lard at $50,854,504, the latter having made a large gain since 1898. Pork is shipped mainly in the salted or pickled form. Exports of beef did not attain any great growth until after the recent facilities for chilling and transporting meats had been introduced. With these improve ments there has been a change from salted to fresh beef in the shipments, the latter variety constituting nearly three-fourths of the total beef shipment in 1903. In that year there were over $20,000,000 worth of 'other meat' products exported, over one-half of \Thiel) was oleomarga rine. The value of dairy products exported for that year was only $4,775,582. The exports of live animals consist chiefly of cattle. Their ex portation did not take firm hold until 1879. In the year 1890 there was a striking advance in the shipment of cattle, but since that year there have been no decided tendencies toward increase or decrease. The value of exports of cattle in 1903 was $29,848,936. The Anglo-Boer War greatly in creased the exportation of horses and mules, the exports of the former in 1902 being valued at $10,048,046.
The exports of cotton in 1903 amounted to 3.543,043,022 pounds (value $316,180,429), which was about two and one-half times the quantity exported in 1876. For most of the intervening years the per cent. of the total crop exported has been between sixtVve and seventy. and there is no tendency to chatige the ratio. Among other agricultural products exported, the most impor tant are:tobacco, valued in 1903 at $35,250,893; oil cake and oil-cake meal, $19,743,711; and cot ton-seed oil. $14,211,244. From the table it will be seen that there have been significant increases in the exports of mining and of forest products, but not enough to affect greatly the percentage which they constitute of the total. The largest item in the group of minerals exported is coal, while boards and naval stores are the largest items in the exports of forest products. The preceding table shows the growth in the exportation of the ten principal articles of domestic manufacture, which together form about SO per cent, of the total manufactures exported.
The exports of iron and steel include a large list of articles, chief of which are locks, hinges, and other builders' hardware, electrical machinery, wire, pipes, and fittings, steel rails, sewing ma chines, locomotive engines, and structural iron work and steel. About five-sixths of the total value of mineral oils exported is represented by illuminating oils. The extraordinary growth in the exports of cotton manufactures has taken place mainly since 1S93, and is the result of the increased use of electricity, in connection with which most of the product is utilized. One-half of the exports of cotton manufactures is repre sented by uncolored cloths. The most rapid growth in the exportation of leather and its manufactures in recent years has been in upper leather, and in boots and shoes. In 1895, 822,412 pairs of boots and shoes were exported, and in 1902, 3,966,766 pairs. Nearly one-half of the value of exported agricultural implements is represented by mowers and reapers. The follow ing table shows the growth of the importation of merchandise into the United States for con sumption : the percentage figures indicate the proportion of the specified classes to the total imports: $21,480,525. The largest items in the group of `crude articles' imported in 1902. with their respective values, were: hides and skins, $53,250,334; silk manufactures, $42,631,615; rubber and gutty percha, crude, $27,094,622; fibres, vegetables and textile grasses, $31,526,674; copper manufactures, $24,865,301 ; tin in bars, etc., $19,463,736; chemicals, drugs, and dyes,
$19,818,639; and wool, hair of the camel, goat, alpaca, etc., $18.466,122. The principal item in the group headed "partially or wholly manufac tured, etc." was chemicals, drugs, and dyes, not elsewhere specified, valued in 1902 at $35,2S6.164. Of imported articles ready for consumption and luxuries, the most important was cotton goods, $44,460,126, of which laces, edgings, etc., consti tuted over one-half ; this was followed by manu factures of fibres, $39,036,364; silk, $32.640.242; iron and steel manufactures, $27,180,247; diamonds and jewelry, $25,990,570; and manu factures of wool, camel's hair, etc., $17,334,463. As compared with 1901 there were large increases in the imports of cotton goods, manufactures of fibres, and jewelry. Iron and silk remained about the same, while manufactures of wool, camel's hair, etc., decreased over one-half.
The bulk of the foreign trade of the United States is by sea and with non-contiguous coun tries. In 1903 the imports by way of the At lantic ports constituted 80.06 per cent, of the total imports and the exports 63.6 per cent. of the total exports. The Government reports show, however, that from 1893 to 1903 the percentage of gain was greater for the Pacific ports than for the Atlantic. During that period the At lantic ports showed an increase of 14 per cent. in imports and 46 per cent. in exports, while the Pacific ports showed gains of 17 per cent. in im ports and 87 per cent. in exports. The imports The table reveals the effect of the establish ment of manufactures in the United States; in fact, imports of manufactures have increased absolutely but little in recent years, and for a long period of years have tended to decrease rela tively, while at the same time the importation of crude articles for domestic industries has in creased both absolutely and relatively. The im portation of materials for manufacturing ($415, 151,874 in 1902) greatly exceeds the imports of manufactures, and even the exports of manufac tures. The importation of food and live animals has begun to decline absolutely and relatively. The bulk of the food group is sugar and coffee, amounting in 1902 to $55,061.097 and $70,982, 155. respectively, and constituting the two largest items of importation into the United States. The only other large food item in im ports is fruit and nuts, the value in 1902 being by way of the Gulf ports for the same period showed an increase of but 1 per eent, and the exports an increase of only 6 per cent. Of the foreign trade of the United States dur ing the fiscal year 1903, 64.5 per cent. was with the Continent of Europe, and the bulk of this was with the four Western European coun tries, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. The protective tariff of some of the European countries greatly restricts our exports to them, as in the ease of France, and in the case of some almost prohibits our exports, as Austria-Hungary. The United Kingdom accepts our exports free of duty, and constitutes by far the greatest market of the world for American products. In 1903 the exports to the United Kingdom amounted to $524.691.638 as against $504.896.090 for the remainder of Europe. If with the United Kingdom are included the other parts of the British Empire, it is found that the American exports to the Empire constitute more than half of the entire American export trade. In the import trade of the United States, how ever, Europe, especially the United Kingdom, is of much less importance, as can be seen in the tible on page 680, showing the foreign trade with the principal countries of the world.