274 



Tlic Country Gcutlaiiaiis Magazine 



%\\t Jarin. 



IMPORT AND EXPORT OF AGRICULTURAL COAIMODITIES. 



THE Trade and Navigation Accounts for 

 the month and eight months ended 

 August, show a considerable faUing off in the 

 imports of live stock in both periods, but 

 more conspicuously so in the extended term. 

 Taking oxen, bulls and cows together, we find 

 that in the first two-thirds of this year, we 

 received only 91,549 as against 127,935 i^ 

 the corresponding term of last. For this 

 year's imports, so far, we have disbursed 

 ^1,653,585, which is at the rate of £\^, is. 

 per head ; last year in the like period we ex- 

 pended ;,^2,o87,468, or about £\(i, 6s. per 

 head, so that the value of every beast has 

 been enhanced £\, 15s. in the course of the 

 year. No doubt the superior quality of the 

 beasts, particularly in the case of those coming 

 from Oporto, has a good deal to do with the 

 rise, but still prices have risen /^r se very 

 considerably. In the course of the eight 

 months the receipts of calves diminished from 

 29,874 to 27,129, and the money we paid 

 for them this year was ;j£'9i,454 as against 

 ^103,739 in the corresponding period of 

 last. The decrease in sheep amounts to up- 

 wards of 23,000 head, the figures for 1871 

 being 595,867 and up to the end of last 

 August 572,482. But the decrease in num- 

 bers brought enhanced prices, as we actually 

 paid more this year than last, viz., ;^ 1,14 2,2 2 2 

 as against ;^i, 117,361, a difference of about 

 2s., 6d. per head. We paid last year only 

 £\, 17s., 4d., while this year on the average 

 each foreign sheep cost us £\, 19s., lod. 

 There was a tremendous falling off in swine 

 in the course of the eight months, the num- 

 bers received being only 10,388 to compare 

 with 61,590, and the sum we paid only 

 ;^33,905 as against ;^2ii,352. The total 

 amount we paid for live stock up to the 



end of August this year was ^2,921,116; 

 last year in the same period we expended 

 ^3,519,920. ^ 



We have imported no less than 97,200 

 cwts. of bacon during the month, which 

 amount to compare with the corresponding 

 period of 187 1 and the preceding year, 

 shews a steady increase. During the eight 

 months of the year which have jjassed, our 

 consignments of this article from abroad cost 

 us ;,{;2, 946,132, as against ^^1,702,786, 

 which we paid in the like term of 187 1. For 

 beef, salted or fresh, or slightly salted, we are 

 debited with ^12,220 during August, which 

 set against the same month of. last year, ex- 

 hibits an increase of over ^{^2000. On the 

 longer period of the present year, however, 

 there is a marked falling off in the amount 

 paid in comparison with that disbursed in 

 187 1, the figures being £'292)^9'^1 and 

 ;^464,8o3. Of meat unenumerated in either 

 of the headings mentioned, our supplies have 

 been considerably augmented during the 

 month, while in the eight months we paid 

 ;^639,84i, as against ^^405, 637 in the longer 

 period of last year. It is pleasing to remark 

 that this increased supply is chiefly made up 

 by the excellent preserved meat which we 

 receive from our Australian colonies. The 

 total amount we have expended during the 

 past eight months for pork, salted or fresh 

 beef, and preserved or salted beef and mutton, 

 was p^3, 8 79,900, while in the same eight 

 months of 1S71 the disbursement was 

 ;?^2, 573,226. 



Our receipts of pork during the past month 

 amounted to 6,244 cwt., a somewhat lighter 

 supply than that of August, 1871. It would 

 appear that we are becoming less dependent 

 upon the foreigner for our pork, inasmuch as 



