THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



559 



REVIEW OF THE CATTLE TRADE DURING THE 

 PAST MONTH. 



The supplies of fat stock ou offer iu the Metropolitau Mar- 

 ket, since we last wrote, have bceu tolerably good as to num- 

 ber, but, for the moat part, very deficient iu quality. For 

 prime beasts and sheep, therefore, the demand has ruled 

 steady, at full quotatious, but all other kinds have moved off 

 slowly at drooping currencies. We regret to state that the 

 foot-rot has attacked the sheep in various districts, and that 

 consequently immense numbers have been disposed of at very 

 low prices : we are not surprised at this circumstance, con- 

 sidering ttie extreme wetness of the past season ; but without 

 great care on the part of the flockmasters, it is apprehended 

 that the disease will rapidly increase, more especially as com- 

 plaints are general of the want of good sound food. The 

 quantity of hay and turnips grown this year is certainly 

 large, but at least two-thirds are very much beneath average 

 quality. 



It is to be much regretted that we should still continue to 

 receive such large supplies of English stock in a half-fat state. 

 This deficiency, however, is being made good by large arrivals 

 from Ireland ; and we may safely assume that the receipts of 

 beasts from Scotland during the remainder of the year will be 

 on a very extensive scale, and of prime quality, since we learn 

 that the numbers now on hand are certainly in excess of the 

 corresponding period in 1859, 



The importations of stock from the Continent have been 

 on a liberal scale, and, for the moat part, in fair condition. 

 Some of the Dutch sheep have sold at high quotatious, since 

 they still continue to carry a large quantity of internal fat. 

 Most accounts state that there is no want of stock in Holland 

 for export purposes ; they inform us, however, that prices 

 continue to rule high. The shipping season from Denmark 

 ia now closing, so that we must now anticipate decreased im- 

 portations from that quarter. 



The following returns show the imports of foreign stock 

 into London during the month : — head. 



Beasts 6,961 



Sheep 22,723 



Lambs 129 



Calves 1,604 



Pigs 828 



Total 



November. Beasts, 



1859 5,927 



1858 4,787 



1857 4,409 



1856 6,102 



1855 7,367 



1854 7,120 



The total supplies from all sources exhibited in the Great 

 Metropolitan Market have been as under : 



HEAD, 



Beasts 25,400 



Cows 500 



Sheep 103,600 



Calves 2,U2 



Pigs 2,990 



Comparison of SuppLiBi, 



Comparison of Prices. 



Nov. 



1859 26,492 



1858 24,856 



1857 25,383 



1856 25,444 



1855 24,711 



1854 23,442 



Cows. 

 522 

 534 

 505 

 515 

 457 

 512 



Sheep. 

 120,840 

 114,643 

 103,120 

 105,750 



97,460 

 121,031 



Calves. 



1,299 

 1,437 

 3,002 

 2,096 

 1,585 

 1,848 



Pigs. 

 2,800 

 2,970 

 3,037 

 3,415 

 3,535 

 2,726 



Included in the supplies for the month are 12,140 shorthorns 

 and crosses from Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and North- 

 amptonshire ; 3,800 various breeds from other parts of Eng- 

 land ; 76 Scots and crosses from Scotland; and 1,652 oxen 

 and heifers from Ireland. 



Beef has sold at from 2t, 6d. to Ss., mutton 39. 4d. to 5s, 

 4d., veal Ss. 6d. to 43. 8d., and pork 43. to 5». 2d. per Slbs., 

 o sink the offal. 



With the exception of veal having sold at reduced rates, it 

 would appear from the above figures that very little change 

 has taken place in the quotations, when compared with the 

 corresponding month iu 1859. 



Very large supplies of Scotch and country-killed meat have 

 been on offer in Newgate and Leadenball. Trade generally 

 has been in a most inactive state, at low currencies : beef has 

 sold at from 2s. 8d. to 48. 2d., mutton 3s. 4d. to 43. 4d , veal 

 33. 6d. to4s. 4d., pork 33. 6d. to 5s. 4d. per Slbs. by the 

 carcase. 



EAST GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 



The line and only really good harvest weather during the 

 first nine days of this mouth, enabled the Vale farmers to 

 finish the beans, aud also the Cotteswold agriculturist to 

 complete the barley and oats, a good deal of which was not 

 done earlier. And, although we would willingly look at 

 the brightest side, truth compels us to express our mis- 

 givings at the result of the harvest now ended, as well as to 

 intimate our gloomy forebodings at the very trying time 

 before us in getting through the forthcoming winter with 

 the slock, more particularly as regards the liill farmer. 

 On the drained and well cultivated land of the Vale, where 

 the seventy of last winter did not too much destroj the 

 plant, there seems to be a good yield, even perhaps above 

 an average; but on the cold, undrained lands of this district 

 complaints are made of the yield both as regards quantity 

 and quality. Beans, which appeared so promising, owing 

 to the lateness of the season, are injured in quality, and 

 will be found most likely to be short of the yield they at 

 one part of the season gave promise. Fruit is abundant, 

 though the quality of liquor it yields is worse than for 

 several years. Potatoes (as their present price, from 20s. to 

 243. per sack of 2J cwt., bespeaks j are generally a failure. 

 Turning to the Cotteswold part of the district, our report 

 is much more unfavourable. The wheat crop, both as re- 

 gards quantity and quality, is the worst these hills have 

 produced for many years. On a good deal of the thin exposed 

 fields half an average crop is a higli estimate to put it at, 

 and the quality, if possible, is worse than tlie yield. Barley 

 may yield an average crop, tliough very few of the samples 

 are fit for malting. Oats probably will be tlie most yielding 

 crop, and lelatively of better quality than wheat or barley. 

 Roots of all descriptions are remarkably bad, particularly 

 the mangels and swedes, Tlie common turnips have im- 

 proved considerably within the last six weeks, though not 

 nearly enough to make the root crop as a whole equal to 

 former years. So small are the bulbs that several of the 

 good farmers have abandoned cutting for the sheep^ and 

 have recourse to the old method of allowing them to gnaw 

 their food. This latter seems a very significant fact, for 

 on being put on to roots the animals are below in condiiion 

 the state they are generally in, and smaller in number than 

 usual; so that these considerations being taken into account, 

 together with the smalluess of the root crop, makes the 

 couclusioii inevitable, that the quantity of mutton and beef 

 made this winier will be insignificant compared with, 

 former seasons, and therefore this mode of reasoning makes 

 it almost certain that prices for meat must, during the 

 spring months, be very high. The young wheat on the 

 hills is looking well, though in the lowlands a large pro- 

 portion lias to be planted under the disadvantages of the 

 land, owing to the wetness of the season, being only par- 

 tially cleareJ, and the CDntinued rains make it almost im- 

 possible to plant. The report would be incomplete did we 

 not notice what promises to be a new era in the cultivation 



