tributable, we suppose, to the great attention now given in tliat country to tiie 

 restoration of its ancient agriculture. Wherover irrigation can be eft'ectecl in 

 Egypt the most abundant crops are secured. Our knowledge of the extent of 

 the progress of these recent improvements is too insufficient to enable us to de- 

 termine the future increase of these Egyptian exports of wheat. 



4. The exports oi Jlour from France to England do not present a rivalry 

 that need be much regarded, for it is occasional, rather than continual, as France 

 has not, usually, much of a surplus of wheat. For the six months in 1862, it 

 supplied England with but 4 per cent, of its imports of flour, against 74 per 

 cent, sent from the United States. 



As a general remark, it may be said that outside of Russian production no 

 rivalry need be feared by us for the possession of the English market for bread- 

 stufis, for German manufactures are so rapidly increasing that the surplus 

 wheat production of the German states will soon be required for home consump- 

 tion. But the exports of wheat from Prussia and Russia will always have a 

 material influence on American prices, and must limit our exports of breadstuffs 

 whenever their value here goes much beyond what they have been during tlie 

 fiscal year of 1862. With good crops, and his superior market facilities, the 

 American farmer may always" maintain his supremacy in the English market. 

 But with such an immense foreign trade in agricultural production as the United 

 States has, and so much affected by European production, it is a matter to be 

 regretted that we possess so limited knowledge of the latter. This arises from 

 the fact that Europe takes no reliable statistics of its agriculture. A system, 

 however, could be established for procuring reliable information of it, through 

 our foreign consuls, by a person competent to devise it, after a careful and an 

 intelligent personal examination of European agriculture ; its character, extent, 

 market facilities, commercial connexions, and home consumption. 



THE ENGLISH MAEKET FOR BREADSTUFFS ; ITS AVERAGE ANNUAL DE- 

 MAND, AND THAT FOE 1860, 1861, 1862, AND 1863. 



As this market receives the far greater part of our exports of breadstuffs, it 

 is important, both to the shipper and farmer, that its nature and extent should 

 be known. It will be found to be very fluctuating. In 1792 England ceased 

 to export breadstuffs, and has increased its imports of them, as its manufactures 

 and mining increased, and its harvests fluctuated. The following table shows 

 the amount of grain, and flour and meal reduced to quarters, imported from 

 1847 to 1861, inclusive. The average annual amount of all will be seen to be 

 10,101,316 quarters, or 94,278,949 American bushels. 



Tabic of imiiorts of grain and four and meal, in quarters, into England. 



from 1847 to 1861. 



