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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 64

Agricultural Products of this Country

Agricultural Products of this Country.

The Agricultural Department at Washington has just published an estimate of some of the agricultural products of our page 4 country for the year 1879. Their value is put down at 1,904,480,659dol. I suppose this to be a great under-valuation; but, taking it as stated, let us examine it, and make an estimate as to what we consume at home and what we sell abroad:—
Dol.
Grain or corn, all kinds, is valued at 1,247,112,000
The hay crop at 325,851,280
Cotton at 231,000,000
Potatoes at 78,971,000
Tobacco at 21,545,591

In 1878 the corn which you imported from all countries amounted in value to £58,064,875. This, I suppose, is its computed value when landed in England, and not the value at the place from whence it was imported. Of this quantity only a fraction more than one-half was from the United States—say what we received for it in value in our money, 142,936,995 dol.—and if other foreign countries took 60,000,000 dol. more in value, then, as compared with our crop for 1879, you would leave at home for domestic consumption an amount valued at 1,044,178, 005 dol. The hay crop is nearly all consumed at home, and so is the potato crop. The one is valued at 325,851,280 dol., the other at 78,971,000 dol. The value of cotton imported by you is stated to be £33,519,549. Supposing that two thirds of this was from the United States, the value of what you imported from our country would then amount in our money to 108,156,411 dol; and if we shipped to other foreign ports 10,000,000dol in value, there would be left for home consumption an amount worth 112,843,589dol. The value of manufactured tobacco imported into England is stated at about £2,500,000. Now, if two-thirds of this came from the United States—say 8,066,666 dol.—there was left over 13,000,000 dol worth for home consumption. The result in respect to the article named is this:—We, in our manufactures at home, used or consumed, as the figures stand, over 1,575,000,000 dol in value. While I have given you, as I think, full credit for all if not more than you took of what we exported, I am satisfied the amount we consumed at home was at least one fifth more than is stated, owing to under-valuation of our production, and that our consumption of these five agricultural products amounted in value to over 1,900,000,000 dol, as against less than 330,000,000 which we exported or sold abroad. Now this estimate of the agricultural products of our country is limited to the live named articles, and does not include meat, hogs, cattle, sheep, or horses; or the vegetable crop (excepting potatoes), which in this country, both in variety and quantity, is enormous, and constitutes a large item in the food of our people; or the fruit crop, including the apple, peach, pear, and grape, and the smaller fruits that are raised by the ton; or the fish, poultry, eggs, rice, butter, or cheese. None of these are included, and when taken together they amount in value to many millions of dollars. Now of the agricultural products which we raise I do not suppose one-fifteenth part is exported abroad, certainly not more than this quantity, while the remainder remains at home, and is consumed or used by our people who are engaged in manufacturing and commercial pursuits, &c.