of 152,000,000, whereas our exports for 1901 were worth 

 only $47,000,000. 



Among the additional articles in our agricultural export trade that 

 made gains during the last fiscal year were hams, canned beef, fresh 

 pork, lard substitutes, flaxseed, barley, oil cake, horses, and hay. 



AGRICULTURAL IMPORTS. 



While a considerable falling off occurred during the fiscal year 1902 

 in our agricultural export trade, there was an increase of about 

 $20,000,000 in the value of our agricultural imports. 



The products that contributed most extensively to this increase 

 were silk, hides and skins, coffee, and wool. 



TRADE WITH ISLAND POSSESSIONS. 



In view of the lively interest that is taken in the course of trade 

 between the United States and the several island possessions, the 

 office recently prepared some statistics to show the status, so far as 

 products of agriculture are concerned, of our commerce during the 

 past fiscal year with Hawaii, Porto Rico, and the Philippines. From 

 the statistics in question it appeared that while our agricultural trade 

 with HaAvaii suffered a rather marked decline in 1902, there was a con- 

 siderable increase in the amount of such business carried on with 

 Porto Rico and with the Philippine Islands. 



In the trade with Porto Rico a decided growth occurred as regards 

 both exportation and importation. Our exports of farm produce to 

 that island during 1902 reached a value of $4,800,000, while the record 

 of the year before was only $3,490,000. 



In the case of our agricultural imports from Porto Rico the value 

 advanced from 15,475,000 for 1901 to $7,000,000 for the year just 

 passed. 



The agricultural exports that showed the largest gains in our trade 

 with Porto Rico were rice, beans and peas, wheat flour, and pork 

 products. 



The growth of our agricultural import trade with that island was 

 due chiefly to larger purchases of sugar. 



During 1902 the United States shipped to the Philippine Islands 

 only $1,700,000 worth of farm produce as compared with $2,500,000 

 worth in 1901, but in the case of our agricultural imports from the 

 islands there was a large growth, the value advancing from $4,375,000 

 in 1900 to $6,500,000 in 1902. 



Among the exports in our Philippine trade that showed a decline 

 were malt liquors and distilled si)irits. Tlie growth that occurred in 

 our agricultural imports from the Philippines was chiefly traceable to 

 larger takings of Manila hemp. 



While exact figures are not available as to our agricultural export 

 trade with Hawaii in 1901 and 1902, estimates have been made i)lacing 

 the value for the former year at about $4,600,000 and the value for 

 the latter year at about $4,000,000. According to these estimates 

 there was a falling off of about $600,000 in 1902. 



