16 



Tlie imports of 1862 were from the following countries : 



Australia 71, 339, 842 pounds. 



East India 17, 959, 404 



South Africa 18, 930, 886 



Spain 39o, 699 



Germany 8, 378, 329 



Other European nations 34, 755, 393 



South America 12, 663, 805 



Other countries 7, 520, 114 



Comparing, in the first of these tables, the year 1861 with 1863, we see the 

 general wool imports increasing about ihirty-three millions of pounds in two 

 years. 



The wool crop in the loyal States has been as follows : 



1861 50, 819, 337 pounds. 



1862 63,524,172 " 



1863 79,405,215 " 



1864 109, 241, 649 " 



In 1864 is included in the estimate eight millions of pounds for California. 

 Estimating the increase of foreign wool in the market at ten millions of pounds, 

 the general increase from 1861 to 1864, inclusive, would be about one hundred 

 and two millions of pounds. 



Increase in flax. 



To determine the future prices of wool, some consideration must be given to 

 the increase in the quantity of flax, as it is one of the textile materials that 

 helps to make up the cotton deficit. It is not easy to determine ^ts increase, the 

 only data as to the foreign being the imports into Great Britian. The following 

 table shows the pounds of dressed and undressed flax imported during the first 

 eleven months of the years 1862 and 1863 : 



1862. 1863. 



From Russia (cwt.) 1,141,067 872,575 



Holland (cwt.) 113,576 110,808 



Belgium (cwt.) 137, 904 122, 172 



Other countries (cwt.) 237, 159 136, 532 



Total (cwts.) 1,629,706 1,242,087 



Equal in pounds to 182,527,072 139,113,744 



Here is a decrease where an increase should have been expected. The fol- 

 lowing exhibits the value of flax imported into Great Britian : 



1858 $15, 105, 000 



1859 18, 845, 000 



1800 19,185,000 



1861 17,115,000 



1862 26, 030, 000 



1863 20, 300, 000. — One month estimated. 



The decrease in 1863 may have been caused by the increased production of 

 flax in Ireland. In 1862 there were 150,000 acres in flax in that country, and 

 in 1863, 213,000 acres, an increase of 63,000 acres. These statistics do not 

 point to any material increase of the flax product of 1862. Its increase over 

 1861 was nearly 50,000,000 pounds. 



The flax product of the United States in 1860 was 3,778,843 pounds, a de- 



