112 



COMMERCE AND FINANCE, AMERICAN, IN 1882. 



AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION. The settlement 

 of new lands, particularly in the Northwest, is 

 an important factor in the prosperity of the 

 country. The occupation of new lands in the 

 fiscal year 1881-'82 greatly exceeded the tak- 

 ings of any previous year. Previous to 1878 

 the aggregate annual disposals of Government 

 lands under the homestead and timber- culture 

 laws and for cash, ranged between three and 

 five million acres. In that year an increased 

 movement began. The takings in 1877-'78 

 amounted to 7,168,334 acres; in 1878-'79, to 

 8,650,219 acres; in 1879-'80, to 9,166,918 

 acres; in 1880-'81, to 8,379,618 acres; and in 

 1881 -'82, to 12,526,262 acres. Of the latter 

 total, 4,355,039 acres were in Dakota, and 

 1,085,737 acres in Minnesota, Kansas coming 

 next with 904,061 acres, and Nebraska with 

 884,028 acres. Railroad lands in the North- 

 west, which are sold at from four to six dollars 

 an acre, were taken in 1882 in largely in- 

 creased quantities, the Northern Pacific dis- 

 posing of 175,772 acres in Dakota and Minne- 

 sota, and the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Mani- 

 toba Company of 203,143 acres. 



CEEEALS AND PROVISIONS. A general crop 

 failure has been regarded as- an impossibility 

 in the United States, a country of such broad 

 extent and varied climate. The crop year 

 1881-'82 showed a deficiency everywhere east 

 of the Rocky Mountains. The season's yield 

 of Indian corn was 1,194,916,000 bushels, 

 against 1,717,434,000 bushels in 1880-'81. 

 The wheat-crops fell off from 498,549,000 to 

 380,280,000 bushels, a decrease of 118,269,000 

 bushels. The cotton yield was 1,154,000 bales 

 less, or 5,435,000 against 6,589,000 bales. 

 Pork products in the West decreased from 

 1,551,331,000 to 1,250,000,000 pounds, or 301,- 

 331,000 pounds in meat products, and from 

 400,976,000 to 297,500,000 pounds, or 103,476,- 

 000 pounds in lard. The value of merchandise 

 exports showed a falling off in the fiscal year 

 1881-'82 of $151,835,000, nearly 17 per cent. 

 The yield of the crop-year 1882-'83 is fully 

 as abundant as that of 1880-'81. The wheat- 

 crops are reported to be over 500,000,000 

 bushels. Corn is estimated by the Agricultur- 

 al Bureau at 1,680,000,000 bushels, and by 

 other authorities as high as 1,800,000,000 

 * Excess of exports^ ~~ t ExcesTof imports. 



bushels. The cotton-crop is estimated at from 

 one to two million bales greater than in 1881- 

 '82. In cattle and hog production the dearth 

 of 1881-'82 is still felt, but in another year the 

 conversion of the corn into pork will be shown 

 in the provision-trade. 



It is estimated that the country produced 

 440,000,000 bushels more of corn, 130,000,000 

 bushels more of wheat, and 1,560,000 more 

 bales of cotton in 1882 than in 1881. 



Flour has only recently become an impor- 

 tant item among American exports. The 

 shipments grew from 2,000,000 barrels in 

 1868 to 4,000,000 in 1876, and 8,000,000 in 

 1881. In 1881-'82 they reached from nine to 

 ten million barrels. When flour was shipped 

 in barrels it could not command a market. In 

 sacks it comes in a form of package to which 

 the European consumers are habituated, while 

 the sacks can be baled and returned to be 

 used again, instead of being a dead loss as were 

 the barrels. They also weigh about twenty 

 pounds less, and can be packed more closely in 

 cars and steamships. The quality of American 

 flour shipped abroad is more even and much 

 superior to that sent formerly. The millers of 

 Minneapolis have taken pains to establish a 

 reputation for their brands in England, and 

 are succeeding in overcoming the old prejudice 

 against American flour. They buy up all the 

 choice grades of spring wheat, which can be 

 obtained in Europe in no other form than in 

 their "patent" or roller-ground flour, a prod- 

 uct which English millers can not equal. With 

 freight rates to Liverpool almost as low as are 

 ordinarily paid on either the rail or the steam- 

 ship alone, and with agents in the principal 

 towns of Great Britain, they reap the full ad- 

 vantage of their unlimited water-power. 



The total number of swine slaughtered dur- 

 ing the regular pork-packing season of 1881- 

 '82, that is between November 1st and March 

 1st, was reported by the Cincinnati "Price 

 Current " as 5,747,760, a decrease of 1,171,- 

 696 from the preceding winter. Summer pack- 

 ing was formerly insignificant, but with ice 

 and refrigerating appliances, it has attained 

 dimensions which practically obliterate the old 

 limits of the season. In 1881 it numbered 

 4,803,689 swine, against 5,323,898 in 1880, 

 making the packing for the whole year 10,551,- 



