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T]ic Coiuitry Gentleviaii s Magazine 



the exorbitant price of butcher's meat, that 

 succeeding returns would shew a further 

 diminution in the flesh supphes of the United 

 Kingdom. Fortunately this is not the fact. 

 Up to the end of June we had in the realm, 

 leaving out Ireland — 5,624,106 beasts, which 

 are 286,345 more than we had in the country 

 when the return of Mr Fonblanque, in blue- 

 cover, was issued to the public on the date 

 we have previously mentioned. The 

 fecundity of our sheep is more remarkable, 

 considering the high price of mutton. In 

 Mr Fonblanque's///// report for February we 

 find the following remarks :— " Owing to 

 repeated drought and the consequent short- 

 ness of green food, the number of sheep in 

 Great Britain decreased in each of the years 

 1869, 1870, and 187 1. The total number in 

 187 1 was smaller than in 1870 by 1,278,000 ; 

 smaller than in 1869 by 2,419,000 ; and 

 smaller than in 1868 by 3,592,000, or nearly 

 12 per cent." 



'I he June report, we are happy to say, 

 shews that sheep-farmers are, even with the 

 " rot," better off than they were last year. 

 \^\; have now got, according to the abstract 

 of the returns from which we are quoting, 

 27,822,864 sheep as against 27,119,569 last 

 year, an increase which, averaging the sheep 

 at about £2 each — certainly a moderate 

 estimate — means about one million and 

 a-half sterling. We can scarcely reckon 

 cattle at less than ^15 per head on the aver- 

 age, and in so doing the increase in the num- 

 bers this year over last makes us wealthier 

 in round numbers, by ^4,300,000. Pigs, 

 although they are so scarce in the London 

 market, have also increased since the last 

 statistics were officially furnished in the 

 Blue-book. We have now 2,784,890 to 

 contrast with 2,499,602 in the previous year. 



The increased value in this case, therefore, 

 supposing the augmentation all comprised of 

 "stores" of six weeks, would be something 

 like half a million. In all, therefore, our 

 live stock increase is equivalent to over six 

 millions. 



This gain has been achieved partly through 

 a smaller breadth of barley, oats and potatoes 

 having been sown and planted, but we had a 

 larger acreage of wheat. Potatoes, fortu- 

 nately, seeing that the disease is so prevalent, 

 were not planted in the same quantity as 

 they were in 1871, or in 1870. Hops show 

 an increase of acreage over last year, and 

 it is fortunate that they are being picked in 

 good condition. The foUowing are the 

 figures supplied from the statistical depart- 

 ment of the Board of Trade : — 



EXTENT OF LAND IN GREAT BRTTAIN UNDER 



Wheat. Barley. Oats. 



Acres. Acres. Acres. 



1870 3,500,543 2,371,739 2,763,300 



1871 3,571.894 2,385,783 2,715,707 



1872 3,599,158 2,316,23s 2,705,645 



Increase (+) or Decrease 

 1872 -}-27,264 — 69,548 — 10,062 - 

 over or or or 



1871 o.Sperct a.gperct o.3perctio 



1872 +98,615 —55.504 —57.655 - 

 over or or or 

 1870 2.8perct 2.3perct 2.1 per ct 4 



Hops. 

 Acres. 

 60, 594 

 60,030 

 61,929 



+ 1,399 



or 

 3 per ct 



+ 1.335 

 or or 



o perct 0.2 per ct 



Potatoes. 

 Acres. 

 587,661 

 627,691 

 564.083 



(-)• 

 -63,608 



or 

 I perct o 



-23.578 



TOTAL NUMBER OF LIVE STOCK IN GREAT BRITAIN 

 UPON 25TH JUNE. 



Cattle. Sheep. Pigs. 



No. No. No. 



5.403,317 28,397,589 2,171,138 



5.337.759 27,119,569 2,499,602 



5,624,106 27,822,864 2,784,890 



Increase ( + ) or Decrease (— ). 



+ 286,347 + 803,295 + 285,28.3 



1870 

 1871 

 1872 



1872 

 over 

 1871 

 1872 

 over 

 1870 



5.3 per cent. 

 + 220,789 



2.9 per cent. 

 — 474.725 



4.1 per cent. 1.7 per cent. 



or 

 1 1.4 per cent. 

 + 613,752 



or 

 28,3 per cent. 



