I JO 



Notes on Agriculture Abroad. 



[may, 



surpluses by 13,340,000 bushels, or to 26,817,000 bushels in 1909-10, and 

 by 11,999,000 bushels or to 9,936,000 bushels in 1910-11. 



Value per Head of Live Stock in the United States. — The rise in 

 the value of live stock on farms in the United States during the past 

 twenty years is shown in the following table, compiled by the Bureau 

 of Statistics of the United States Department of Agriculture from the 

 reports of its agents and correspondents, giving the value per head of 

 farm animals of all ages on January 1st in each of the years men- 

 tioned (U.S. Crop Reporter, February, 191 1) : — 



Animals. 



19- 



1. 



19 



0. 



1909. 



Average 

 1 900- j 909. 



Average 

 1890-1899. 





£ 



s. 



£ 



s. 





s. 



£ 



s. 



£ s. 



Horses 





5 



22 



1 1 



19 



19 





0 



10 1 



Mules 



26 



3 



24 



19 



22 



9 



17 



14 



12 5 



Milch Cows 



8 



9 



7 



9 



6 



15 



6 



6 



4 17 



Other Cattle 



4 



7 



4 



1 



3 



13 



3 



J 5 



3 9 







16 





17 





H 





13 



9 





1 



19 



1 



18 



1 



7 



1 



7 



1 0 



Nitrate industry of Chile. — According to a report by H.M. Consul 



at Antofagasta (F.O. Reports, Annual Series, No. 4,633), the present 

 condition of the nitrate industry of the district may be considered as 

 satisfactory and its prospects exceptionally good, as the demand for 

 nitrate of soda is steadily increasing year by year. Most producers 

 feel that a still further improvement could be reached by combining 

 with a view to selling the article direct to the consumer in the various 

 centres at a fixed and uniform price, and thus do away with the present 

 speculative operations. It is felt that stability in price would do a 

 great deal towards furthering the employment of nitrate as a fertiliser, 

 and that a slightly better price to the producer could be expected under 

 such conditions. Tentative proposals have been put forward in this 

 direction, but so far no definite line of action has been decided upon. 



In 1909 a total sum of ^"88,400 was expended on propaganda in 

 the chief countries of the world for making known the advantages of 

 nitrate as a fertiliser, of which sum the Chilian Government contributed 

 ^"40,000. The steady increase in the yearly consumption throughout the 

 world is shown in the following figures : — 



Consumption of Nitrate of Soda for the Years 1906-10. 





1906. 



1907. 



1908. 



1909. 



1910. 



Europe 

 United States 

 Other countries 



tons. 

 1, 275, coo 

 364,000 

 40, 000 



tons. 

 1,279,000 

 362,000 

 46,000 



tons. 

 1,412,000 

 317,000 

 52,000 



tons. 

 1,497,000 

 418,000 

 71,000 



tons. 

 1,690,000 

 583,000 

 17,000 



Total 



1,679,000 



1,687,000 



1,781,000 



1,986,000 



2,290,000 



