COMMERCE, INTERNATIONAL. 



107 



poured in, driving tho prices down to a low 

 figure in spite of the poor harvest. 



Tin.- production of grain in British India and 

 Australia is rendered uncertain and variable 

 by the severe droughts to which both of those 

 countries are occasionally subject. The Eng- 

 lish Government aims to encourage the ex- 

 portation of wheat from tho colonies, and to 

 enable them to supply as far as possible the 

 requirements of Great Britain. Since the re- 

 moval of the export duties the exportation of 

 wheat from India has grown to large propor- 

 tions. From Bombay, Calcutta, and the other 

 ports the exports of wheat in 1877 were 6,105,- 

 000 cwt., as compared with 4,839,000 cwt. in 

 1876, 2,498,000 cwt. in 1875, 1,069,000 cwt. in 

 1874, 1,756,000 cwt. in 1873, and 849,000 cwt. 

 in 1872. In South Australia and New Zea- 

 land, as well as in British America, tha pro- 

 duction of wheat and other cereals has been 

 greatly extended within a few years. 



In potatoes there is not much international 

 trade except between the Continent of Europe 

 and England, who imports large quantities of 

 this food, mostly from Germany. The total 

 European production of potatoes is estimated 

 at 1,317 million cwt. per annum, of which 440 

 million cwt. are raised in Germany, 245 in 

 Great Britain and Ireland, 224 in Russia, 150 

 in Austria, 1 30 in France, 40 in Norway and 

 Sweden, 34 in Belgium, 33 in the Netherlands, 

 14 in Italy, and 7 in Denmark. 



PROVISIONS. The exportation of animal food- 

 products from the United States in the latest 

 period has more than kept pace with the ex- 

 tension of the grain-trade. The war of seces- 

 sion gave the first impulse to this branch of 

 the export trade, which has now developed 

 into gigantic proportions, and occasions no less 

 anxiety to the European farmers than the com- 

 petition of American grain. Great Britain is 

 by far the largest consumer of this class of 

 American products also. The importations of 

 lard and bacon into England from the United 

 States during the five years from 1856 to 1860 

 inclusive averaged 197,398 cwt. (1 owt.=112 

 Ibs.). "Within the last ten years they have in- 

 creased over fivefold, as is shown by the fol- 

 lowing comparative statement : Imports of 

 American hams and bacon 1868, 428,377 cwt. ; 

 1869, 474,808 cwt. ; 1870, 348,819 cwt. ; 1871, 

 823,010 cwt.; 1872, 1,758,068 cwt.; 1873, 

 2,626,876 cwt. ; 1874, 2,096,099 cwt. ; 1875, 

 2,196,203 cwt. ; 1876, 2,753,556 cwt. ; 1877, 

 2,506,513 cwt. In the last few years Canada 

 has exported the same articles in variable 

 quantities, ranging from 30,000 to 90,000 cwt. 

 a year. In 1878 the British imports of these 

 commodities were 50 per cent, greater than in 

 the preceding year, amounting to 4,263,901 

 cwt., nearly the whole of which was furnished 

 by America. The exports of bacon and hams 

 from the United States have increased in the 

 last ten years in the folio. ving progression: 

 In 1869 the quantity shipped away was 49 

 million Ibs. ; in 1870 it receded to 38 million ; 



in 1871 it was 71 million; in 1872, 246; in 

 1878, 895; in 1874, 847; in 1876, 250; in 

 1876, 827; in 1877, 460; and in 1878, 592. 

 The imports of lard into Great Britain from 

 the United States have also been very consid- 

 erable for several years past. From 1866 to 

 to 1870 they averaged 157,858 cwt. ; in 1871 

 they were 442,545 ; in 1872, 561,099 ; in 1878, 

 557,897 ; in 1874, 839,932 ; in 1875, 502,474 ; 

 in '1876, 505,859 ; in 1877. 570,429. In 1878, 

 as in the case of hams and bacon, they took a 

 sudden leap forward, exceeding by at least 50 

 per cent, the imports of 1877: the total im- 

 ports of lard into Great Britain were 562,174 

 cwt. in 1876, and 592,264 in 1877; in 1878 

 they suddenly grew to 908,187 cwt. Germany 

 consumes yearly equally great quantities of 

 American lard; in 1878 her imports from the 

 United States amounted to 820,000 cwt. Many 

 other countries depend largely on America for 

 their supplies of this cheap and important arti- 

 cle of food. The exports of lard from the 

 United States have increased with unexampled 

 rapidity in the last ten years. The total lard 

 export in 1869 was 41 million Ibs.; in 1870, 

 85 million; in 1871, 80; in 1872, 199; in 1873, 

 230; in 1874, 205; in 1875, 166; in 1876, 

 168; in 1877, 234; and in 1878, 342. 



The trade in salt beef and pickled pork be- 

 tween the United States and Great Britain hag 

 sunk into a very subsidiary position compared 

 with the other classes of provisions; still, it 

 has undergone a development which, if it has 

 been slow, has also been regular. Of salt beef 

 the imports into England from America aver- 

 aged 157,000 cwt. from 1856 to 1860, 191,000 

 from 1861 to 1865, 169,000 from the latter 

 year to 1870, and 198,000 from then till 1875; 

 in 1876 they were 236,277, and in 1877, 204,- 

 507. The average importation of salt pork 

 from the United States was 54,000 cwt. from 

 1856 to 1860, 69,000 from 1861 to 1865, 60,- 

 000 from 1866 to 1870, 179,000 from 1871 to 

 1875, 291,604 in 1876, and 243,004 in 1877. 



The imports of butter and cheese from 

 America into Great Britain have also assumed 

 enormous dimensions of late years. This branch 

 of trade dates its origin from the impetus given 

 to exports by the necessities of the civil war. 

 The exports of butter to the English market 

 were almost nothing before the war ; but dur- 

 ing the war they suddenly assumed a magni- 

 tude which they have not again attained since, 

 being 180,274 and 142,000 cwt, in 1861, '62, 

 and '63. Between 1866 and 1871 they had 

 receded to only 19,000 cwt. per annum ; but 

 during the late depression the cheapness of the 

 American article has enabled it to assert itself 

 again in the English market, the imports hav- 

 ing risen to 118,000 cwt. in 1876 and 188,000 

 in 1877. The exports to England from Canada 

 also are very considerable, amounting to 98.000 

 cwt. in 1876 and 56,000 in 1877. England is 

 the largest consumer of butter among nil tho 

 nations of the world, and draws supplies from 

 all the pastoral lands of Europe as well as from 



