2 BULLETIN 290, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



48.8 per cent. The foreign or reexports increased from 10 million 

 dollars in 1851 to 35 million dollars in 1914. The reexports of agri- 

 cultural products in 1851 were 5 million dollars, or 49.4 per cent, and 

 in 1914 were 18 million dollars, or 50.8 per cent. 



During the period 1851-1914 there has been a balance of trade in 

 agricultural products in favor of the United States with the excep- 

 tion of 1864 and 1865 ; for those two years the balance against this 

 country — that is, the excess of imports over exports — was 26 and 11 

 million dollars, respectively. The smallest balance in agricultural 

 products in favor of this country was 27 million dollars in 1869 and 

 the largest balance was 571 million dollars in 1901. 



The exports of domestic forest products increased from $4,189,000 

 in 1851 to $106,979,000 in 1914, the foreign or reexports increased 

 from $567,000 to $4,518,000, and the imports increased from $1,333,- 

 000 to $155,261,000 for the same period. During the period 1851- 

 1878 the average balance of trade in forest products was in favor of 

 this country, but during 1879 and subsequently, except in 1901, the 

 balance has been against the United States, due mostly to the large 

 amount of india rubber imported. 



The principal domestic farm and forest products exported from the 

 United States during the five-year period, 1910-1914, are cotton, 

 packing-house products, grain and grain products, and forest XDrod- 

 ucts, which represent over three-fourths of the total domestic farm 

 and forest products exported. Cotton exceeded all other items in the 

 value of domestic farm products exported, having an average annual 

 value of $550,000,000; packing-house products, next in order, were 

 valued annually at $155,000,000; grain and grain products, over 

 $150,000,000 ; and forest products, $100,000,000. Other commodities, 

 in the order of their importance, in the domestic export trade are: 

 Tobacco, with an average annual value of $45,000,000; fruits, $28,- 

 000,000 ; oil cake and oil-cake meal, $24,000,000 ; vegetable oils, $21,- 

 000,000; live animals, $13,000,000; vegetables and coffee, $7,000,000 

 each; sugar, hops, dairy products, glucose and grape sugar, and 

 starch, each averaging an annual value of $3,000,000. 



The principal farm and forest products entering into the import 

 trade of the United States during the five-year period, 1910-1914, are 

 packing-house products, coffee, animal fibers, and sugar. The aver- 

 age annual value of each of these four articles exceeded $100,000,000, 

 while their combined annual values amounted to over one-half of the 

 total imports of farm and forest products. Other articles, in the 

 order of their importance in the import trade, are: India rubber, with 

 an annual average value of $86,000,000; vegetable fibers, excluding 

 cotton, $40,000,000; tobacco, $30,000,000; fruits, $29,000,000; vege- 

 table oils. $28,000,000; seeds, $22,000,000; cotton, $21,000,000; gums. 



