THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



321 



Advices from Holland state that large numbers of both 

 beasts and sheep are in process of fattening for ahipment to 

 Eogland, but that the quotations continue too high to admit 

 of spec illative investments from this side. 



The imports of foreign stock have been moderately good, 

 as will be seen by the annexed figures : — 



UEAU. 



Beasts 2,811 



Sheep 5,604 



Calves 505 



Piga 171 



Total 



9,091 



Total in 1860 10,459 



18.59 10,548 



1858 1.511 



1857 5,419 



1856 1,842 



1855 2,108 



1851 8,409 



1853 10,881 



The total supplies of stock exhibited in the great Metro- 

 politan Market have been as under ; — 



HE.4.D. 



Beasts 18,500 



Cows 530 



Sheep 85,270 



Calves 700 



Piga '. 2,410 



Comparison op Supplies. 

 March. Beasts. Cows. Sheep. Calves. P'g'- 



1860 18,160 495 93,409 853 2.042 



1859 16,810 612 94,775 695 2,890 



1858 17,821 476 74.410 704 1,915 



1857 17.345 490 74,880 1,118 2,230 



1856 22.623 470 100.700 797 2,140 



1855 18.614 380 88,790 834 2,765 



In the course of the month about 8,900 Scots and crosses 

 came to hand from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridge- 

 shire ; 4,000 various breeds from other parts of England ; 

 900 Scots and crosses from Scotland; and 28 oxen from 

 Ireland. 



Beef has sold at from 3j. 2d. to 5s., mutton Os. 6d. to 63., 

 lamb 7s. to 83,, veal Ss. to 6s., and pork 43. to 43. lOd. per 

 Slbs. to sink the offal. 



CoMPAiusoN OF Prices. 



March, 1857. March, 1858. 



s. d. 8. d. 8. d. B. d. 



Beef from 3 4 to 5 .... 2 10 to 4 6 



Mutton 4 2 to 6 3 to 5 2 



Veal 4 4 to 5 8 .... 4 to 5 2 



Pork 3 6 to 5 2 3 0to4 4 



March. 1859. March, 1860. 



8. d. 8. d. s. d. ». d. 



Beef from 3 6 to 5 2 3 4 to 4 10 



Mutton 4 to 6 4 to 6 



Veal 3 10 to 5 8 .... 3 10 to 5 8 



Pork 3 4 to 4 4 3 4 to 4 4 



Newgate and Leadenhail markets have been seasonably 

 well supplied with beef and mutton, which have sold slowly 

 oil easier terms. Lamb has realized 63. 6d. to 78. 6d. per 

 8 Ihj. Veal and pork have commanded full quotations. 



SOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE. 



" Jilarch many weathers" keeps, as usual, quite its old 

 character here for vicissittide of sun and wind, rain and 

 frost — now warm, now bitterly cold— now a terrific storm, 

 in a few hours genial sunshine and warmth. The variations 

 are great ; but the predominance has been cold. Hence 

 our wheats have not recovered to any extent, and the plant 

 still looks thin, backward, and very " patchy." It requires 

 great judgment to decide what to dj with them. Some 

 must be ploughed up : others may be eaten off, if the land 

 is good and fertile. It will thicken it considerably if eaten 

 oif quickly, when the land is dry. Other crops must be 

 early hoed, and again repeated in May. We are all busily 

 engaged putting in our Spring crops. The land for the 



most part is very tough, and requires much labour to reduce 

 it to a fair seed-bed. It is not hard, but tough — the harrows 

 cannot pulverize it. The roller does not crush it — many fur- 

 rows remain almost whole, with a slight covering of mould 

 upon them. This is very unfavourable to the progress of the 

 plant ; but in manj' cases nothing more can be done. In 

 one case three treble-horse harrows were passed over, 

 then thrice harrowed with two heavy two-horse harrows, 

 without making a good seed-bed. On some of our lighter 

 soils, where the frost had penetrated deeply, and the melted 

 snow had passed away, much less difficulty is experienced. 

 Nevertheless, we shall complete our seeding, upon the 

 whole, with tolerable satisfaction ; and if a deep fall of 

 snow is conducive in promoting fertility, we must realize a 

 good crop. Beans, peas, and barley are nearly all sown. 

 Oats (our chief Spring crop) is in course of seeding ; but 

 we have to await the finishing off our mangolds and turnips 

 to complete this sowing. Preparations are rapidly making 

 for putting in the potato crop, and much anxiety is ex- 

 pressed as to the hazard of the next season ; and no one 

 can wonder, as the past was nearly a total failure. We 

 trust our growers will try their best to procure varieties 

 free from disease. These may be procured from Scotland 

 through a respectable salesman. If this precaution is taken, 

 together with a favourable Summer as to weather, a satis- 

 factory crop may be anticipated. It is worthy of remark 

 that it is surprising how soon the varieties degenerate and 

 become diseased. Fallows are very backward, and likely 

 to be, owing to the difficulty named above causing so much 

 extra work. Mangolds and swedes hold out well; and 

 where they were properly covered have escaped the frost, 

 severe as it was. Store stock have wintered tolerably well, 

 considering the injury sustained by the straw in the past 

 harvest. Sheep, too, have done satisfactorily, and, not- 

 withstanding the depression in the wool trade, are selling at 

 high prices. Fat cattle and fat sheep are alike very scarce. 

 Pork is in abundance, owing to the large quantity of inferior 

 wheat which has been made into food for pigs. The price 

 of pork has lowered considerably, so much as one shilling 

 per imperial stone. Wool is scarce ; but the price is lower, 

 owing to the London sales, and price of money. The stock 

 of wheat in the farmers' hands is less than for many years 

 past ; but as yet it is out of condition. The few samples of 

 dry useful grain make a good price ; but inferior can 

 scarcely be sold. The variation of price is as great as ever. 

 Our grass land# look promising, and where laid in, the grass 

 is beginning to grow. The price of labour has been good 

 throughout the Winter, i. e., 12s. a week for ordmary la- 

 bourers, 16s. for catting, &c. ; and much employmetit has 

 been found, as every farmer seemed inclined to do his best 

 to ktep the poor labourer engaged. This will be felt in the 

 better condition of the cattle and sheep, which have re- 

 ceived great attention ; indeed, it was necessary to devise 

 every means to economise food, or a sad result would have 

 taken place this Spring. Most of our peas crop has been 

 used for sheep and pig food ; and the few potatoes saved 

 from the general wreck have been consumed by pigs, very 

 few being good enough for sale. From the state of our 

 stack-yard, it is to be presumed that a considerable rise in 

 price of grain must speedily occur ; but for us it will be 

 of little avail, as so much is gone. The general comr-laint 

 is a want of money, at which no one can wonder, as this is 

 the second if not the third bad year for this district. 



HEETFORDSHIEE SOUTH. 

 We hoped by this time to have been able to give a report 

 satisfactory alike to ourselves and tlie country ; but we re- 

 gret we cannot do so. The greater part of the young wheat 

 looks bad, and the frosty nights and cold rains we have 

 lately espeiienced sadly cut it up. We had good farming 

 weather from the 1st to the 22nd of February, and those 

 who had their land ready put in beans and peas, which are 

 just showing above ground. Too many farmers had to 

 make up their time lost in the autumn, and complete wheat- 

 sowing, and we notice the wheat sowed in February looks 

 exceedingly well. Slany fields of clover lay wheat have been 

 ploughed up and resown, whilst other fields look so bare that 

 one can scarcely tell if there be any plant left. The last 

 four days of February very wet and stormy (saving the cha- 

 racter of the mouth) ; since vrbich tyc have had a succession 



