Tennessee Louisiana. Alabama Wisconsin. Iowa Total. .8,360,000 45,362,000...292,451,000 .980,000....16,650,000 A calculation made, however, upon the .971,000. 672,000 basis of the Commercial List, for the last .793,000. .2,028,000 season, we admit, is not by any means a fair one. The foreign demand has increased beyond measure more than the home, from the absolute destitution in Europe and failure of accustomed supplies. High prices at home, too, would operate to check consumption. It the two demands, that the one originating at stands to reason, however, from the nature of home must be many times the greater of the two, though at the same time the foreign may give character to prices, and in general The above estimates appear to us to be overrated in some instances, and underrated in others. If we assume the aggregate, how. ever, to be about the total amount of the crop of 1845, and add a small increase for that of 1846, we may take the wheat crop of 1846 at 110 millions, and that of Indian corn at 460 millions of bushels.* On this basis it appears that our exports to foreign countries, for the year ending September 1, 1847, amounted in quantity to about 25 per cent. on the crop of wheat, and less than 5 per cent. on the crop of Indian corn. does. of Indian corn from the United States for 57 The following table will show the export years: TOTAL EXPORTS OF CORN AND CORN MEAL FROM THE 1791... 1792 1793. 1794 1795. 1796. With regard to the crops of the present year, the accounts received from all quarters Year of the United States justify the belief that the harvests, both for wheat and Indian corn, will be more abundant than those of last year. Perhaps it would be safe to estimate an addition of 15 per cent. on the quantity of wheat raised over that of 1846, and 30 per cent. on the crop of Indian corn, making about 130,000,000 bushels of the former, and 600,000,000 bushels of the latter. Should the expectations of these increased quantities be realized with regard to these important staples, and the promise of abundant harvests in Europe be also realized, thus cutting off a large proportion of the great demand from abroad, which has stimulated and sustained prices for nearly a year past, it would seem reasonable to calculate on a much lower range of prices for grain of all kinds than our farmers have been favored with during the recent famine in Europe. A moderate competition, however, from abroad, in the demand for breadstuffs, may enable them to become sensible of the value of the home market. 1804. 1808) 1814. UNITED STATES FROM 1791 TO 1847. Bbls corn meal 1,713,214. .351,695 1,964,973. 263,405 1,233,768. 189,715 1,505,977 241,570 1,935,345. 512,445 1,173,552. 540,286 1797 804,922 254,799 1799. 1800. 1,694,327 338,108 1801. 1,768,162. 919,353 1802 1,633,283 266,816 133,606 1,944,373. 111,327 861,501. 116,131 108,342 1,018,721. 136,460 .249,538. 30,818 522,049. 57.260 86,744 147,426 90,810 .1,486,970. 52.521 61,284 26,438 72,634 .89,119 106,763 1818. 1,075,190. 120,029 1819. 1,086,762. 135,271 146,316 131,669 148,228 749,034. 141,501 152,723 187.225 158,652 1827. 978.664. 131,041 1828. 70,492 174,639 173,775 145.301 1846 1831. Bushels ,571,312. 207,604 Estimated wheat crop.. .80,000,000..110,000,000 1832. 451,230. 146,710 1833. 437,174. 146,678 1834. 303,449. 149,609 1835. 755,781. 166,782 124,791. 140.917 1837. 151,276. 159,435 1838. 172,321. 171.843 165,672 1840. Exported to foreign countries....22,000,000 bushels. 1841. 574,279. 206.063 535,727 232.284 1842. 600,308. 209.190 producers.. 100,000,000 1843. 672,608. 174,254 1844.. *This is about the estimate of the Patent Office, an addition of ten per cent. being added to 1845, We rather regard the estimate as much too low. 825,282. 247.882 269,030 298,790 945,039 The importance of the home market for the consumption of the grain crops is shown 1823. by the following estimate, made some years since in the Philadelphia Commercial List, with regard to the disposition of the wheat crop of 1840, to which we add a similar calculation respecting the crop of 1846: 1847- 52,150. 1,150. 11,387 73,871 2,457,076 23,974 BREADSTUFFS-FLOUR EXPORTS.- apparent. The English duty on flour was There has sprung up a much greater disposition to speculate in produce for a rise. Money continues easy for good paper, and the present low prices are looked upon as available, or, as it is tersely expressed on 'Change, "there is money in them." A healthy tone, is, therefore, more Where to. Dutch West Indies 4s., until February, 1849, when it came off, and has since been nominal. We have compiled from Treasury reports the following table of export and destination of flour from the United States. It affords a sort of chart of the direction which the flour export trade has taken at times. DESTINATION OF FLOUR SHIPPED FROM THE UNITED STATES. Holland and Belgium. Gibraltar The following table gives the aggregate export and official value, showing the yearly average for several years: AGGREGATE EXPORT OF FLOUR FROM THE UNITED STATES. Barrels 1840 1,893,182.. Value 10,143,615. 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 2,286,476. 11,668,669 1847 4,382,496... 26,133,841. 1848 2,119,393 13,194,109 Ag. val. bbl 4 75 5.09 5.95 622 5 35 5.00 2,108,013. port of flour, and the result was a yearly increasing average price in the sales of the whole wheat crop. In the above table the average per barrel is given on the export price of the whole quantity; the prices vary, however, as that sent to the British American colonies averaged $5.25, while that sent to England averaged $6-while that sent to Portugal and Madeira averaged over $7, and that to Mexico $4.50. The exports to France, Belgium, and Holland were considerable, as compared with former shipments, but the corn laws of those countries being suspended, it might have been expected that much larger transactions would have resulted. The year 1840 was of the largest export In the year 1849-50, central Europe was for many years; the following year was possessed of a great surplus of wheat, and also considerable, and the effect of this ex- it poured into England in immense quanport was the advance of the average price tities. Of flour, and wheat as qrs. of wheat, to $6 in 1842. If the wheat crop was France furnished 1,145,000 qrs, out of an 25,000,000 bbls., the difference was equal to importation into England of 4,830,263 qrs., $15,000,000 to wheat growers; hence agri- and the United States supplied 537,031 qrs. cultural prosperity and improved home mar- of that quantity. In that year prices were kets. In the years 1846 and 1847 the trade in Europe very low, under the reaction was immense. England and her posses- from the high prices induced by the famine sions took three-fourths of the whole ex-of 1847. The prices in Europe were thus: 7 Price 37s. 2d. food, and the production of English is large. It is much to be regretted that our official returns cannot be brought down to a date 33s. 2d. later than almost twelve months. Since the last official report an entire change has taken place. England is an exporter, instead of being the sole customer, and we have no official guide as to the direction of the trade. Unofficial returns of exports from the United States to Great Britain, from September 1 to nearly the close of April, give the following figures: In consequence of these prevailing low prices, England was the recipient of European wheat; nevertheless, the United States supplied in that year more than 10 per cent. of the English consumption. This year the reverse is the case; Europe is short of EXPORT OF BREADSTUFFS FROM THE UNITED STATES TO GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, BREADSTUFFS · PRESERVATION WHEAT AND FLOUR, &c.-Professor Beck's experiments in this department have thus far been confined to wheat and wheat flour, which constitute the subject of the report before us. Indian corn and meal, which have now become such important articles of export, will receive due attention in the course of his researches. In entering upon the subject of his present report, his first object was to ascertain the amount of water in different kinds of wheat and flour, for all contain water in great or lesser quantities Its amount is greater in cold countries than in warm. In Alsace, from 16 to 20 | per cent. England, from 14 to 17 per cent.; United States, from 12 to 14 per cent. ; Africa and Sicily, from 9 to 11 per cent. or | 218,679 barrels of sour and musty flour. In his opinion, the loss on these was $250,000. Every year the total loss in the United States, from moisture in wheat and flour, is estimated at from $3,000,000 to $5,000,000! To remedy this great evil, the grain should be well ripened before harvesting, and well dried before being stored in a good dry granary. Afterward, in grinding and in transporting, it should be carefully protected from wet, and the flour be kept from exposure to the atmosphere. The best precaution is kiln drying. By this process the wheat and flour are passed over iron plates heated by steam to the boiling point. From each barrel of flour 16 or 17 pounds of water are thus expelled, leaving still four or five per cent. in the flour, an amount too small to do injury. If all the water be expelled, the quality of the flour is deteriorated. This accounts for the fact, that the same weight of Southern flour yields more bread than Northern. English wheat yields 13 pounds more to the quarter than Scotch. Alabama flour, it is said, yields 20 per cent. more than that of Cincinnati. And, in general, American flour, according to one of the most extensive London bakers, absorbs 8 or 10 per cent. more of its own weight of water, in being made into bread, than the English. The English grain is fuller and rounder than the American, being in truth puffed up with moisture. All this is accounted for by temperature. The warmer the country, the more is the water dried out of the grain before it ripens; and hence, when made into bread, it absorbs more water again, and is therefore more valuable. Water also unfits it for preservation. The books of a single inspector in New-York city showed, that in 1847, he inspected The mode of ascertaining the amount of water in flour is this: take a small sample, say 5 ounces, and weigh it carefully. Pat it in a dry vessel, which should be heated by boiling water. After 6 or 7 hours, weigh it carefully until it loses no more weight. Its loss of weight shows the original amount of water. The next object of Professor Beck, was to ascertain the amount of gluten in the va rious samples of flour. Gluten is an adhesive, pasty mass, and consists of several different principles, though its constitution has not yet been satisfactorily determined. It is chiefly the nutritious portion of the flour. The remaining principles are mostly starch, sugar, and gum. These three latter, have been thought not to be nutritious, but this is probably an error. On an aver age, their relative amount in 100 parts are about as follows: Water. Gluten. Starch. Sugar and gum.. Average 13. 12. 67 .8 100 Kobanka wheat-the best 12 ..16 .60 9 97 The Professor examined, according to the present report, 33 different samples, from different parts of the United States and Europe, and he gives the preference to the Kobanka variety from the south of Kussia. There would probably be a prejudice against it in this country, from the natural yellowish hue of its flour and bread. The process for determining the relative amounts of gluten, starch, sugar, and gum, is this: put a few ounces of flour, carefully weighed, in a cotton or linen cloth; pour cold water upon it, and work up the dough with the fingers. All except the gluten strains through the cloth. This is then dried and weighed. The gum and sugar become dissolved in the water, but the starch settles at the bottom of the vessel. This water is poured off, and the starch is thus obtained, and may be weighed. The water is next evaporated, and the gum and sugar also obtained in a dry state for weighing. This is not a perfect method. Other methods, more complicated, give different results; but this is sufficiently accurate in a practical way for ascertaining the relative value of different specimens. become bankrupt with his great returnssimply because they cannot repay their cost. The questions, therefore, of economy of measures and economy of treatment, are of the first importance. It should be known, also, that wheat raised on a rich soil is more nutritious, taking the same quantity, than that raised on poor ground. We hope these inquiries will be continued without delay. As yet, after so few months' labor, they are merely preliminary. Professor Beck has given abundant proof of his ability to pursue the subject, in his noble report on the mineralogy of New-York, and in his valuable works on Chemistry and Botany; and we may reasonably anticipate, that his researches in organic analysis, will be entitled to a place with those of Professor Horsford, of Cambridge, or of Professor Norton, of Yale. BOSTON-PROGRESS AND WEALTH OF.The City of Boston. In 1738, eight years after its settlement, Boston was said to be rather a village than a town, consisting of no more than twenty or thirty houses. In 1675 the population was 4,000; 1690, 7.000; 1704, 6,750; 1720. 11,000; 1735, 16,000. Slaves in 1754, 989, or one-sixteenth of population. In 1765, the inhabitants were 15,520; 1776, 2,719 whites, the rest having dispersed on account of the revolution; 1789, 17,880; 1790, 18,038; 1800, 24,937; 1810, 33,787; 1820, 43,298; 1830, 61,392; 1840, 85,000; 1845, 114,366. The annual average increase shown by the first six national censuses, was 3.82, 3.54, 2.81, 4.17, 3.84; but the census of 1845 shows an increase of 7 per cent. per annum, during the past five years. The report contains some valuable remarks on agriculture in general. The inquiry is not simply how productive a field may be made, however important that may There are in operation 700 miles of railbe, but concerns also the cost of such pro-way radiating from Boston, having a capital duction. A man may astonish the country of $22,202,700, and having cost $26,712, 123 by the great abundance of his crops, and yet 57. Years 1824 1825 It thus appears that 32,890,508 publica-volence, which are supposed as much more. tions are issued annually from the Boston Of these donations, $268,753 83 were given press, averaging 109,098 daily, allowing 310 in 1845. working days to the year, valued at $825,074. These contain 24,132,117,132 square inches. or 3,847 acres of printed sheets, averaging 12 acres each day. Deducting ten per cent. for the margin of the sheets not printed, and 1826. there remains 6,926 acres of printed surface 1827 which goes out to the public mind, to in- 1828. fluence or educate it for good or for ill. And it is supposed that the number of sheets printed for books and other publications, not named in the above account, or not periodical, makes a near approach to the 1829 1830. 1831 COMMERCE OF BOSTON. Imports 12,628,253. Exports .5,036,963. Revenue 4,193,112 81 15,231,856....6,078,619. 5,047,814 25 .12,627,449....6,780,577. 3,988,378 46 11,591,830. 7,322,910. .4,179,494 67 .7,438,014. 4,597,176 86 9,990,915. 5,881,717 .4,167,199 78 8,348,623. 13,414,309. 5,896,092.. 5,227,592 00 1832. 1833. 2,830,172 69 |