REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. CV 



and for the most part imsuitable buildings — grievously hamper the 

 work of the 140 persons necessaril}^ employed in the editing, illustra- 

 tion, and distributing of publications, and in the correspondence and 

 clerical work entailed thereby. 



SECTION OF FOREIGN MARKETS. 



Agriculture contributed conspicuously to the remarkable expansion 

 of American commerce witnessed during the past year. According 

 to statistics prepared by the Section of Foreign Markets, the highest 

 record previously attained in the exportation of agricultural products 

 from the United States, that for 1898, was surpassed by more than 

 $90,000,000 in the fiscal year ended June 30, 1901, when a value of 

 over $950,000,000 was reached. Fully 65 per cent of the domestic 

 merchandise sent abroad during the year originated on the farm. 



EUROPEAN aiARKETS. 



Among our foreign customers in agricultural products the United 

 Kingdom stands preeminent, taking over 50 per cent of our exports. 

 Recent investigations by this Section into the possibility of still further 

 increasing our trade in the British market brought out the significant 

 fact that during the calendar year 1900 our agricultural exports to the 

 United Kingdom, large as they were, comprised only 33 per cent of 

 the foreign farm produce purchased by that country, leaving two- 

 thirds of such produce to be supplied by our competitors. 



In view of this fact, the desirability of procuring exact information 

 as to the character of the agricultural imports received by the United 

 Kingdom from countries other than the United States was apparent. 

 The Section has accordingly begun the preparation of a comprehensive 

 report on the subject. It will be the special object of this report to 

 suggest such opportunities as exist for extending our trade in the 

 British market in competition with other countries that are now con- 

 ducting a lucrative business there. 



After the United Kingdom the most important foreign markets for 

 our surplus farm products are afforded by Germany, France, the 

 Netherlands, and Belgium. During 1901, Germany received 15 per 

 cent of our exports, and France, the Netherlands, and Belgium 

 together about the same amount. Each of these countries like the 

 United Kingdom is at present importing extensively from other 

 sources. They therefore offer similar opportunities for more active 

 competition on the part of the United States. Reports on the agri- 

 cultural imports of these countries have also been planned. 



TRADE WITH DEPENDENCIES. 



Special statistics have been compiled by the Section relative to our 

 trade in farm products with the new insular dependencies, except 



