U.S.A. AGRICULTURE, 1873-1913 19 



ported, the prices obtained in Europe as a whole 

 compared unfavourably with cheese sent from 

 Canada and Holland, and the same complaint is 

 made with regard to the smaller quantities of 

 butter exports. With bacon, some of the Reports 

 state that the demands of the English market 

 were not sufficiently studied, and that American 

 shippers seemed to content themselves with 

 selling their surplus products abroad for what 

 they would fetch. 



The period 1890-1900 opened with a remarkable 

 increase in wheat prices. To quote from the 

 Report of 1890 : — " To-day the cloud which for 

 some years seemed to rest gloomily on American 

 agriculture has been lightened, while the wise 

 economical legislation already secured holds out 

 still brighter promise of the future." This refer- 

 ence was not only to an increased tariff recently 

 imposed on agricultural imports, but also to the 

 Silver Bill, from which much was expected. 

 The Russian famine of 1891 followed, accom- 

 panied by short crops of rye, as well as wheat, 

 throughout Europe. With bountiful crops at 

 home and scarcity abroad the American farmer 

 reaped a double advantage. It seemed as if the 

 Secretary of Agriculture's prophesy was indeed 

 coming true. His hopes were soon dashed to the 

 ground. In 1892 prices both of wheat and corn 

 started a decline by comparison with which the 



