APPENDIX. 365 



the production increased to 26,906 tons, but prices still kept iip 

 to from $70 to $85. 



In 185Y the production was 23,327 tons, and the range of 

 prices $70 to $100. 



In 1S58 the production had increased to 34,035 tons, which 

 proved too heavy a load for the speculators to carry, and prices 

 suddenly broke down to a range of $22 to $38 per 1,000 pounds. 



Production. 



Tons. Prices. 



1859 £7,535 p^ qo to $55 00 



I860 51,498 S3 00 " 35 00 



1861 43,365 20 00" 50 00 



1863 49,837 20 00" 33 00 



1863 57,830 3100" 33 00 



1864 51,505 30 00" 30 OD 



1865 51,446 23 00" 40 00 



1866 58,367 20 00" 43 00 



1867 65,146 16 00" 46 00 



1868 56,323 13 00" 88 00 



For the last eight years the prices have ranged between $25 

 and $50 per 1,000 pounds, and the production has been as fol- 

 lows: In 1869,52,267 tons; 1870, 54,875 tons; 1871, 80,976 

 tons ; 1872, 70,766 tons ; 1873, 71,222 tons ; 1874, 76,210 tons ; 

 1875, 72,916 tons; 1876, 86,947 tons; 1877, 82,181 tons, being 

 the largest crop ever known. 



By these figures it will be seen that the fluctuations both in 

 quantity and prices have been remarkable, and it is hard to draw 

 any reliable conclusions from them. 



The following figures of the shipments to tlie United States for 

 the last ten years are also interesting^ as showing the large increase 

 in the consumption of this article: For the five years beginning 

 with 1865, when our import duty was five cents per pound, the 

 quantities are as follows: 1865, 1,411 tons; 1866, 2,637 tons; 

 1867, 2,182 tons ; 1868, 2,808 tons ; 1869, 1,143 tons. During 

 1870 and 1871 our duty was two and a half cents per pound, 

 and the quantities as follows : 1870, 3,356 tons ; 1871, 5,020 tons, 

 a considerable portion of the shipments of that year being in 

 anticipation of the reduction of duty to one cent per pound, 

 which took place in 1872, in which year the importations were 



