97,034,698 bushels short of the crop of 1902, our imports for 1902 amounted to more than half of the total imports for the seven years. Exports for the same period amounted to 5,038,198 bushels, valued at $3,719,763, an average of 73.8 cents per bushel. Thus it will be seen that the number of bushels imported during the year 1902 was over two and one-half millions more than the total number of bushels exported during the seven years, while the value of the total exports was only a half million more than the cost of the imports for 1902.

While the average price per bushel for the total imports was 45.4 cents, the average price paid for Bermuda potatoes was $1.63 per bushel, and the average price per bushel received for exports to Bermuda was 92 cents.

Area and yield of potatoes in other foreign countries.

(From United States Consul-General Guenther, Frankfort, Germany.)

The cork industry, which is quite an important one, will receive a fresh impetus, a new process having been discovered by which large pieces can be made out of small ones, so that cork waste can be utilized in large quantities. This is all the more important as the price of cork increases steadily, both on account of the growing demand and the lessened supply of the raw material.

Formerly, Italy was a large producer of cork, but a great part of the splendid cork-oak forests has already been destroyed. In some Provinces-as, for instance, in Calabria-the trees have been felled and used for charcoal making; in other Provinces they have been cut down on account of their high potash contents.

Larger forests of cork-oak trees are still existing in Spain, Portugal, France, Algeria, and Tunis. None are found in Asia Minor and only rarely in Greece and European Turkey, although the climates seem to be favorable for their growth. The area covered by these forests is estimated at 300,0000 hectares (741,300 acres) in Portugal, 250,000 hectares (617,750 acres) in Spain, 280,000 hectares.

(691,880 acres) in Algeria, and only 80,000 hectares (197,750 acres) remain in Italy.

While Spain still furnishes 32,800 tons of cork annually, the production of Italy has decreased to 4,000 tons. The value of the Spanish exports of cork amounts to $6,000,000 per year, against less than $250,000 for Italy. Only Sicily and Sardinia are still producing cork to any considerable extent in Italy, while the former great oak forests of Calabria are almost totally destroyed. It seems incomprehensible that this destruction has been permitted. The trees easily reach an age of 200 years. They yield cork in their thirtieth year and continue to do so every seven years. Seventy-five years ago the English demand for cork was supplied exclusively from Italy. The destruction of the remaining forests goes on uninterruptedly, and nobody seems to try to prevent it or to plant new forests, in spite of the fact that Italy possesses the most favorable climate and soil for the cork oak, the most favorable conditions for its growth being found in the volcanic soil of the peninsula. RICHARD GUENTHER,

FRANKFORT, GERMANY, August 24, 1903.

Consul-General.

IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY OF RUSSIA.

(From United States Consul-General Holloway, St. Petersburg, Russia.)

The Trade and Industry Gazette of this city has just published the following statistics on the iron, pig-iron, and steel industry in Russia during 1902.

PIG IRON.

The total smelting of pig iron in different regions of the Empire during the last six years is shown by the following figures:

The decrease in smelting pig iron in 1902 consisted of about 372,224 tons, or 11.8 per cent, compared with the highest yield in If the blast furnaces of Russia could secure a market for their products they could produce 4,700,000 tons of pig iron yearly; that

1900.

means that the working capacity of Russian pig-iron smelting works in 1902 exceeded the yield by about 1,800,000 tons, or 66 per cent.

In the south of Russia the smelting of pig iron decreased in 1902 by 141,000 tons, or 8.4 per cent. Instead of 31 high furnaces in work for January 1, 1902, only 23 were worked for the term of January 1, 1903; instead of 6 furnaces in repair, there were 13; and instead of 15 furnaces, although finished, 18 were not working.

The decrease in pig iron smelted by the Ural works, compared with 1900, was 101,275 tons, or 11.3 per cent. There were 116 high furnaces at work January 1, 1902; 95 on June 1, 1902; 78 October 1, 1902; and 99 January 1, 1903.

In Poland the maximum yield was reached in 1901 and a decrease of 46, 180 tons, or 12.8 per cent, in 1902.

The maximum yield in the central Provinces was in 1899, from which date there was a steady decrease, reaching in 1902 117,110 tons, or 43 per cent, compared with 1899, notwithstanding the fact that the Lipetzky works of the Tambov Metallurgical Society, which was opened in 1892, yielded 26,140 tons of pig iron. This work. was brought to a standstill in May of the current year, as well as the Shipov works of the Nizhni Novgorod government, which yielded 25,340 tons of pig iron in 1902. This shows that the capacity of the central region is rapidly decreasing.

The northern region shows almost the same level of pig-iron production during the last four years.

There was no yield of pig iron in the southwest and northwest regions, and the production of pig iron in Siberia has been declining since 1898.

The change in the yield of pig iron was least in Poland, which is of great importance to the Russian metallurgical industry, as Poland is not able to furnish sufficient raw material to meet the demand.

IRON AND STEEL.

The following table shows the yield of iron and steel in Russia during the last six years:

The figures furnished by the Statistical Bureau of the Council of Metallurgists of the South, stating the yield of the iron and steel articles by the southern works, were as follows:

The decrease in the yield of iron and steel by the southern works, as compared with 1901, was 32,847 tons.

The three works which produce rails or the Ural-viz, the Nizhni Saldinsky, Nadejdinsky, and Katav-Ivanovsky-increased their production, as shown by the following figures:

1902........

1901.....

1900.........

1899.........

Tons. 91, 100

90, 950 80,000

64, 395

The decrease in iron and steel production in Poland is given at 18,778 tons, or almost 5 per cent; 52,264 tons, or 24 per cent, in the central region; and 25,176 tons, or 17 per cent, in the northern region. The Libau works of the northwest region alone increased its capacity and yielded 45,200 tons.

IMPORTS OF IRON AND STEEL.

Comparing the figures of foreign iron and steel imported shows that the import of iron and steel, not worked, has rapidly decreased, viz, 82,055 tons in 1902, against 116,170 tons in 1901 and 128,130 tons in 1900; whereas the import of thin sheet iron has increased, viz, 27,600 tons in 1902, against 27,090 tons in 1901 and 24,650 tons

in 1900.

IMPORTS OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY.

A considerable and steady increase is observed in the import of agricultural machinery and implements, which were classified as follows:

Locomobiles, with complicated thrashing machines and steam plows...
Complicated agricultural machines....

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, August 28, 1903.

W. R. HOLLOWAY,
Consul-General.

RUSSIAN IMPORTS OF IRON AND STEEL AND MACHINERY.

The following has been condensed in the Bureau of Statistics from a report by the German consul at Riga, Russia:

Iron.-Russia's iron imports in 1900 were 3,200,000 poods (57,830 tons *); in 1901, 1,800,000 poods (32,530 tons); in 1902, 1,100,000 poods (19,880 tons). Much of this went into the Empire by way of Riga. In recent years Riga is seeking her supply of raw iron in the iron mills of Russia. The kinds that come into the Riga country, by way of its harbor, are especially prepared irons—particularly charcoal iron. Twenty-eight and eight-tenths of Russia's importations of raw iron reach her by way of the Empire's Baltic ports. The importation of iron in bars, rods, plates, etc., amounted in 1899 to 15,900,000 poods (287,350 tons); in 1900, 5,700,000 poods (103,012 tons); in 1901, 5,300,000 poods (95,783 tons); and in 1902, 3,700,000 poods (66,867 tons). The falling off in bar iron was from 8,059,000 poods (145,644 tons) in 1899 to 1,145,000 poods (20,693 tons) in 1902; in iron plates, Nos. 25, Birmingham caliber, from 6,102,000 poods (110,277 tons) in 1899 to 1,058,000 poods (19,121 tons) in 1902; in plate irons above Nos. 25, from 1,757,000 poods (31,753 tons) in 1899 to 1,526,000 poods (27,572 tons) in 1902. The larger part of this trade was once in the possession of Germany. The falling off is put down to Russia's protective tariff and to the constantly improving character of the iron produced in Russia.

Steel. The importations of steel were 2,374,000 poods (42,904 tons) in 1899, I, III,000 poods (20,078 tons) in 1900, 795,000 poods (14,548 tons) in 1901, and 718,000 poods (12,976 tons) in 1902. The falling off in steel bars, rods, etc., was from 1,898,000 poods (34.300 tons) in 1899 to 586,000 poods (10,590 tons) in 1902; in sheet steel, up to Nos. 25, from 423,000 poods (7,657 tons) to 110,000 poods (1,990 tons); for numbers above 25, from 53,000 poods (958 tons) to 22,000 poods (398 tons). Here, again, the enterprising spirit, intelligent activities, and imitative faculties of the Russian people are reaping their usual reward. England and Germany are the sufferers.

Iron and steel rails.-The rails and railroad material imported into Russia in 1899 amounted to 746,000 poods (13,482 tons); in 1900, to 304,000 poods (5,494 tons);

*Ton of 2,000 pounds.