MARKETS AND MARKETING II3 



and usually grow enough for their own consumption 

 with a surplus for export. Some of these reach the 

 United States each season. 



Havana is a great market for marrow beans, while 

 red kidneys go largely to other ports in Cuba, and 

 also to Porto Rico. The table showing the foreign 

 trade in beans emphasizes this fact of a small export 

 movement from this country. The average value 

 placed by the government on the beans exported is 

 comparatively high, but the quantity shipped is not 

 enough appreciably to affect prices paid to farmers. 

 The figures of imports are, if anything, more signifi- 

 cant. They show that up to a few years ago foreign 

 beans to the extent of 1,000,000 bushels to 1,500,000 

 bushels came into this country annually, or 15 to 

 25 per cent of a normal full domestic crop. There 

 would seem to be opportunity for considerable ex- 

 tension of the bean area to make up the deficiency 

 now made by foreign grown beans in consumptive 

 requirements. Foreign beans pay a duty of 45 cents 

 a bushel. There has been no change in the tariff 

 for a number of years. 



In the small table showing the annual production 

 of beans in the five leading states, it is significant 

 ihat the crop has gained but slowly in volume. The 

 figures show the number of bushels in round mil- 

 lions and tenths of millions for each decennial cen- 

 sus running back to 1870. While the data are no 

 doubt subject to some modification, it is reasonable 

 to believe that the crop has not greatly increased 

 since 1900. although the tendency is in that direc- 

 tion. In another table figures are given showing 

 the area in states cultivating i.coo acres or more 

 of beans. These are for the census year of 1900, 



