GRAIN TRADE ROUTES IN UNITED STATES. 505 



exported, of the larger crop of i869 3°5 per cent. was 
exported to foreign countries. 
The competition of the railroads also effected a change in 
the distribution of the grain at the eastern terminals. 
Formerly much of the grain which had been sent to such 
‘eastern cities as Portland, Boston, Philadelphia, and Balti- 
more had reached them by traffic coastwise from New York, 
just as in still earlier days they had received considerable 
portions of their grain py coastwise movement from New 
Orleans. The participation of the railroad rendered Balti- 
more, Philadelphia, and other Atlantic cities as accessible as 
New York,and much of the direct trade now went to those 
‘cities instead of to New York. 
The grain traffic on the lakes has until recently favoured 
the terminal cities of Chicago and New York. As long as 
the main portion of the traffic went via the lake route and 
terminated on the Hudson River, New York enjoyed an 
immense pre-eminence, and her chief rivals were found in 
ports like Montreal and Boston lying to her north, instead 
‘of such southern ports as Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk, 
Newport News, etc. The advantages obtained by New York 
from the Erie Canal, taken in connection with her naturally 
fine harbour, gave that cicyits dominating position in the 
export and import trade, which was further increased by 
reason of the size of the territory and density of the popula- 
tion tributary to New York. ‘Therailroads, however, brought 
the more southern Atlantic ports nearer to Chicago and the 
West than was New York, anda gradual diversion of the trade 
took place, which reduced New York’s share of export grain 
very materially, although the total amount exported from 
that city did not decrease. 
To a considerable extent the diversion of the grain traffic 
has been due to maize, a great part of which is not tributary 
to the lakes, and which consequently would be less affected 
by an improvement in the Erie Canal, which joins New York 
and the Great Lakes. To a large extent also the Gulf ports 
are participating in this maize traffic, and this has been 
especially noticeable during the last two or three years. 
The most notable feature of the last twelve years has been 
2 
