THE FARMEIVS MAGAZINE. 



79 



REVIEW OF THE CATTLE TRADE DURING 

 THE PAST MONTH. 



The high quotations lately current ia the Great Metropoli- 

 tan Market, which, no doubt, have checked consumption both 

 in London and iu the provinces, especially in the manufacturing 

 districts, where both the home and foreign trade has become 

 inactive, have been followed, as we have previously anticipated, 

 by a considerable increase in the supplies of fat stock. This 

 increase has had the effect of producing a heavy demand, and 

 a decline of from 2d. to 4d. per 8 lbs. has taken place iu the 

 quotations generally. Some persons attribute the increase in 

 the supplies to the close of the Norfolk season, but we believe 

 that our opinion is the most correct one. That season has 

 certainly been a most abundant one ; we have received from 

 that county a large supply of well-made-up stock, and the re- 

 turns to the graziers have unquestionably been large, though 

 not in excess of most corresponding years, when we take the 

 high value of store animals into cousideration. 



The result of Professor Simouds inquries into the murrain on 

 the contineot, to which we have previously alluded, convince ua 

 that not only have the effects of the disease been over-stated, 

 but that we have very little to fear from its introduction into 

 this country. We have already pointed out the districts from 

 whence we have derived our foreign supplies ; we have shown 

 that we never receive cattle from Russia or the Upper Baltic, 

 and that there is only one medium through which disease may 

 be introduced here, viz. : Hamburgh. But Professor Simonds 

 has, we find, discovered very little beyond what we have 

 stated, and with which, consequently, our readers sre already 

 familiar : still it must be satisfactory to all parties to learn that 

 personal observation has fully confirmed the statements which 

 we have from time to time published on this important 

 subject. 



The continental cattle trade continues healthy, and we find 

 that France is still a buyer of both beasts and sheep in Hol- 

 land. From a return before us we find that the total imports 

 of stock into France during the first five mouths of the present 

 year were 140,000 head, against 139,000 head in the same 

 time iu 1856, and 132,000 in 1855. Whilst this enormous 

 demand continues, France must of necessity lose a large 

 portion of her bullion resources, and we shall be deprived of 

 our usual supplies to meet consumptiou. This, it must be 

 admitted, is a strong argument iu favour of steady prices. 



Compared witt last season, the arrivals of foreign stock 

 into London during the past month have' been moderately 

 good. They have amounted to 970 beasts, 9,461 sheep, 941 

 lambs, 2,087 calves, and 92 pigs — forming a total supply of 

 13,551 head, against 10,136 head in the same period of 1856. 



The total supplies of stock shown in the London mar- 

 ket have been : — 



Beasts 20,063 head. 



Cows 470 „ 



Sheep and Iambs 108,480 „ 



Calves 2,404 „ 



Pigs 2,125 „ 



Supplies at Corresponding Periods. 

 June. Beasts. Sheep and Calves, Pigs. 



Lambs. 



1854 18,921 131,660 2,919 2,670 



1855 19,173 125,570 2,209 3,180 



1854 17,896 112,110 1,839 2,740 



From Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire about 

 10,000 beasts have come to hand, and wliich are included in 

 the above supplies. The arrivals from other parts of Eng- 

 land have been 2,500 oxen ; from Scotland, 600 Scots ; and 

 from Ireland, 56 oxen. From the latter country very few 

 Bheep have come to hand, but nearly 2,000 lambs in fair con- 



dition have been received. This is, we believe, the largest 

 number, ever received in London in one month. 



From all parts of the country, very favourable reports 

 continue to reach us respecting the health of both beasts 

 and sheep. The abundant supply of old hay still on hand 

 and the large amount of food on the pastures are features 

 of no ordinary importance at this period ; whilst the pre- 

 vailing fine weather for securing the new crop of hay — 

 which promises to turn out large— is a matter of equal im- 

 portance. 



Owing to the hot weather, only limited supplies of country- 

 killed meat have been received up to Newgate and Leaden- 

 hall markets. The trade generally, however, has ruled 

 heavy, and prices have had a downward tendency. Beef 

 has sold from 2s. 8d. to 4s. 4d.; mutton, 2s. lOd. to 4s. 

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

 pork, 3s. 6d. toSs. per 81bs., by the carcase. 



NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND. 

 During the five weeks elapsed since we very briefly noted 

 farming routine from this disti ict, we have, as usual, experienced 

 various atmospherical changes ; the last two weeks in May, 

 fine and genial for sowing and vegetating the Swedish turnip, 

 a large breadth of which was put iu and now showing a good 

 healthy plant. Until the 6th inst., field operations were followed 

 up without hindrance; from the 7th to the 12tb, rain fell 

 almost incessantly'; consequently, all field labour was suspended 

 a full week, and on some situations sowing of turnips has 

 been given up as hopeless. On loamy soils where reduced 

 before the wet, it has become too clammy for auy chance to 

 reduce to turnip tilth, although we in the far north can 

 boast of many improvements in the shape of pulverizers, and 

 generally are not illiberal in either home-made or artificial 

 manures. No doubt in a season when the demand has over- 

 done supply, large quantities of spurious (so called) fertilizers 

 will be puffed off, and vended amongst our unsuspecting bre- 

 thren. Potatoes braird healthy, and a more than usual breadth 

 has been planted, as notified in our last. Potato husbandry has 

 been introduced into the rotation on a more liberal scale than 

 usual in this county, by a few enterprising Scotch gentlemen, 

 who have leased some large farms on this side of the Tweed : 

 we heartily wish them success with what to us has for many 

 years proved a very precarious assistant to fill up the rent-roll. 

 As a move in progression, we noticed, two or three years ago, 

 the introduction of the reaping machine, by an enterprising 

 native of the county, and believe he has very successfully 

 harvested his crops by working it most efficiently. A few 

 weeks past we had the pleasure of seeing Fowler's steam 

 plough iu full operation, working on a very tenacious subsoil 

 on the same farm, first introduced to this county by Mr. 

 Maddison, after completing fields contracted for on his farm. 

 The steam-horse has been liberally employed on the banks of 

 the Tweed, and is now in full operation on a large farm in a 

 central part of Baraboroughshire. Some time is lost in shifting 

 fixing apparatus, &c.[; but once :set a-going, where the soil ia 

 free from large stones, the work goes on with great precision, 

 turning four furrows seven to eight inches in depth, by a 

 medium breadth of ten to twelve. While on this theme, we 

 may mention another, quite as profitable an instance of native 

 industry. The sale of fat bullocks at Rockmoor House came 

 off on the 15th, under the hammer of Mr. Donkin, when 48 

 (including six or seven small beeves) were knocked down at an 

 average of £29 15s. 6d. each; all finished on a farm where a 

 few years ago a full-fed beast or sheep was the exception : the 

 sale comprised altogether 81 fat cattle and 700 sheep, pait of 



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