FOREIGN TRADE IN FAEM AND FOREST PRODUCTS. 23 



For the five years ending with 1909 the average imports were 

 $3,855,375, of which 58.5 per cent came from the United Kingdom. 

 For the five years ending with 1914 the average imports were 

 $6,221,799, of which 53.9 per cent came from the United Kingdom. 

 During 1907 and subsequently the imports of feathers, crude, from 

 British South Africa have been valued at more than 1 million dollars 

 annually, amounting to nearly 2-|- million dollars in 1913. Ostrich 

 feathers were not separately stated in the import returns until 1912, 

 and since that time 77.2 per cent of the imports of feathers have 

 been ostrich. During the last three years 59.2 per cent of the ostrich 

 feathers cm me through ports of the United Kingdom and 38.2 per 

 cent from British South Africa. 



GLUE AND GELATIN. 



Beginning with 1898, and subsequently, the exports of glue have 

 averaged more than 2 million pounds annually, while the imports 

 for the same period ranged from a little over 1 million pounds to 

 nearly 9 million pounds, except in 1914, when the imports amounted 

 to more than 22,700,000 pounds. Since 1895 more than half of the 

 glue exported was consigned to three countries, the United Kingdom, 

 Canada, and Germany, and the same countries, including France, 

 supplied more than three-fourths of the glue imported during the 

 same period. 



Imports of gelatin were separately shown in our foreign commerce 

 in 1909. Since that time the average annual imports have been 

 1,367,635 pounds, of which 53.6 per cent came from Germany. Other 

 countries supplying this product in large quantities were Austria- 

 Hungary, France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 



COTTON. 



The exports of cotton in 1851 amounted to 927 million pounds, 

 which was increased the following year to more than 1 billion pounds, 

 and doubled in 1881, amounting to more than 2 billion pounds; dou- 

 bled again in 1905, amounting to more than 4 billion pounds; and 

 amounted to 4,761 million pounds in 1914. As an exporting port for 

 cotton, Galveston exceeded all other ports. That port handled 1,780 

 million pounds, or 37.4 per cent of all cotton exported, in 1914. New 

 Orleans ranked second, handling 895 million pounds; and Savannah 

 third, amounting to 766 million pounds. This product has been ex- 

 ported chiefly to three countries, the United Kingdom, Germany, and 

 France. The United Kingdom has received approximately one-third 

 of our cotton during the last 20 years, the exports to that country be- 

 ing 1,777 million pounds in 1895 and 1,791 million pounds in 1914. 

 The exports to Germany in 1895 were 752 million pounds, increasing 



