460 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



both in quantity and quality; besides, there is still a large 

 supply of old hay on hand. The price of that article, how- 

 ever,"is very lovv, and it is difficult to obtain £i per load 

 for the best meadow hav in London. 



The value of nearly all speculative articles has continued 

 to suffer from the effects of a dear money market. Wool 

 has fallen in price, although only about 40,000 bales of 

 colonial will be offered at the next public sales in the 

 metropolis. Linseed and rapeseed, though in but moderate 

 supply, have given way in price, and the trade otherwise 

 has been comparatively heav^'. 



The growth of hops is now assumed to be equal to 1856 : 

 consequently the hop trade has been heavy, and all kinds, 

 except the finest parcels, have sold at very low prices. 



In Ireland and Scotland the wheat trade has continued 

 heavy, at further depressed rates. All spring corn has sold 

 on lower terms, and the exports to England have not in- 

 creased. 



ilEVIEW OF THE CATTLE TRADE DURING 

 THE PAST MONTH. 



Notwithstanding that consumption has been somewhat 

 checked from the dLsastrous commercial news from the United 

 States, and the unusuallj' high range in the value of money 

 in our discount market, the cattle trade has been in a 

 healthy state throughout the month, and prices generally 

 have ruled high. The supplies of beasts on sale in the 

 Avhole of our leading markets have been tolerablj' extensive 

 as to number, but rather deficient in quality ; those of 

 sheep have continued limited, and no positive increase has 

 been observed in their general weight. Much stress has 

 been laid upon the small numbers of the latter description 

 of stock exhibited for sale, and not a few persons have con- 

 tended that there is a very short supply in the country. 

 We freely admit that it is inadequate to meet our greatly 

 increased consuming power ; but we ma)' safely conclude 

 that any material falling off in the demand would speedilj' 

 lead to lower prices, and a considerable increase in the sup- 

 ply. For some time there has been an abundant quantity 

 of grass in the pastures. Sheep have been tolerably free 

 from disease, although large quantities of rain have fallen 

 in most parts of England, and the graziers, consequently, 

 have refrained from adding to the supplies. We have 

 lately read a vast deal of twaddle in some contemporary 

 prints in reference to the present high price of meat, both 

 here and in other parts of England. One azUhority ob- 

 serves : — " It is declared that the live stock of the country is 

 in the hands of the Jews, who intercept it between the 

 cattle dealer and the butcher, and sell it to the latter at 

 an advanced price. There has even been a committee 

 fonned for the purpose of counteracting the operations ol 

 these supposed middlemen, who are threatened with legal 

 pains and penalties, and we know not what besides. The 

 monopolists have found the metropolitan money market, 

 and, what is more, the metropolitan money market has 

 found them. In this way, no doubt, some of the capitalists 

 here exercise an influence over the live stock that arrives 

 from the countrj', and it may be that such influence has 

 sometimes a slight effect upon price." Now, any practical 

 man will at once discover the extreme shallowness 

 of this line of argument, and we only refer to it for the pur- 

 pose of setting the public right on a matter of so much 

 importance to them. In the first place, it is perfectl}' 

 absurd to state that the live stock of the country is in the 

 hands of the Jews. True, they frequently import cattle, 

 sheep, and calves from Holland and Belgium ; but to con- 

 tend that any body of men, however wealthy, could 

 regulate the price of stock in the London market— which 

 price, be it understood, represents a sum little short of ten 

 millions sterling annnaUy— in ridiculous. Who "the com- 

 mittee" here referred to is composed of, and what its 

 peculiar functions are, we are at a loss to imagine. We 

 must now refer to the charge made to the efi'ect that 

 capitalists are exercising an influence over the live stock 

 that arrives into London from the provinces. Perhaps the 

 writer, having made this charge, will inform us how this 

 influence is really exercised, because we ourselves are at a 

 loss to understand upon what principle it is carried out. 



Very fe\y losses from diseasejiavc been complained of, in 



our leading counties, from wlience, however, the stock has 

 arrived in but middling condition. Tiie importations from 

 the Continent have been on a fair average scale ; and we 

 are informed that, in the North of Germany, the epidemic 

 has almost wholly abated in virulence. Apparently, there 

 was at one time much more alarm on the subject than 

 results actually warranted. 



The aunexed return shows the imports of foreign stock 

 into London during the month : — 



Beasts 5,819 head. 



Sheep 24,102 „ 



Lambs 247 „ 



Calves 1,998 „ 



Pigs 1,233 „ 



Imports at Correspondino Periods. 

 Oct. Beasts. Sheep. Calves, Pigs. 



lf!56..... 8,871 10,502 1,280 895 



1855 8,136 21,137 1,358 1,501 



1854 6,894 16,328 1,009 1,063 



1853 8,190 30,643 1,797 1,585 



1852 7,792 26,672 1,350 1,624 



1851 5,239 18,688 1,496 1,912 



The total supplies of each kind of stock — English, 

 Scotch, Irish, and foreign — have been as follows : — 



Beasts 26,833 head. 



Cows 497 „ 



Sheep 115,409 „ 



Calves 1,572 „ 



Pigs 2,580 „ 



The arrivals of beasts from Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, 

 and Northamptonshire have amounted to 12,200 shorthorns ; 

 irom other parts of England, 1,260 of various breeds ; from 

 Scotland, 29 Scots ; and from Ireland, 1,400 oxen. 



Comparison of Supplies. 



Since our last, the price of beef has ranged from 3s. 2d. 

 to 5s. ; mutton, 3s. 4d. to 5s. 6d. ; veal, 3s. 4d. to 5s. 4d. ; 

 and pork, 33. 6d. to 5s. 4d. per 81bs., to sink the ollal. 



Comparison of Prices. 



Oct., 1853. Oct., 1854. 



The supplies of meat on sale in Newgate and Leaden- 

 hall markets, slaughtered in the metropolis, have been only 

 moderate ; but the arrivals from Scotland and the provinces 

 have been tolerably extensive. An average business has 

 been transacted as follows: — Beef from 2s. lOd. to 4s. Gd., 

 mutton 3s. to 4s. 8d , veal 3s. 4d. to 4s. 8d., pork 3s. 6d. 

 to 5a, 4d. per 81bs. by the carcase. 



WEST GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 



The continuation of \-eather unprecedentedly favourable for 

 agiicullural operations, is a boon fur whicb we ought to be truly 

 grateful. lu every department, and on all ]i:iid3 of land there 

 has been a time suitable to every purpose of the ueasoii. 

 Scarcely has there been frost of sutlicient intensity to tinge 

 the !olnge, and judf;ing from the garb of nature, it appears 

 scarcely credible that we are near upon numbering the tenth 

 month of the year. The pasture fields are profuse with keep, 

 and on some dry spots where it was scanty in the Euruiuer, the 

 aiitunma) herbage more than eonipeuaates for the deficiency 



