Years. Production, imports, and exports-Continued. BUTTER AND CHEESE. WOOL, COTTON, AND FLOUR. Value Wool. Cotton. Imports. Exports. Imports. Exports. Value. Pounds. Value. Pounds. Value. Pounds. Production. Austria. Pounds. Pounds. Flour. 1880. 1881 1882. 1883. 1884. 1885. 1886. 1887 1888 1889. 1890. 333, 997 $55, 794 136, 998, 253 332, 233 55, 161 138,459, 462 268, 520 44,473 138,459, 462 229, 499 28,886 138, 310, 431 195, 768 24,702 185,407 27, 186 208, 555 202, 162 28,570 153, 220 20, 565 149.472 19,717 16, 551, 475 $2,304, 113 3, 625, 685 141, 261, 068 3, 416, 248 $491, 433 470, 552 2, 145, 076 $238, 891 1.844, 809 204, 196 3,647, 511 528,903 1,373, 245 151, 626 4,363, 124 627, 612 1,582, 241 170,698 1,312, 336 4,573, 663 659, 557 2, 100, 102 227, 138 610, 123 2, 512, 362 260,034 469, 366 1,896, 838 152, 850 1,346, 029 4, 108. 493 455, 930 2,060, 199 163, 304 1, 394, 436 2.389, 566 309, 136 1,526, 686 116, 236 131,260 18,474 9, 095, 077 1,674, 143 3 651, 479 3,719, 160 589,775 1, 549, 172 140,948 1,316, 367 133, 953 1880 1881 1882 10,902, 188 11. 158, 362 1883 11, 157, 922 1884 11, 329, 439 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 13, 174, 469 22, 012, 270 $1, 256. 819 142, 287, 530 $3, 565, 385 286, 870, 709 $9, 850, 624 9, 441, 377 12,775, 491 104, 950, 412, 616, 463 12, 241, 492 3,029, 561 68, 263 337, 214. 734 8, 510, 060 17, 932, 763 34, 183, 866 2, 797, 463 3,368, 849 69, 736 330, 623, 642 32, 427, 020 2, 154, 650 4,931. 249 89, 408 320, 563, 390 9, 125, 368 45,743, 466 3, 247, 047 1,662. 709 30, 755 282, 924, 255 7, 287, 966 42, 140, 488; 2, 919, 864 160,936 2,375 454, 361, 446 9, 859, 112 18, 534, 18650, 539, 573 3, 451, 341 98,325 1,781, 388,512, 469 23, 760, 049 38, 610, 262 | 2,999, 007 128,969 2,929, 300, 915, 995 9, 278,436 8,038, 063 43, 427, 754 54, 205, 603 $14,965, 471 16, 325, 187 27, 352, 472 $10, 836, 942 153, 538, 265 $17, 487, 674 BELGIUM. The estimates of acreage and yield for Belgium are taken from the official annual publication Annuaire Statistique de la Belgique. The trade figures are tabulated from the official report, issued by the ministry of finance, Tableau Général du Commerce avec les Pays Étrangers. The annual estimates of crop production are prepared in a somewhat peculiar manner. The acreage is returned but once m ten years, but each year an estimate of the yield per acre of the various crops is made, it being assumed that the acreage does not materially change from year to year. In a country where agriculture is conducted upon such a settled and conservative basis as in Belgium, this method of estimating the production each year may be fairly satisfactory, but in a country like our own it would be of no value whatever. In the statements of production each year, which are presented in the tables that follow, the aggregate production has been obtained upon this basis by applying the estimated yield per acre each year to the acreage as ascertained in 1880. In the case of wheat the acreage returned is for winter, while the return of yield per acre each year is divided into spring wheat and winter wheat. It appears, however, from the official reports that the proportion of the spring wheat is very small, and in preparing the estimate of total product the yield of spring wheat has been disregarded entirely and the yield of winter wheat applied to the total wheat acreage. The average annual production of wheat for the ten years, 1881 to 1890, inclusive, is but little more than 18,000,000 bushels, while the production of spelt during the same period is a little more than 5,000,000 bushels, making a total production for the two grains of 23,000,000 bushels. In the trade statements the three grains, wheat, spelt, and maslin, are classed together, and there is a net importation of the three of about 19,000,000 bushels. The demand for consumption, which increases with the increasing population, appears to be met mainly by an increase in importation, the advance being 10,000,000 bushels between 1881 and 1890. The production and trade in rye are quite uniform from year to year, the crop averaging about 17,000,000 bushels, with a net importation of about 1,000,000 bushels. The record of commerce in barley includes malt as well. There is a slight tendency toward an increase in the production of oats, and a marked increase in the importation of oats, maize, buckwheat, which in the official volume are classed together. The potato crop averages nearly 100,000,000 bushels per annum, but even this product is not sufficient, and there is a net importation of 2,000,000 bushels each year. The production of tobacco appears to be declining, and as the product is ascertained upon the basis already explained, it might perhaps be assumed that allowance is made for some fluctuation. in acreage in the estimates of yield per acre which are presented in the official statement. Unless this be true, then it would appear that with two exceptions the season each year from 1880 to 1888 inclusive has been less favorable to the crop year by year. In the imports of this product, in addition to leaf tobacco, tobacco ribs are included, and the same remarks apply to the export trade. With an annual production of 6,000,000 pounds, there is an annual net importation of more than 20,000,000 pounds of raw tobacco, but a considerable portion of this is reëxported in the shape of manufactured product. In the trade in dairy products, Belgium is an importing country in butter, and the tendency is toward an increase of the balance that way. In 1881, the net importation amounted to 8,000,000 pounds, while in 1890 it was 23,000,000 pounds. The average for the period is nearly 21,000,000 pounds. In the cheese trade the balance is the same way, there being an average net importation of more than 4,000,000 pounds each year. Included in the statement of imports and exports of cheese, there appears in addition to cheese a statement that the figures cover also milk and common and white cheese. It is not possible to definitely separate the milk from the cheese, but it would appear that in the imports in 1881 about 8,700,000 pounds were cheese of the two descriptions given, the remainder being milk, while for the same year in the export statement only about 335,000 pounds out of the total given were cheese. If these proportions hold good throughout the period, then it appears that the importation of milk is small, but that in the export statement by far the larger portion of the amount stated is made up of milk. On this basis there is a very large net importation of cheese as well as of butter. In the wool trade there is but little fluctuation in the annual exports, but a tendency towards a decrease in the importation is appar ent. Taking the first five years of the decade, the imports averaged more than 100,000,000 pounds, while in the last five they averaged less than 90,000,000 pounds. In the statement of flour there is included not only flour of all kinds, but bran and other meal products. The trade is very nearly balanced, but the figures presented show a marked and very rapid advance in exports, with comparatively little change in imports throughout the period until 1890. |