PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION. 
33 
■states referred to, as per the United States census, aggregated near 
1,000.000,000 of bushels, which by the more extended and pro¬ 
lific crop of 1873, cannot fall much, if any short of the sum of 
1,500,000,000 bushels. Allowing 200,000,000 bushels for home 
consumption, and there remains 1,300,000,000 bushels for export. 
If this was all wheat, and reduced to tons, it would equal 
88,235,294 tons, but since it embraces considerable of the lighter 
cereals, I will place the gross tons of surplus grain at 38,000,000 
tons in round numbers, and for all other produce, including pro¬ 
ducts of the forest, of the mines, live stock, etc., at least as much 
more, aggregating a gross of 76,000,000 tons of freight to be annu¬ 
ally moved to the East from the thirteen states and territories al¬ 
luded to, including the overland Asiatic commerce. 
The whole number of merchant vessels on our great chain of 
lakes, as reported officially by the government in the report on 
commerce and navigation in 1870, was as follows: 
No. Tonnage. 
621 steam vessels. . 140,704 
1,330 sail vessels. 237,470 
1,951 378,174 
The whole number reported by the chamber of commerce of 
Chicago for 1872, was as follows : 
No. Tonnage. 
731 steam vessels. 151,029“ 69 
1,585 sail vessels.. . 266,408.09 
2,336 417,497.78 
This includes tugs and unrigged vessels, and the government 
report is no doubt nearer the effective force; But suppose the 
whole of the latter to be effective, and that it should be exclusively 
engaged in the trade of the states and territories named, and each 
boat should make 10 trips per season, without accident or delay, 
and the whole force would move but 4,174,970 tons, as their 
utmost capacity, leaving 71,825,030 tons, for railway transporta¬ 
tion, or to be shipped down the Mississippi, or to remain unmoved. 
It is evident to the least observant eye, that all our present trunk 
lines could not move this vast amount, and hence attention has 
been turned to the project of connecting the Mississippi and its 
3—An. Tit.—App. 
