372 



tHE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



vance, but rough parcels were still dull, and 

 the foreign business was without change. This 

 week the country advices rather varied : some 

 places were dull, as Newbury and Gloucester ; 

 some only slightly better, as Louth and Sheffield ; 

 more generally, as at Hull, Boston, Newark, 

 and Bristol, there was an advance of Is. per 

 qr. : while Stockton-on-Tees and Birmingham 

 reported an improvement of Is. to 2s. per qr. 

 Tuesday at Liverpool was without change, but on 

 Friday red wheat was id. to 2d. per cental dearer. 

 At Glasgow wheat was held for an advance of 6d. 

 to 9d. per boll, but Ireland generally was only firm. 



The third Monday had a better native supply as 

 well as foreign, though the latter was very insigni- 

 ficant. From the near counties there was a better 

 show of samples in the course of the morning, the 

 condition remaining improved, though there had 

 been rain in the previous week. Factors again 

 demanded an advance of Is. to 2s. per qr., but 

 there was less demand in their favour than on the 

 former Monday, and it was with extreme difficulty 

 that any improvement was realized on picked 

 parcels, the ordinary sorts being dull. For some 

 sorts of foreign more money was demanded, and 

 occasionally paid, but the business was but retail. 

 The country markets were, however, more on the 

 move than previously ; Hull, Leeds, Wakefield, 

 Newark, Gainsborough, with many more, were up 

 fully Is. per qr; Alford, Boston, Louth, Lynn, 

 Norwich, and some other places, were Is. to 2s. per 

 qr. dearer, and the advance reported at Leicester 

 was 2s. to 3s. per qr. Liverpool experienced a 

 very active demand on Tuesday for red wheat, at 

 2d. to 3d. per cental advance, and another penny 

 was 'gained on Friday. London also closed on 

 Friday with an improvement of Is. per qr. both on 

 English and foreign sorts. The Scotch markets 

 were less animated, as well as those of Ireland. 



The fourth Monday was again lightly supplied 

 from abroad, as well as by coast and rail. Essex 

 and Kent sent up but a poor show during the 

 morning, and this market was the liveliest of the 

 four, with a decided advance early in the morning 

 of Is. per qr. where sellers were anxious to place, 

 and subsequently of 2s., but more slowly, even the 

 lower descriptions participating in the upward 

 movement. There was also more doing in foreign, 

 some holders requiring an improvement of 3s. per 

 qr., but we did not hear of 2s. per qr. being ex- 

 ceeded, and that was only made occasionally. The 

 country markets this week generally advanced 2s, 

 per qr., and some few as much as 3s. per qr. 



The imports into London for the four weeks 

 have been 28,361 qrs. English, 5,590 qrs. foreign 

 only, against 22,786 qrs. EngUsh, 27,125 qrs. 

 foreign during the same time last year. There 

 were no exports this month. The total imports 

 into the United Kingdom during the month of Feb 

 ruary were 53,087 qrs. wheat, 125,262 cwts. flour. 



The supplies of country flour during the month 

 have been fair, and very equal. Scarcely any 

 French sacks have been received, but in American 

 barrels there have been fair arrivals, and some of 

 good quality. The best supply of American com- 

 ing on at the beginning of the month, some holders 

 accepted prices below the previous quotations, 



good qualities being sold at 26s. per brl., but on 

 the fourth Monday there was a decided improve- 

 ment, sales having been made at 28s. per brl., and 

 Norfolks, which at the beginning of March were 

 between 30s. and 31s. per sack, were held at 33s. 

 6d. Contrary to the general expectation, millers 

 made no change in the price of their best flour, 

 which therefore remained 43s. per sack, as on the 

 first Monday. The imports into London during 

 the four weeks have been 74,339 sacks country 

 flour, 304 sacks 11,109 brls. foreign, against 60,532 

 sacks country, 5,284 sacks 2,293 brls. foreign, in 

 March 1859. The only exports were 1 75 cwts. flour. 



Though there was nearly double as much British 

 barley as last year, the foreign supplies little ex- 

 ceeded one-half of what they were in March 1859. 

 Throughout the month the trade has been very 

 steady, the scarcity of malting qualities keeping up 

 a high range of prices both for the little English 

 appeai'ing as well as Scotch and Saale qualities. 

 Grinding sorts have also found a better sale, and 

 after remaining firm for three weeks, all descrip- 

 tions gained Is. in value on the fourth Monday. 

 Large purchases in the Danube and Black 

 Sea of grinding sorts have been made for Spring 

 delivery ; but the shortness of keep and backward- 

 ness of vegetation seem likely to make these sup- 

 plies very welcome to consumers, at fair prices ; but 

 as the close of the season draws on, those who can 

 get high prices for malting sorts, we think, had 

 better not pass their opportunity, more especially 

 as malt is dull, and throughout the month has not 

 improved in value. The arrivals in London during 

 the four first weeks of March were 17,886 qrs. 

 British barley, 25,412 qrs. foreign, against 8,953 

 qrs. British, 40,471 qrs. foreign, in March 1859. 



There has been an extraordinary deficiency in 

 the oat supply, and a still more extraordinary inac- 

 tivity in the trade, which throughout the month 

 has only been subject to such minute fluctuations 

 as to be out of qu ation range. The fact is, gra- 

 nary stores have b.en the almost only feeders of 

 the market, and as these were mostly gathered last 

 autumn (September alone showing the foreign ar- 

 rivals as 250,600 qrs.) it has been quite a turn for 

 those who then, for want of buyers, were com- 

 pelled to land their heavy Russian cargoes. A 

 long absence of ship samples was almost neces- 

 sary for their benefit, and these short arrivals have 

 been very opportune. As the granaries are, how- 

 ever, now getting thinned, unless ship supplies 

 come very abundantly, we may see an improve- 

 ment on their appearance. The imports into Lon- 

 don during the four weeks were 13,455qrs. En- 

 ghsh, 653 qrs. Scotch, 4,900 qrs. Irish, and 25,328 

 qrs. foreign, against 3,533 qrs. Enghsh, 9,953 qrs. 

 Scotch, 10,875 qrs. Irish, and 34,267 qrs. foreign, 

 this time last year. 



Of beans during the month the supply has 

 been better than of any other grain, both in home- 

 growth and foreign. It is not, therefore, to be 

 wondered at that some markets have been heavy, 

 especially in new English not in fine condition; 

 but prices, as a whole, have remained steady and 

 unvaried, though some quantity of lentils has been 

 imported in addition. The arrivals for the four 

 weeks in native sorts were 5,582 qrs., in foreign 



