AGRICULTURAL SURVEY OF EUROPE: GERMANY 
population has continued to increase at nearly the pre-war rate, 
while food production has received a vital check. Strenuous efforts 
are being made toward recovery; but, in any case, a relatively 
greater importation of foods and feeds will be required in the future 
to maintain the German people at their pre-war standard of living 
than was required before the war. The future may witness any of 
three contingencies — (1) still greater efforts on the part of German 
farmers, particularly in meat and fat production; (2) a decline in the 
standards of living; (3) a greater dependence upon outside sources of 
supply for the necessities of existence. It is probable that in future 
readjustments there will be more or less shifting of the relative 
status of each of these fundamental factors in German economic life. 
But the whole trend of the German situation is toward an increased 
demand for foodstuffs. 
Farmers of America are interested in German agriculture to the 
extent that our surplus wheat, pork and pork products, and to a lesser 
extent our rye, beef, and corn shipped to German markets must meet 
with competition from locally grown food and feeds tuffs. During 
each of the seasons 1921-22 and 1922-23 the imports of wheat from 
the United States into the Republic of Germany far exceeded the 
total average pre-war wheat importations into the former Empire; 
and, though there was a falling off in 1923-24 (see Table 1) wheat 
importations for the 6 months July 1 to December 31, 1924, exceed by 
more than 50 per cent the importations of the preceding 12 months. 
Rye imports during these 6 months were more than twice those of the 
preceding 12 months and about eighty-eight times the pre-war aver- 
age. Increases in our sales of bacon, fresh pork, and lard to Germany 
in recent years have been relatively enormous, as indicated in Table 1 : 
Table 1. — Trade of the United States with the German Republic in specified farm 
products, July 1, 1921, to December 31, 1924, compared with that of the United 
States and the German Empire, 1909-10 to 1913-14 1 
[In thousands— 000 omitted] 
Item 
German 
Empire 
Average 
1909- 
1913 
Republic of Germany 
1921-22 
1922-23 
1923-24 
July 1- 
Dec. 31, 
1921 
Wheat 2. 
Rye 3.... 
Corn... 
Bacon 
Fresh and simpiy prepared pork. 
Lard 
Beef, fresh, frozen, and prepared. 
Bushels 
16, 595 
L78 
5,081 
Pounds 
10, 925 
192, 184 
2,267 
Bushels 
45, 521 
i, 761 
33,282 
Pounds 
59. 473 
217, 530 
20, 270 
Bushels 
25. 204 
35, 930 
19, 337 
Pounds 
63, 771 
22,700 
172, 519 
14,008 
Bushels 
16, 073 
7,201 
1,192 
Pounds 
85,906 
34, 829 
256, -17s 
14,039 
Bushels 
24.410 
15,759 
1,036 
Pounds 
19, 982 
9,037 
109.844 
1 Net imports, except for 1923-24 and July 1-Dec. 31, 1924, when total imports are used. 
2 Including wheat flour. 
3 Including rye flour. 
The increased sales of foreign-grown agricultural products in 
German markets since the war are directly attributable to the present 
depressed state of German agriculture. Areas under cultivation 
to wheat, rye. oats, and sugar beets are far below their pre-war level; 
and, although there are more horses, sheep, and goats in the Republic 
of Germany to-day than were found within the same territories of the 
Empire before the war, the numbers of cattle and swine are far below 
their normal level. 
