State Aid to Prussian Agriculture. 247 



trade, particularly the export trade, which has taken place 

 during the past few years from the eastern parts of the 

 United States, notably from New York, and which has been 

 absorbed by southern and Gulf ports. 



Mr. Nugent states that the total increase in value of the 

 exports from the United States for the year ended June 30th, 

 1897, amounted to ^35,079,000, of which sum over 2 0,800,000 

 was accounted for by southern ports. 



The grain of the great territory west of the Mississippi is 

 finding its way to Galveston in ever-increasing quantities, 

 and the Chicago and New York shippers recognise that in 

 New Orleans and Galveston they have no mean rivals. The 

 last few years have revolutionised the grain business, and the 

 building of railways from north to south instead of from east 

 to west has poured into the lap of the southern and south, 

 western ports an endless stream of cereals. 



In the principal surplus-producing States east of the 

 Mississippi the yield of maize was 454,734,000 bushels in 

 1889; while west of that river it was 958,858,000 bushels, 

 having increased 100 per cent, since 1879. The amount of 

 wheat grown in the principal surplus-producing States east 

 of the Mississippi was, in 1890, 96,344,000 bushels; whilst 

 west of the river it was 158,926,000 bushels. 



In i860 only 14*42 per cent, of the population was to be 

 found west of the Mississippi River; in 1870 the ratio was 

 17-84 per cent. ; and 22*45 per cent, in 1890. 

 r Foreign Office Report, Miscellaneous Series, IVo. 464. Price 6d.'] 



State Aid To Prussian Agriculture. 



A Foreign Office report, which has recently been published, 

 contains an abstract of a report by the Prussian Minister of 

 Finance upon the Prussian Finances from 1890 to 1897. 

 The object of this report was to remove misunderstanding 

 as to the financial position and policy of Prussia, by present- 

 ing an intelligible review of the development of State 

 finances over a term of years. In that portion of the report 

 which refers to agriculture attention is called to the pains 



