THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



167 



B»y 38s. to 403. per qr. of 32 st., but medium English aud 

 foreiga rauge at about 30s. to 32s,, whilst griudiug is at 27s. 

 per qr. of 30 st. for stout, down to 25a. 6d. for thin, at which 

 rate the year closes. Tlie stocks in hand are 35,000 qrs. 

 against 40,000 qrs. last year. 



Oats. — The imports are much less than last year — say only 

 61,435 qra. against 99,500 qrs. With large stocks left over 

 in warehouse, prices ruled lo.v in the commencemeut of the 

 year, but advauced 5s. to 6s. about the middle of the year, in 

 consequence of untoward accounts of the growing crops in the 

 Baltic provinces and other foreign parts, whilst appearances 

 did not prognosticate any abundance at home. So far no de- 

 ficiency has been felt in the deliveries, al'tieit a portion of our 

 usual foreign supplies are being diverted iuto other channels, 

 and the advance above alluded to has again beeu lost. The 

 year closes with a value of 22s. to 233. per qr. of 24 st. for 

 good provender, aud stocks only 8,000 qrs. against 28,000 qrs. 

 last year. 



Beans, — The imports are nearly on a par with last year, 

 say 55,871 qrs., against 57,526 qrs. in 1857, aud we close the 

 present year with prices exactly the same as at |its openiug, 

 say 383. to 393. per qr. of 30 stone for good foreign middles, 

 whilst in September they ruled some 7s. higher, owing to the 

 almost hopeless appearance of the crops, especially in this 

 country. No doubt the yield all over the north of Europe 

 has been a poor one, though uot quite a failure, as at one time 

 expected. Stocks iu hand are 15,500 qrs., against 9,500 qrs. 

 last year. 



Peas. — Our imports have again been fair, say 25,821 qrs. 

 against 24,001 qrs. last year, aud prices have been remarkably 

 steady throughout the year, white boiling sorts having ranged 

 between 40j. to 44s., and now stand at 40s. to 4l3. per qr. 

 SOllbs. The yield, both at home and abroad (Canada ex- 

 cepted) has been one of the smallest on lecord, aud blue quali- 

 ties are not to be had in any quantity in any country. Present 

 stocks are same as last year, say 2,500 qrs. 



Agricultural Seeds. — During ihe present year very 

 considerable fluctuations have occurred iu the value of both 

 red and white cloverseed. The supply of new red which came 

 forward last season proved considera' ly beyond what had been 

 expected; though a good consumptive demand was expe- 

 rienced, there was yet a larger stock left at the close of the 

 season than for some years previously. With liberal impoits 

 from abroad aud a fair English crop, though of indifferent 

 quality, all descriptions declined, and at the close of the sea- 

 son had receded 123. to ISs. per cwt, from the highest point. 

 During the summer, reports of the deficiency in the hay crop 

 caused some excitement, aud prices rapidly recovered 

 6s. to 83. per cwt. ; the principal demand being 

 from abroad, large shipments were made from this country to 

 Hamburg, Holland, aud Belgium, as well as to some ether 

 continental ports. As respects the new crop, the growth of 

 the present year, the reports that have reached us to the pre- 

 sent time from Belgium, Holland, aud Germany, tend very 

 much to confirm those already referred to ; and we are given to 

 understand that these three couutries will require tlie greater part 

 if not the whole of their new crops of red to supply their own 

 local demands. White cloverseed, as stated of red, closed the 

 season with a much lower rans^e of prices than it opened, and 

 there was only a moderate stock to hold over. Shortly after 

 the season, very reduced prices were, in some cises, accepted 

 rather than face another crop. The new crop of white 

 being much earlier gathered than the red, by the month of 

 September it was pretty well ascertained that iu Germany, 

 Holland, and Belgium there was a great deficiency, amounting 

 in several districts to almost a failure, and these reports have 

 only been confirmed and strengthened up to the present period ; 

 and prices have advanced, from the lowest point after the 

 season, £20 to £25 per ton, and holders remaining quite firm 

 and confident at the advance, fine seed being now quoted at 

 853. to 9O3. per cwt. 



Linseed. — The import of this article last year was 

 375,285 qrs-, against 487,272 in 1857, showing a deficiency 

 of 112,000 qrs., which is almost entirely exhibited in the re- 

 duced receipts from Petersburg, Archangel, and the Prussian 

 ports ; the Black and Azov Seas and India haviug supplied us 

 with nearly an identical quantity with the previous year. In 

 addition to the direct imports, about 42,000 qrs. were received 

 from London and Liverpool, giving a consumption for the year 

 of 487.000 qra., or nearly 10,000 qrs. per.wsek ; the total stock 



at present in the hands of importers aud crushers being about 

 100,000 qrs., against 170,000 in 1857. A great proportion of 

 the present stock is of inferior quality. The large consumption 

 iu the beginning of the year considerably reduced stocks, and 

 before the spring imports they were almost exhausted. The 

 result was that the article has beeu maintained the greater 

 portion of the year, at prices which enabled the cruahcr to ob- 

 tain little or no remuneration above the bare cost of manufac- 

 ture; still as oil and cake advanced in price during the 

 summer months, holders cf seed were enabled proportion- 

 ately 10 enhance their demands until the lar^^e simultaneous 

 arrival at the outports in the month of September from the 

 Black Sea exposed the artificial state of prices, aud in Oc- 

 tober a decline of fully 10s. per qr. on the extreme quota- 

 tions of July and August had to be submitted to. Tagan- 

 rog seed on the spot was worth ,50s. to 51s. the corameiice- 

 ment of the year, but improved in April to S3s. to 54s., un- 

 til the maximum of 5.03. was arrived at in July. The de- 

 cline in the value of the products of linseed from the middle 

 of August also operated to depress prices. The quality of 

 the supplies both from Northern and Southern Russia 

 proved very inferior, and added much to the unremunera- 

 tive character of the business of both importer and crusher. 

 The prospects, however, for this year's business are satis- 

 factory ; advices from abroad (as proved by some small 

 arrivals at this port) speaking favourably both as to the 

 quality and quantity of the new crop, with a moderate range 

 of prices. At the close of the Black Sea seed was held at 

 50s. to 52s , fine Peterbburg 47s. to 49s., Bombay 563., fine 

 new Riga 46s., old inferior 08s. to 40s. per qr. of 5llbs. 



Linseed Oil, — The past year opened as it has closed, 

 with prices at about their lowest point. The low rates in 

 the beginning of the year, the reduced stocks, and the un- 

 remunerative character of the crushing trade, led to consi- 

 derable demand from foreign parts, to which the open winter 

 allowed free export, and prices advaoced from £28 in the 

 first two months of the year to £31 in the end of April. The 

 demand from abroad continued, and the market became 

 considerably excited during May, when, in consequence of 

 scarcity, and the advanced prices of seed, the value on the 

 spot went up to £33 lOs., after which a slight reaction set 

 in, which continued till the end of June. The export at this 

 period amounted to 6,671 tons, against 3,962 tons the pre- 

 vious year, fn July, however, the price again advanced; 

 and iu the middle of the month it attained its maximum 

 during the year, viz., £34 5s. on the spot, and £35 for the 

 end of the y-ear. This value was maintained up to the middle 

 of August, when a gradual decline commenced, which conti- 

 nued through the months of September and October, and in 

 the first week of the following month the price reached its 

 lowest point, £28, between which and £29 it fluctuated up 

 to the close of the year. The prominent feature of the trade 

 has been the extraordinary extent of the exports to the con- 

 tinent, France alone taking 2,877 tons, against 990 tons last 

 year. The total exports this year are 15,000 tons, against 

 7,142 tons the previousyear, asnoted in the tables annexed. 

 Stocks stEaller than usual, estimated in all hands at 1,400 

 tons. 



LiNSEBD Cakes. — The foreign import of the year has 

 beeu unusually small, being only 3,600 tons, against 14.261 

 toua during the previous year; the market, with the exception 

 of April aud May, has consequently been very barely supplied 

 throughout the year, and best makes of foreign brought within 

 5s. per ten of Hull-made; other qualities iu proportion. Of 

 English cakes we commenced the year with moderate stock?, 

 and a value of £10 per ton, which was maintained with little 

 variation up to Mirch, when the limited import and supplies 

 from the mills induced more activity, but without enhancirg 

 p:ices. The mild weather in the spriui^ months caused a reduc- 

 tion iu the value in the end of May to £9. In June and July 

 the loug-contmued drought created great fears of the failure of 

 the spring-sown corn aud grass crops, both in this country and 

 on the continent, under the influence of which contracts «tre 

 made for cakes at £10 to £10 lOs. for delivery iu winter, which 

 price was maintained through August and September. The 

 partial failure of the turnip-crop brought a few buyers into the 

 market in the begiuniug of October, but the low price of cattle- 

 feed, together with the extraordinary revival of pasturage after 

 harvest, caused the value gradually to decline, aud we close the 

 year with prices at £9 58,, and with stocks of foreign of all 



