558 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



KEVIEW OF THE CATTLE TRADE DURING 

 THE PAST MONTH. 



Never in the course of our long experience do we recollect 

 so much general excitement in the cattle trade as during the 

 month just concluded. Notwithstanding that we have im- 

 ported stock from the Continent somewhat liberally, and that 

 the actual uuvnbers of English shown in the Meropolitan 

 Market have been moderately good, the demand for both 

 beasts and sheep has been active in the extreme, and a most 

 extraordinary rise has taken place in their value. The present 

 position of the trade is a matter calling for more than ordi- 

 nary observation. \\'^e have obierved thst moderate supplies 

 of stock have been ou sliow ; but it is necessary to state that 

 at least three fourths of theoi have come to hand in a half fat 

 state. These remarks apply to the arrivals from our own 

 grazii g districts, as well as from the Continent. When it is 

 considered that the season has been a most backward one, 

 that there has been a great scarcity of food in nearly all parts 

 of the kingdom, and that many of the graziers and flock- 

 masters have consequently been compelled to dispose of their 

 stock at an earlier period than usual, the deficiency of weight 

 is the more readily understood ; but we must all regret that 

 it has been found necessary prematurely to dispose of either 

 beasts or sheep, which in a few months would become valuable 

 to the butchers. The important and highly-beneficial change 

 in the weather about the middle of the month, and the rapid 

 growth of grass in the pastures, compelled the owners of stock 

 to withhold their usual amount of supply to keep down a 

 sudden abundance of pasture food, and speculators found it a 

 matter of no ordinary difficulty to buy up stock for Louilon at 

 any price. Those who usually slaughter large numbers of 

 beasts and sheep for transmission to Newgate and Leadenhall 

 markets were compelled wholly to suspend their operations, 

 and hence, at one time, the wants of the consuming classes 

 could not be met, and it is a remnrkable, certainly a novel, 

 fact in these days, that the quantit}' of meat actually sold in 

 Loudon during the past fortnight has been less by fully one- 

 lialfih&t usually consumed in it at this period of the year! 

 Live beasts have realized as much as 5s. 6d., and Down sheep, 

 out of the wool, 63. 6d. per 8 lbs. ! These quotations are the 

 highest paid during the last thirty years, and the grave ques- 

 tions have been mooted— first, Is there a serious deficiency of 

 stock in the country ? and, secondly. How long is the present 

 state of things to continue ? It may, we think, be taken as 

 an ascertained fact that great inroads have of late years been 

 made in the available supplies of both beasts and sheep, and 

 that those now remaining are far beneath the actual wants of 

 the country. In many previous years we have written against, 

 certainly we have condemned, the system of in-and-in breed- 

 ing to some extent ; but, at the same time, we have supported 

 judicious crossing. Has, then, the former system produced a 

 deficiency in the supply of lood, and has the latter tended in 

 the same direction? These are important, nay most serious, 

 matters (or reflection at a moment like the present, when Eng- 

 land is almost threatened with a great scarcity of animal food. 

 Tne in-and-in system has, we have very little hesitation in 

 saying, checked the necessary increase iu the production of 

 live stock, taking our enormously increased consumption into 

 consideration. But this falling oflF iu the production has 

 possib'y been chiefly made good by the new system of cross- 

 ing; 1:1 other words, we believe that the crosses between the 

 Scots and Shorthorus have yielded as much really cousumable 

 meat as the in atid-in system so much in vogue'amougst the 

 breeders of sheep has decreased the supply of mutton. Here 

 let us observe that the falling off in the supplies of fat stock 

 has not been confined to London alone, because the Metro- 

 politan Mdrket has been visited by large buyers from the 

 north of England, and even from Ireland ; but who, mostly, 

 have been unable to obtain either beasts or sheep without 

 actual loss ou re-sales. Again, not a single head of stock has 

 arrived from Ireland, and only 94 beasts have come to hand 

 from Scotland, against 2,000 head in the corresponding period 

 last year. There is ceitainly no parallel from which we can 

 draiw any definite conclusion regarding the trade of the month 

 and It would seem, from all that we can learn, that very high 

 prices will rule for stock-though the present enhanced rates 

 can scarcely be supported, since it is evident that high quota- 

 uons must check consumption-during nearly the whole of 

 the year. Present rates, however, will no doubt induce large 



importations from the Continent, as well as from Spain and 

 Portugal ; but unless they are of an improved quality, viz., 

 unless they come to hand in more saleable condition, the effect 

 upon prices will not be of an important character. We may 

 observe, however, that in some measure the quotations will be 

 governed by the state of the tallow market, consequently by 

 the value of rough fat, which article, during several months 

 past, has been selling at enormously high rates, viz., 3s. IJd. 

 and 23. 8|d. per Bibs., the latter being the present currency. 

 The in-and-in system in sheep-breeding has, we are all aware, 

 been productive of what may be termed a systematic forcing 

 of sheep for the purposes of the butcher. This system has 

 yielded an enormous quantity of fat, but a comparatively small 

 quantity of meat ; in other worJs, it has furnished stock of 

 premature ripeness, and to some extent destroyed the future 

 numerical strength of our supplies. On this point there can 

 be no doubt ; but howcau we alter a-widely prevailing system, 

 which, in a national point of view, is dangerous iu its ten- 

 dencies ? The graziers contend that to keep sheep longer on 

 the laud thau is absolutely necessary would be attended with 

 danger to their pecuniary interests. To some extent this may 

 be perfectly true ; still it has become a most important mat- 

 ter for inquiry how far we are drifting in a wrong direction, 

 considering our enormous consumption. That the supplies of 

 both beasts and sheep iu the United Kingdom are now smaller 

 than they have been for manj^ years past is fully apparent to 

 all persons connected with the breeding and feeding of stock. 

 We may, therefore, import largely from the Continent ; but 

 our opinion is, that there is no reason to anticipate any im- 

 portant reduction in present prices. No doubt we shall have 

 tallow at a much lower range than it now is, owing to the 

 large supplies anticipated from Russia — 138,000 casks — but 

 our impression is, that breeding must long continue a source 

 of considerable profit to those engaged in it. 



The annezed return shows the total imports of foreign stock 

 into London during the month : — 



HEAD. 



Beasts .. ., .. .. ., I,(j33 



Sheep 15,023 



Lambs 189 



Calves 1,253 



Piga 802 



Total 18,900 



Same time in 1859 10,718 



1858 6,703 



1857 7,243 



„ 1856 3,556 



„ 1855 7,103 



„ 1854 4,703 



1853 .. . .. 13,007 



1852 8,506 



The above comparison shows that we imported a large num- 

 ber of foreign stock last month ; but out of the 15.000 sheep 

 at hand nearly 13,000 of them were composed of Merinos 

 bred in Germany, and which have arrived in miserably poor 

 condition, consequently they have added very little to our 

 supplies of food. 



The total supplies of home and foreign stock shown in 

 the Metropolitan Market in the month were as follows : 



HEAD. 



Beasts 19,040 



Cows 543 



Sheep and lambs 124,580 



Calves 2,059 



Pigs 2,950 



Comparison of Supplies. 

 May. Beasts. Cows. Sheep&Lambs. Calves. Pigs. 



1859 17,980 482 113,512 1,012 2,260 



1858 18,722 480 115,886 1,671 2,760 



1857 18,995 450 104,990 1,415 2,530 



1856 1G,741 495 119.640 1,260 2,545 



1855 19,847 410 113,600 2,470 2,590 



1854 20.831 576 124,824 2,146 2,435 



The arrivals of beasts from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and 

 Cambridgeshire have amounted to 11,000 Scots, Shorthorns, 

 and crosses; from other parts of England, 4,800 various 

 breeds ; and from Scotland,' 94 Scots aud crosses. 



