148 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE 



1848 to 1852 



1849 „ 1850 



1852 „ 1853 



1853 „ 185 4 



1854 „ 1855 



1855 „ 1856 



1856 „ 1857 



700,000 qrs. 



600,000 „ 



825,000 „ 



1,030,000 „ 



1 006,000 „ 



644,000 „ 



1.092,047 „ 



1857 „ 1858 will probably be rather in excess of 

 that quantity. 



60,000 qrs. Bombay, 40,000 Calcutta, 80,000 Black Sea and 

 Meciiterraaean, 20,000 Baltic, 10,000 Archangel, 5,000 Alex- 

 andria, 13,000 AmericAO transhipments and sundries, were the 

 quantities reported at the London Custom House. The re- 

 export was again light, and consisted of about 30,000 qrs., 

 against 45,000 qrs. in 1856, and 130,000 qrs. in 1855. 



The total supplies into United Kingdom again exhibit a 

 curious alteration iu the description of Seed imported ; the 

 great falling-off has been from Calcutta, viii , this year only 

 90,000 qrs , against 225,000 qrs. in 1856. This, however, was 

 more than counterbalanced by au excess of 185,000 qrs. from 

 the Black Sea, comparing the same periods. Bonibay supplied 

 120,000 qrs., St. Petersburg sent ns 190,000, Archangel 

 60.000, Kiga 75,000, and Memel and other places in the 

 Baltic aboul; 80,000, and Alexandria and sundries 60,000 qrs. 

 The Black Sea cargoes amouuted to 377,000 qrs. ; and were 

 discharged at the undermentioned ports : Hull 130,000 qrs., 

 London 70,000, Grimsby 25,000, Liverpool 12,000, South- 

 ampton, Ipswich, Dover, and Newcastle 10 000 each, Ireland 

 5,000, Leith and Lowestoft 4,500 each, Yarmouth 3,500, 

 Boston 3,000, Kochester 2,000, Gloucester 1,700, and Lynn 

 1.200. At Antwerp 55,000 qri. In Holland 18,000 qrs., and 

 at Dunkirk 1,500 qrs. 



The various continental ports were also furnished with 

 about 160,000 qrs. from Archangel, St. Petersburg, Riga, 

 Memel, and other Baltic ports; St. Pettrsburg supplying 

 40,000 qrs.. Archangel 55,000, and Riga 35,000 of that 

 quantity. From Riga, also, 75,000 qrs. of sowing Seed were 

 shipped; nearly half to Ireland, and remainder to Germany, 

 France, &c. 



Linseed Oil has fluctuated much less than usual during 

 the past twelve months; about £40 appearing to have 

 been the turning point previous to the late collapse of all 

 prices, caused by the existing state of general trade and high 

 rates for money. In January the price opened at £37 lOs., 

 and the prospects of the supply of seed being very discouraging, 

 crushers were most reluctant sellers, and held so firmly, it had 

 advanced to £40 15s. by the end of that month. In February 

 the speculators came in, and drove it up to £42 lOs. on the 

 spot, and £43 for summer deliveries; but the rise was too fast, 

 and a reaction set iu, so that before the month closed, the 

 advance had been lost, and by the end of March it had declined 

 to £39, with a very dull market. Daring April it receded to 

 £38, at which price considerable quantities were taken for the 

 French markets, and the value again quickly rallied to £40. 

 In iVlay it touched £42, thereby bringing out numerous sellers, 

 and £40 was again the quotation at the end of the month. 

 In June it was remarkably steady at same figure. July de- 

 serves special notice, for it was iu this month that large sales 

 (for delivery by end of September, and at first considered to be 

 purely speculative) were made on Hamburg account, and the 

 market consequently rendered very sensitive and unsettled. 

 The price at which these sales were made was about £39 lOs., 

 and it afterwards occurred that several hundreds of tons of 

 English-made Oil, which had been lying at Hamburg during 

 the previous eight or ten months, were re-imported to supply 

 the contracts so made. Our stocks, however, at this time were 

 BO light, the import was quickly absorbed, and, although the 

 price was once quoted as low as £38, it had again recovered in 

 August to £40. 



We may here remark that the extraordinary export from 

 Hull of the previous year is now accounted for, but the loss 

 attendant ou such a speculation will, we should think, effec- 

 tually bar its reputation. If, also, the general style of busi- 

 ness at Hamburg has assimilated to the reckless mode of 

 trading shown by some of the operations in oil, we need not 

 wonder that the late sad commercial disasters have been more 

 severely felt there than in any city in the world. 



In September there was a large and steady trade at a frac- 

 tion below £40. In October it (elt the effect of the money 



pressure, and with a wretchedly dull market had declined to 

 £35 before the month closed. November was to have been 

 the charmed month for the speculative account, and it had 

 been calculated the options open, and the over-sold account 

 together would enable the " Bulls" to force settlements at 

 their own figures, first taking delivery of all the actual oil that 

 could possibly have been tendered. An abortive attempt was 

 made early in the month to run up the price, and £36 was 

 quoted, but it was soon found the times were too difl5cult for 

 such an operation, and oil proving much more plentiful than 

 cash, a sudden drop to £32 occurred, and before the month 

 closed a further fall to £28. In December holders continued 

 to realise, and £27 lOs. was accepted, but its present relatively 

 low value to all other oils has attracted some attention, and 

 we have the last few days had a good trade doing at £28 lOs. 

 to £29, with buyers for future monthly deliveries at an advance 

 of £20. per ton. 



The exportation, for the reasons just named, shows a very 

 serious falling off. It amounts to about 16,000 tons only, 

 against 28,000 in 1856, and 17,500 in 1855. 



Linseed Cakes were iu active demand during the spring 

 at about £10 lOs. per ton, and after being dull during the 

 summer at something below that value, recovered as the autumn 

 progressed, with every prospect of a further advance. Not- 

 withstaiiding also the lute general collapse of prices for all other 

 articles, they still about maintained their quotations, and the 

 last few days they have been in increased demand at £10. We 

 never before had so steady a tiade or so few fluctuations as in 

 1853. 



The import of Foreign Cake has been unusually large, 

 say probably 1 0,000 tons, or nearly 20,000 tons in excess of 

 1856 and 1855. The trade in January was quite of a retail 

 character, the quotations being, for New York barrels £11, 

 bags £10 5s., and square Marseilles £9 Ss. C. F. and I. Early 

 in February the market showed symptoms of improvement, 

 and a fair trade was done at an advance of 53. per ton on all 

 descriptions ; but it was not maintained, as very heavy arrivals 

 of Marseilles frightened the dealers, and prices continued de- 

 clining all through March. Importer»' continued anxiety to 

 realize dropped the valne fully 25a. per ton by the end of that 

 month, and early in April the lowest point was touched, say 

 £9 7s. 6d. for barrels, and £9 bags. The great fall naturally 

 attracted the attention of dealers, who made heavy purchases, 

 but any advance was checked by the large supplies which daily 

 came forward. The demand continued throughout May, and 

 sellers showing less disposition to realize, obtained an advance 

 of lOs. per toil. The consumption was great all through June, 

 and very soon a further improvement was established, and by 

 the end of that month an additional 20s. per ton obtained, the 

 quotations being £11 for barrels, £10 10s. bags. During July 

 we had no alteration in prices, and a steady trade was done ; 

 but there was a drop of 10s. per ton in August, in consequence 

 of the slack demand. In September and October some anxiety 

 was shown to provide for future wants, and prices rallied again, 

 closing firm at £11 for barrels, £10 10s. bags. During No- 

 vember and December we have declined 10s. to 15s. per ton, 

 and in consequence of the fine open weather all through these 

 mouths, we have had but a slow sale, and our quotations to- 

 day are £10 lOs. for barrels, £10 for bags; square Marseilles 

 about £9 C. F. and I. 



Rapeseed and other Oilseeds. — The imports are 

 about one-fifth less ; say 200,000 qrs , against 264,919 qrs. in 

 1856, but the re-export not 'exceeding about 65,000 qrs., 

 whereas in 1856 it was 150.000, it follows the quantity left 

 for home consumption has been somewhat m excess of the 

 previous year. 



Rapeseed during the first three or four mouths was in 

 request, and an advance took place fiom 633. to 70s.; fine 

 Bombay realising as high as 76s. ; it afterwards declined to 

 about 65s. in May, and has almost been a dead letter since, so 

 little business having transpired. Prices are now nominally 

 53s., but the article is of moat diflicnlt sale. In warehouse, of 

 all descriptions, we have about 45,000 qrs., and afloat 10,000 

 qrs., against 65,000 qrs. in granary and afloat last year. 



The following are the quotations for other Oil Seeds, but 

 they are at present quite nominal : Poppy, Sessame, Teel, 

 Sursee, and Gingelly, 523. ; Niger, 453. 



Rape Oil this year requires nothing more than a register of 

 prices. English refined scarcely varied during the first nine 

 months of the year, and was quote 1 5^3. to 5 l>i. during all 



