22 THE FARMER'S OUTLOOK 



ham exports in the United Kingdom. In this 

 connection the Report of 1899 mentions that the 

 Danish farmers not only reaped the advantage 

 of the greater care with which they studied the 

 English market, but also that they went to the 

 length of importing the cheaper American bacon 

 for their own consumption, thereby enabling 

 them to export larger quantities of their higher 

 grade home-grown produce. In the same Report 

 it is regretted that the American exports of 

 Indian corn, oil-cake, linseed cake, and bran 

 assisted the Danish producers of bacon and butter 

 in competing with the American shipper of the 

 same products. 



The cumulative effect of several years of profit- 

 able prices resulted in the greatly improved 

 financial position of farmers. To quote the 

 United States Year Book of 1908 : — " The year 

 1897 marked the farmers' financial turning-point, 

 the prices of his products had previously often 

 been below the cost of production, and he occupied 

 a weak position as a seller. Within a few years 

 after prices had risen so as to make him strong 

 as a seller, and to enable him to hold his crops 

 for fair prices." 



It is in the year 1908 that we see a rapid decline 

 in the exports of American beef. Whereas in 

 1907, 1,451,000 quarters of chilled beef were 

 exported to the United Kingdom, in 1908 the 



