'86 THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



contrast is much more clearly in favor of the United States. The ex- 

 port of articles of home production from the United Kingdom in 1800 

 were $11 1,107, 000, and in 1899 $1,287,151,345, an increase of 1059 per 

 cent; in the case of the United States, the export of home products in 

 1800 were $31, 840, 903, and in 1899, $1,203,931,222, an increase of 3681 

 per cent. 



In the case of France the comparison is equally interesting. The 

 imports for consumption into France in 1831 were $72,182,000, and in 

 1899, $872,032,000, an increase of 1108 per cent.; while the export of 

 articles of home production were in 1831 $88,088,000, and in 1899, $801, - 

 452,000, an increase of 810 per cent. In the case of the United States 

 the imports for home consumption in 1831 were $82,008,110, and in 

 1899, $685,441,889, an increase of 734 per cent., and the export of arti- 

 cles of home production were in 1831, $59,218,583, and in 1899, $1,203,- 

 931,222, an increase of 1933 per cent. 



The official data covering the commerce of the German Empire in 

 its present form begins with the year 1872, in which year the imports 

 ior home consumption were $793,726,000, and in 1899, $1,304, 977, 000, an 

 increase during that period of 64 per cent. The export of home pro- 

 ducts were, in 1872, $564,165,000 and in 1899, $801,452,('00 an increase 

 of 42 per cent. A comparison of the figures of the commerce of the 

 U. S. covering the same period shows the imports for home consump- 

 tion in 1872 to be $560,419,034, and in 1899, $685,441,892, an increase of 

 24 per cent., and the export of home products in 1872, $428,487,131, 

 and in 1899. $1,203,931,222, an increase of 181 per cent. 



One especially interesting fact developed by a study of these fig- 

 ures is that in the case of the United States they show with much 

 greater frequency than in any other countries a favorable "balance of 

 trade," or excess of exports over imports. In the United Kingdom, 

 Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, 

 and practically all European countries excepting Russia, Austria- 

 Hungary and Spain, the imports exceed the exports, in some cases by 

 large sums, and this is true also of China and Japan. In the newer 

 and great producing countries, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia 

 and India, the exports exceed the imports in nearly every case, though 

 in sums which are insignificant when compared with the enormous 

 balance of trade in favor of the United States in recent years. 



The commerce of 47 countries other than the United States is pic- 

 tured in the opening tables of the proposed volume. Of this number, 

 18 countries show an excess of exports over imports, and 29 show an 

 excess of imports over exports. The principal countries which show 

 an excess of exports over imports are Canada, Mexico, Argentina, 

 Chile, Australasia, India, Egypt, Spain, Austria -Hungary, and Russia. 

 A study of the detailed figures in this group of favored countries 



