358 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



of late years, noble-IoDking and heavy Scots, to all appear- 

 ance, have arrived from Norfolk ; whereas it has been re- 

 cently discovered that they are crosses with the shorthorns. 

 The supplies of really ;)Mce Scots now derived from Scot- 

 land for the Aletrjpolitan Market are uradiially falling off: 

 the size of the stock is increasing, and yet no fault can be 

 found with the quality of the meat. Scotland, therefore, 

 arising from tiie steady increase in the growth of the root 

 crops, is now furnishing more meat than at any given period 

 duiing the present century. To some extent, these re- 

 marks may be applied to Ireland. The old Irish breed, 

 generally a slow feeder and a large consumer, is making 

 way for English blood. Crosses are now the general fashion, 

 and we are, consequently, enabled to draw stock from most 

 of the Irish ports during each month of the year. We will 

 not now stop to argue the question whether this comparative 

 neglect of pure blood will eventually reduce cur supplies of 

 food ; but, to all appearances, the system up to this point 

 lias worked well, and greatl}' increased the amount of con- 

 sumable food. 



Compared with the corresponding period last year, prices, 

 almost generally, show a fall of nearly Js. per 8 lbs., but we 

 see no reason to apprehend anj' further important decline. 

 True, wc have bread at very low figure — viz., from 4Jd. 

 to J^d. per 4 lbs. loaf; but, on the other hand, potatoes of 

 good and sound quality are very scarce and dear. It fre- 

 quently happens, however, that whilst the commerce of the 

 country is in an active state, and whilst the price of wheat 

 is low and drooping — such being the case at this moment — 

 the effect upon the value of other kinds of iood is important ; 

 and it is just possible, even though the trade of the country 

 may revive, that both beasts and sheep will be selling at 

 rather low quotations during the next two or three months, 

 unless there is a considerable falling off in the arrivals of 

 dead meat per railway. 



In nearly the whole of our grazing districts the health 

 of the stock has continued good, and verj' few losses have 

 ■been sustained by disease. The lambing season has passed 

 off remarkably well, the weather having been highly fa- 

 vourable for it, and the fall has been larger and stronger 

 than for many 3'ears past. 



The following return shows the importations of live stock 

 into the United Kingdom during the past month : — 



Beasts 666 head. 



Sheep 318 „ 



Calves 527 „ 



Total 



1,511 



Same time in 1857 5,419 „ 



1856 1,842 „ 



1855 2,10.3 ,' 



„ 1854 8,409 „ 



1853 10,884 „ 



,» 1852 6,747 " 



„ 1851 8,381 „ 



1850 6,004 „ 



The above comparison shows that last month we imported 

 a smaller amount of supply than during the last eight years • 

 but this falling-off has been more than made good by in- 

 creased production at home— a fact which appears to be 

 ■vvorthj' of special remark. 



The total supplies of stock shown in the London market 

 derived from all sources, have been as under : ' 



Beasts 17^821 head. 



Cows 476 ^^ 



Sheep and lambs 74,410 



Calves 704 



Pigs 1,915 ", 



Comparison of Supplies. 



March, Beasts. Cows. Sheep. Calves. Pigs 



1857.... 17,345 490 74,880 1,118 2,230 



1856.... 2-2,623 470 100,700 797 2 140 



1855.... 18,644 380 88,790 835 2 765 



fift"- TA^f. ^^2 93,060 1,091 2;780 



1833.... 19,228 360 85,680 1,614 2,780 



The few lambs on offer have sold slowlj-, at from 6s to 

 la some instances, 78. per 8 lbs. ; and the supplies of sheep' 



out of the wool, have rapidly increased. The general quo- 

 tations have ruled thus : — s. d, s. d. 



Beef, from 2 10 to 4 6 



Mutton 3 0—5 2 



Lamb 6 0—70 



Veal 4 .0—5 2 



Pork 3 0—44 



Comparison of Prices. 



March, 1855. March, 1856. March, 1857. 



s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. 



Beef, from 3 4 to 5 .. 2 10 to 4 10 .. 3 4 to 5 



Mutton.. 3 4 — 5 2.. 3 2 — 5 2.. 4 2 — 6 



Veal .... 3 10 — 5 4.. 4 10 — 6 0..4 4 — 5 8 



Pork .... 3 2—5 4.. 3 4 — 4 8.. 3 6 — 5 2 



The month's arrivals of beasts from Norfolk, Suffolk, 

 Essex, and Cambridgeshire have amounted to about 10,610 

 Scots and shorthorns ; from other parts of England, 2,600 

 of various breeds; from Scotland, 1,720 Scots and crosses; 

 and from Ireland, 1,350 oxen and heifers. 



Immense supplies of each kiad of meat have been on 

 offer in Newgate and Leadenhall. The trade generally has 

 ruled heavy in the extreme, and a considerable fall has taken 

 place in the quotations. Beef has sold at from 2s. lOd. to 

 4s. ; mutton, 3s. lOd. to 4s. 4d. ; lamb, 4s. 8d. to 6s. ; veal, 

 3s. 8d. to 43. 8d. ; and pork, 3s. to 4s. 4d. per 8 lbs. by 

 the carcase. 



The City authorities — imder, we presume, the impression 

 that a change of day will improve the trade of the Metro- 

 politan Market towards the close of the week — have deter- 

 mined to change the day of holding the market from Fri- 

 daj's to Thursdays. The continued falling-off in the supplies 

 of stock, when compared with Smithfield, and the enormous 

 sums lavished upon the new market, have rendered it ne- 

 cessary to double the tolls ; and now, [in order to attract 

 additional supplies and more buyers, a change in the day is 

 considered necessary. The authorities should bear in mind 

 that double tolls will have the effect of reducing the supplies 

 shown — that ever since the market has been removed a 

 smaller number of stock, taken in the aggregate, has been 

 brought forward— and that any change ia the day ought to 

 be taken into consideration by purely practical men. We 

 are told that the butchers require more time to get their 

 stock home and slaughter it for Saturday's business; but 

 surely every man at all acquainted with the trade must be 

 aware that the butcher — more especially as he has now to 

 travel several miles of additional ground — finds it necessary 

 to visit, in one day, not only the Metropolitan (or live) 

 market, but also Newgate and Leadenhall. Now, in hot 

 weather, this would be impossible; and it is quite clear to us 

 that the change — as was the case many years since — will 

 prove a complete failure, and that eventually only one mar- 

 ket day will be held in each week, because unquestionably 

 the butcher's interest must be consulted, or he will turn his 

 attention to local markets, which are now rapidly increasing 

 in importance. 



AGRICULTURAL INTELLIGENCE, 

 FAIRS, &c. 



CAKMAETHENSHIRE FAIRS.— Cattle fairs have been 

 held at Haverfordwest on the 20th, at Narbeth on the 22nd, 

 and at Newcastle Emlyn aud Cross Inn on the 23rd of this 

 month. The show of store beasts was considerably under the 

 average of former years, and the dealers purchased very 

 sparingly at from 12 to 15 per cent, lower than last year's 

 prices. Fat cows sold readily at from 5d. to 6^d. per lb., ac- 

 cording to quality, sinking the offal. The few cows with 

 calves shown, sold at highly remunerating prices. Horses 

 and colts were scarce, and sold at very high rates. The small 

 number of bacon pigs and porkers sold at irom 5^d. to 6d. per 

 lb. dead weight. A fair number of store pigs were on offer; 

 tnoae sold rather sluggishly at lower prices. 



DERBY FAIR.— The horse fair was very small, and with 

 few exceptious the animals exhibited were of a middling cha- 

 racter. In horned cattle and sheep very little business was 



