THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



173 



importation of East India sorts. From 40s., which was last 

 January's value for refined, the price went steadily up to 44s. 

 and 45s. in the Summer, improving to 48s. at the end of 

 August, since when it has steadily receded to about 44s., 

 which is today's quotation. The stock of foreign at the 

 wharves is greatly in excess of any previous period. 



Kapecakf.s have again found great favour for feeding pur- 

 poses, and especially since the rise which has occurred in 

 linseedcakes. During the spring of the year the large make 

 kept the price down, but since the summer it has improved 



nearly 50 per cent. £6 5s. being to-day's value, against 

 about £4 5s. at the corresponding period of last year. 



Tallow improved from 57s. 6d. to ()()s., during the first 

 few weeks of last year, it then gradually dropped to 51s. 

 during the summer, was afterwards forced to C'Js.in October 

 and November, and has since been very flat, at a decline of 

 2s. per cwt. The market is still governed by the IJussian 

 speculators, and far removed from the ordinary influences 

 regulating articles of commerce. 



London, Jan. 1. Edwaeds, Eastty & Co. 



TRADE OF THE PORT OF HULL. 



EEPOET FOR THE YEAR 1860. 



Like the year 1859, that just closed has been one of pro- 

 gressive improvement and extended production, combined 

 with steady and enlarged business in commerce and ship- 

 ping throughout the country. The agricultural interest has 

 been the sole sufl'erer through the influence of a most 

 adverse season for the ripening and ingathering of the grain 

 and fruits of the earth. With regard to the trade of this 

 port, it may be said to have fairly overtaken the provision 

 made for its execution. The docks are crowded with ship- 

 ping — the space being quite inadequate to the demand and 

 requirements of business, in addition to which the means 

 provided for the land transport of goods and produce into 

 the interior have been greatly deficient, a slate of things 

 demanding vigorous and speedy amendment. The com- 

 mercial treaty with France is likely to prove very beneficial 

 to this port, Ijeing so favourably situated for the export to 

 that country of our manufactures, coals, &c. The tonnage 

 entering the port during the past year was 1,212,521 tons, 

 against 1,138,189 tons in '5U, being an increase of 74,332 

 tons on that year, and 125,561 on 1858. The steam tonnage 

 also exhibits an increase of 3,778 tons, being 40,963 tons in 

 1859 and 44,741 in '60. The tonnage of vessels reported 

 inwards on foreign voyages in 1859 was 784,026 tons, whilst 

 last year 852,838 was entered, being 68,812 tons in favour 

 of 1860. 



Wheat. — The import this year is 528,790 qrs., showing 

 an increase of about 61,035 qrs. as respects last year, and 

 153,505 qrs. in 1858. 



In talcing a retrospective view of the wheat trade during 

 the past year, and taking into account the peculiarity 

 of the season throughout, and the dire effects caused by 

 the continuance of untoward weather, resulting in a very 

 moderate ingathering of the crops in general, but more par- 

 ticularly the staple article wheat, it is worthy of remark 

 that the trade has been almost void of speculation, supply 

 and demand having ruled entirely this important branch 

 of trade. Had such a season occurred some twenty years 

 ago, the va!ue of breadstufi's would no doubt have been 

 greatly enhanced, and the year just closed upon us might 

 not have left the principal consumer — the working classes 

 — in such a prosperous condition, and the staff' of life at 

 little over the average price of consecutive seasons. Spe- 

 culation has luckily kept dormant ; the recollection of 

 similar seasons in years gone by form, now, no landmark 

 to guide operators in the present. " Tempora mutantur, et 

 nos mutamur ab illis ;" we are at trade with the world ; dis- 

 tance is Hnnihilatfcd by the electric wire ; and any occur- 

 rence that may tend to raise or depress values is known at 

 once in most of the chief corn producing districts on the 

 continent of Europe, and, ere many more years have 

 elapsed, is likely to be the case with America ; so that the 

 foreign grain trade stands now on the footing "to buy in 

 the cheapest and sell in the dearest market." Moderate 

 but legitimate profits seem to be the result arrived at; 

 and the enormous fluctuations that, in years gone by, 

 caused the trade, generally, to be looked upon with dis- 

 trust, are not, under the present cautious system, likely to 

 recur. A gradual rise has been the chief characteristic of 

 the trade during the past year; home-grown and Baltic 

 wheats, in which the business of this port chiefly consists, 

 Will serve best as quotation and reference in reviewing the 

 past, and we find that twelve mouths ago the value of Eug- 



lish red was 44s. to 46s. per 504 lbs., red Baltic 45s. to 46s., 

 and Dantzic white 50s. lo 52s. per 480 lbs., with but a very 

 moderate demand for foreign of any description, the 

 supply of homegrown apparently sufficing for consumptive 

 wants ; and as an instance of the liberal supplies from our 

 own farmers, we find that the quantities sold and entered 

 in the" Gazette" return exceeded in two months 196,944 

 qrs. over a corresponding period in 1859. January, Feb- 

 ruary, and March prices varied but little, and the price 

 45s. per 504 lbs. for the best runs of red appeared stereo- 

 typed, and imports up to the middle of March had not 

 reached 5,000 qrs. foreign wheat; but towards the end of 

 that month reaction set in, Belgium and Portugal appeared 

 as buyers in the Baltic, and caused some animation in this 

 country, and prices advanced 5s. per qr. before the 

 close of the month. About the middle of April de- 

 mand for Ireland set in, and buyers appeared 

 also from the agricultural districts ; the surplus of 1859 

 appeared to be getting exhausted, and before the end of the 

 month prices had advanced 5s. per quarter further, making 

 the whole advance nearly 10s. per qr., say English red 548. 

 to 55s. per 5041bs., red Baltic 53s. to 64s., Dantzic white 

 56s. to 57s. per 4801bs., and imports up to this period did 

 not exceed 10,000 qrs. Up to the end of May and during 

 June, the weather continued very unsettled, a complete 

 hurricane, accompanied by snow, fell in various pans, and 

 future prospects were anything but promising ; added to 

 this the French appeared as buyers both in tiie Baltic and 

 German ports, and before the end of June prices had run 

 up to 60s. for English, and others in equal ratio. About 

 the 21st June a stray wheat ear might be found in forward 

 soils, and the first week in Julj the plant was generally 

 shot in this neighbourhood ; towards the close of this month 

 incessant rains set in, and the crops were much laid in con- 

 sequence ; still large arrivals from abroad kept the trade in 

 check, and as an instance of the enormous importation into 

 London in one week, we find an arrival of cereals amount- 

 ing to 330,000 qrs., without having any material effect on 

 prices. At the commencement of August, the potato 

 disease again appeared ; but simultaneously with this, came 

 the encouraging accounts from America that the crops in 

 the Southern States had been fully secured, and in the 

 Western about half gathered, in the best possible condition, 

 and of fine quality; still prices gradually crept up, during 

 August, to 64s. to 65s. for best English red. 



Harvest was general in this district first week in Septem- 

 ber, and prices rather receded ; but towards the middle of 

 this month the new crop was tested by thrashing', and 

 gloomy accounts both as regards quality and yield was the 

 result, and weight very unsatisfactory to the grower; prices 

 recovered towards the end of the month, at which period, 

 owing to the continued wet, fully one-half the crop re- 

 mained unsecured, and we commenced October with old 

 Dantzic 70s., old EngUsh red 68s. to 70s. Delivery of the 

 new crop came out more freely at this period ; this com- 

 bined with large arrivals from America, the South of 

 France, and part Baltic imports, caused prices to recede, 

 more especially for new English, which was found so de- 

 fective in the yield of flour that many of the first-class 

 millers would scarcely make a bid for any but picked parcels. 

 The month of November is proverbially dull, and the past 

 has proved no exception, more especially as regards new 



