THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



229 



trade, at lis. to 12s. per score. London cows, £12 to £25 ; 

 down-calving ditto, £12 to £22; barrens, £10 to £20 each. 

 Stirks, £9 to £18 per pair. 



WORCESTER FAIR.— There was a good attendance of 

 buyers. We were well supplied with fat cows, which were 

 all sold at 7d. to T^d. per lij. There was a short supply of 

 sheep, which were m great demand, aud fetched extravagact 

 prices. Fat calves were also in demand, and realized full 8d. 

 per lb. There were very few cows and calves on offer, and 

 those of on inferior description. Good supply of fat pigs, 

 which were all sold, fetchiig lis. per score. 



IRISH FAIRS.— Graigue: There was a good supply 

 of fat beasts, but the demand far exceeded the supply, and 

 consequently first quality beef brought from 6O3. to 70s per 

 cwi.; second quality from 50s. to .V2s. 6d. Fat sheep were 

 also in brisk demand, with rather scanty supply. Prime 

 wether mutton realized about 8d. per lb. ; ewe was 

 about Id. per lb. cheaper. There was a good supply of hog- 

 gets, which were sold at from SOs. to 33s. each. Springers 

 were much sought after, but the supply was limited ; they 

 8o!d free!)' at from £14 to £18 each. Milch cows were also 

 scarce, and rated high. Three-year-old- heifers were very brisk 

 demand, they rated from £10 to £12 each. Yearling heifers 

 sold at from £5 lOs. to £7 each. There was a large supply of 



fat pigs at the fair which was held on Saturday. Buyers were 

 numerous, and the demand was brisk for porkers, which sold 

 at from Sis. to 568. per cwt. Heavy bacon pigs and small 

 descriptions were not much inquired after, but good stores 

 sold freely at from 50^. to 6O3. each, At Taghmon store 

 cattle appeared in rather ba?kward condition, but the better 

 kinds were in brisk demand. Two-year-old heifers and bul- 

 locks brought £6 to £8, three -year-olds £7 to £10 each. 

 Springers were likewise in request. Slane : The demand 

 for beef appeared undiminished, and late rates were fully 

 maintaiucd for top lots, selling as they did from 60i. to 

 63s. per cwt. Inferior beef was purchased at about SOa. 

 per cwt. The exhibition of store or dry cattle was all 

 that could be desired, but the transactions were slow. The 

 highest price for three-year-olds was £13 Ss., and they retro- 

 graded, according to quality, to £11 each; two-year-olds 

 £3 to £9, yearling heifors £3 Ss. to £3 ISs., aud a few lots at 

 a shade bej'ond the latter figure. Springers in good condi- 

 tion brought remunerative rates, yet a marked decline in price 

 was observable in everything in the dairy line. In swine a 

 very active trade was cirried on for exportation. Bacon de- 

 1 clined in price slightly. The quotations were about 533. to 

 543. per cwt. Store pigs dull of sale. 



REVIEW OE THE CORN TRADE 



DURING THE PAST MONTH. 



February on the whole has been more favour- 

 able to field work than usual. The first fortnight 

 was very fine ; then came alternations of frost and 

 thaw ; and finally, after some severe storms, there 

 was a return to open weather. The last week of 

 January being fine, there were full three weeks 

 without rain : this permitted a gradual drainage of 

 the previously frost-bound soil, and gave a fine 

 opportunity to plant the unsown wheat, but there 

 yet probably remains one-fourth part still to plant. 

 The early-sown pieces have generally borne the 

 frost well, and a general growth has commenced ; 

 but the later fields show but a weak plant, and 

 much is reported to have rotted. This we attribute 

 principally to the unripe character of the crop last 

 year ; and as in horticulture this year the seed pre- 

 ferred is that of 1859, so we think it would have 

 been well if farmers had adopted the same plan; for 

 much of the new is said not to germinate, or to go 

 through the process weakly, and so leave but a 

 feeble plant to contend with the ever variable 

 character of a British spring-time, and endanger 

 the ultimate yield. The elaborate and carefully 

 prepared statistics that appeared in the Mark-Lane 

 Express on the iBth ult., fully confirmed the pre- 

 viously bad reports of the crop of I860, and have 

 served as a basis whereon to calculate the quantity 

 of land yet unsown. And certainly the most san- 

 guine view of the future, should the remainder go 

 in well, and a fine spring and summer follow, could 

 scarcely estimate the next gathering beyond an 

 average. We are, therefore, taught very impres- 

 sively our dependence on the bounty of the Su- 

 preme Power for our national well-being. But as 

 the average of seasons has hitherto been sufliicient 

 for the wants of the world, and last year was ex- 

 ceptional, let us not give way to misgivings or 

 distrust. Foreign supplies have poured upon us 

 with unusual abundance : America by its fine crop 



has made up for our short-comings, and the new 

 produce of Southern Russia is unusually fine, and 

 though much pressure has been felt by the agri- 

 cultural interest, the nation has much cause for 

 thankfulness and contentment. The past month 

 has been very dull throughout. The general aver- 

 ages only show a decline of from 56s. 7d, to .548. 

 9d., or Is. lOd. per qr., but the scarcity of fine 

 English samples has been such that their value 

 has been little if at all altered. But to show 

 how unreliable the averages are this year, in 

 consequence of the immense difii'erence in 

 the samples, we instance the London averages, 

 as commencing in February at 60s., and falling to 

 52s. 6d., which, if they indicated the real diflference 

 in the markets, would show a decline of 7s. 6d. per 

 qr. But this season, from the difference in damp- 

 ness and quahty, one week's supply will sometimes 

 be 3s. above or below another in value. 



The high rate of discount, at a time when large 

 foreign imports are quite a necessity, has had a 

 depressing influence on business, and the probable 

 early opening of the Baltic has kept millers quite 

 on the reserve; but if the weather should be un- 

 favourable, or the threatening aspect of Europe 

 break out into actual hostilities, thei'e must be a 

 rise in prices, the deficiency of last year being pro- 

 bably one-third, or six million quarters. The 

 following quotations were recently quoted at the 

 several localities named : the best wheat at Paris 

 was about 59s. per qr., at Louvain 63 lbs. red 58s,, 

 new native at Amsterdam 56s. to 62s. 6d., Danzic 

 to 71s. 6d. At Hambro', 60 lbs. Mecklenburg was 

 6ls., Marks 61 lbs. 60s, 6d., Holstein 57s. At 

 Zurich the average was 60s. Pomeranian at Stet- 

 tin 57s., red Stettin 56s. Cologne quoted 55s. 

 per qr. ; red kilndried at Groningen 53s., white 55s. 

 Courish at Riga 52s. Sd, Odessa quotations were 

 46s. 9d. for Polish Odessa, 50s. 6d. for Sando- 



