14 OUR EXPORTS OF WHEAT. 



demand not augmented, must, through increased competition for 

 sale abroad, have resulted in a reduction of prices. Those low prices, 

 unremunerative to the farmer, would have reacted injuriously upon 

 agriculture ; and he would soon have ceased to grow wheat beyond 

 what he could sell at a profit. Thus does Free Trade dry up his 

 resources, while his expenses are greatly increased ; since all man- 

 ufactured articles the necessaries as well as the conveniences of 

 life rise in cost as producer recedes to a greater distance from 

 consumer. 



Under Protection, the farmer finds a readier and steadier market 

 for his surplus produce. Observe how our statistical tables support 

 this statement. Notice the hop-skip-and-jump sort of demand 

 abroad exhibited during the first thirteen years, and then see the 

 copious and expanding exports in the second period, interrupted, 

 it is true, for a while, by the war of secession, but afterward 

 mounting up by strides. While hostilities were raging, soldiers, 

 engaged by the hundred thousand in the work of destruction, had 

 to be fed ; and when they returned to the arts of peace, a half- 

 starved South, with desolated farms and almost exhausted supplies 

 of food, had to be provided. These disturbances over, and qom- 

 merce onpe more returned to its wonted channels, exports of wheat 

 augmented with strengthening rapidity. On the contrary, the 

 period of partial Free Trade displays very great irregularity and 

 unsteadiness. In 1853 the export was 3,890,141 bushels; in 1854 

 the quantity bounded to 8,036,665 ; in 1855 it dropped like a shot 

 to 798,884; in 1856 rushed up to 8,154,877; in 1857 was lifted, 

 freshet-like, to 14,570,331 ; in 1858 tumbled to 8,926,196 ; and in 

 1859 further to 3,002,016. We look in vain for such marked, 

 zig-zag fluctuations under our system of Protection. 



But our statistics, as presented, exhibit only part of the facts. 

 All exports from the Pacific ports stand for gold values. There- 

 fore, we must separate and subtract those from the currency values 

 in order to obtain an accurate statement of the latter. We have 

 done so. The following table gives a detailed exhibit of the ex- 

 ports of wheat, at currency values, from all Atlantic and Gulf 

 ports, showing number of bushels exported, percentage of total ex- 

 ports of United States, their values, percentage of total value ex- 

 ported, and average price per bushel : 



