The principal imports consist of drygoods, almost exclusively cotton manufactures, brought from Great Britain, the United States, and Germany. In this branch British manufacture commands the market, the imports from the United States and Germany being relatively small. The more important articles are gray cloths; bleached shirtings, 7-8 and 9-8 prints; fancy cloths; gray, white, and blue drills; colored drills; handkerchiefs; gray and dyed yarns; Turkey red yarns; sewing cottons; trimmings; cotton blankets, etc. Of these goods about 75 per cent. are of British origin, 15 per cent. American, and 10 per cent. German. American manufacturers compete chiefly in drills, denims, blankets, prints, gray cloths, and bleached shirtings, while German goods imported consist chiefly of drills, prints, Turkey red yarns, blankets, and trimmings. Woolen goods are not in very great demand; the principal lines are blankets, shawls, braids, hats, Berlin wool, and but few piece goods. Hats are imported mostly from the United States, Germany, and only a few from the United Kingdom; shawls from Germany, principally; piece goods from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Silks are not in demand, excepting floss silks imported from China, ribbons from Switzerland, France, and Germany. Regarding hardware generally, approximately 50 per cent. is imported from Germany, 30 per cent. from the United States, and 20 per cent. from the United Kingdom. The principal imports from the United States consist of machetes, axes, and hoes, besides tools generally of the better classes, corn mills, plows, sewing machinery, outfits for building purposes, saws, barbed wire, files, screws, cutlery, ropes, brushes, enameled goods, paints, and varnishes and breadstuffs. The imports from the United Kingdom are chiefly composed of galvanized-iron sheets, galvanized-iron goods, coffee machinery, copper sheets, tin goods, machetes, hoes, sickles, picks, pickaxes, saltpeter, pans (used on sugar plantations), iron sheets, saws, padlocks, cutlery, saddlery, bits, spurs, brass valves and cocks, pottery, cartridges, also preserves and biscuits. From Germany are brought all kinds of cheap tools, machinery, sewing machines, cutlery, machetes, bar iron, enameled goods, pottery, locks, screws, nails, window glass, brushes, paper, matches, stearin and ceresin, part of these goods being also brought from Belgium and the Netherlands, while France ships tools for shoemakers' and saddlers' use. The articles which Guatemala buys in exchange for her coffee, sugar, fruits, woods and other products in the customs classification are divided into three groups; that is, articles of prime necessity, articles of luxury or convenience, and articles for the industries. The first and most important group includes cotton and woolen goods, wheat flour, rice, corn, potatoes, salt, wax and stearine candles, matches, soap, petroleum, glass and earthenware, and kitchen hardware.