508 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



The sheep from Germany, though they cairy rather more 

 internal fat, still arrive ia miserably poor condition. 



Tiie total supplies of home and foreign stock disposed of in 

 the metropolitan market have been : 



HEAD. 



Beasts 19,500 



Cows 500 



Sheep and lambs 113,730 



Calves 1,178 



Piga 2,950 



Comparison op Supplies. 

 May. Beasts. Cows. Sheep Calves. Piga- 



and Lambs. 



1860 19.040 543 124,580 2,059 2.950 



1859 17,980 482 113,512 1,012 2,260 



1858 18,722 480 115,886 1,671 2,760 



1857 18,995 450 104,990 1,415 2,530 



1856 18,741 495 119,640 1,260 2,545 



1855 19,847 410 113,600 2,470 2,590 



1854 20,831 576 124,824 2,146 2,435 



The arrivals of beasts from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and 

 Cambridgeshire have amounted to 11,200 Scots, &c. ; from 

 other parts of England, 1,500 various breeds; and from Scot- 

 land, 2,887 Scots and crosses. In the corresponding period 

 in 1860 — during which, it will be recollected, great excitement 

 prevailed in the trjde generelly — only 94 beasts reached us 

 from the whole of Scotland. The present large arrivals from 

 that quarter have, of course, tended to keep down prices. 



Beef has sold at from 3«. 4d. to Ss. ; mutton oat of the 

 wool 33. 6d. to 58. 6d., lamb Ss. 8d. to 7s. 4d., veal 43. 4d. 

 to 53. 4d,, and pork 4s. to 5s. per Slbs., to sink the offal. 



COMPAIUSON OF PkICES. 



Maj,1857. May, 1858. 



s. d. 8. d. a. d. a. d. 



Beef from 3 0to5 .... 3 0to4 6 



Mutton 3 4 to 5 4 3 2 to 4 6 



Lamb 5 6 to 7 5 8 to 7 



Veal 3 8 to 6 .... 4 0to5 4 



Pork 3 8 to 5 .... 3 2 to 4 4 



May, 1859. May, 1860. 



8. d. a. d. s. d. a. d. 



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



Mutton 3 C to 5 .... 4 to 6 6 



Lamb., 5 4 to 6 4 5 8 to 8 



Veal 4 to 5 6 .... 4 4 to 6 6 



Pork , 3 2 to 4 2 .... 4 to 5 4 



Newgate and Leadenhall markets have been well supplied 

 with all kinds of meat, and the trade, generally, has ruled in- 

 active, at drooping currencies. The top price for beef is now 

 4s. 4d.; mutton, 43. 8d.; lamb, 63. 4d. ; veal, 4s. 8d.; and 

 pork, 5s. per 8 lbs. by the carcase. 



SOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE. 



We have, to all appearance, seen the last of the long un- 

 propitious weather. The past week has been very favour- 

 able for all the growing crops and grass pasture lands, 

 which are rapidly assuming their best state of greenness. 

 A beautiful rain fell about a week since, and this, together 

 with a much warmer temperature, has caused this most 

 acceptable change. The bursting into foliage of the trees 

 and hedges, the progress of the late wheat crops, the start- 

 ing into growth of late-sown and long earth-fastened spring 

 crops, the softening of the hard clods permitting their 

 speedy preparation and the deposit of the mangold crop, 

 and last, though not least, the real setting-forth of 

 gr-owth of the long-detained potato plant, have all tended 

 to make the i)resent a pleasant and encouraging season, 

 and cause joy and gladness in the land. Long may it con- 

 tirrne, and may gratitude and thanksgiving "be fervently 

 rendered to Him who does all things right! Up to the 

 middle of the month farmers here were in great tribulation 

 —keeping scarce, lands all set fast, weather cold and dry, 

 crops decreasing in plant every day, stock pining ; now we 

 are all once more free, and everyone is fully engaged mak- 

 ing up for lost time and a backward season. In the fens 

 much wheat has been ploughed up, and the land sown with 

 spring corn ; but as the wheat was taken oft' chiefly by 

 wu-e-worm, the spring crops are ff^ring no better; they 



look sadly, and much will be lost. The whole of the spring 

 crops have come up unsatisfactorily, and none are looking 

 truly well. The wheats are still thin and patchy, though 

 growing fast ; those fed oft' and subsequently well hoed are 

 thickening considerably : the writer of this report has 44 

 acres which were thus treated in the middle of April ; it 

 is tillering exceedingly well, and although very thin before 

 feeding oft', it now, for the most part, is becoming a full 

 crop. Oats are very various ; some parts of the fields are 

 only just through, while other parts are quite flourishing. 

 Barley is better, more pains having been taken to secure a 

 good seed-bed. Beans are a poor crop, many fields ploughed 

 up, and resown with other grain. Peas are good where 

 very early sown, but late-sown crops are miserable failures. 

 The cold weather and slow growth enabling the slug to 

 take every advantage, all kinds of schemes are resorted to 

 to make up a plant. Oats are hoed in, etc., &c.. The 

 cattle on good grazing pastures are doing well, but such 

 are scarce. The majority of the pastures are backward, 

 and the present week has only just brought them round 

 or forward enough for a full hite. The sheep pastures are 

 rather better; they are short , but^fuUer of grass, and the 

 sheep as a whole do well. " The cake-men " are having 

 the best of it this season. Nothing excels genuine cake 

 on second-rate grass land ; it greatly advances and im- 

 proves both stock and land. It is lamentable and shameful 

 to find that some of the stuff we use is positively of no 

 value to them. By all means deal with and keep close to 

 a true and trustworthy man ; stigmatise and abominate 

 adulterations as much as possible, and expose the crushing. 

 AVe must regret the dulness in the corn-markets, otherwise 

 our produce is selling satisfactorily. Beef, mutton, pork, 

 wool, all sell well. Our spring markets have been truly 

 brisk both for fiit and lean stock, but the quantity shown 

 has been unusually short. Of fresh cattle for early fatten- 

 ing the supply was never less, of sheep certainly more 

 abundant, but not great. Wool seems to bear a good place 

 in our grazing department, and the demand for it does not 

 give way to any extent; there is generally some little 

 hesitation amongst buyers as the new cliii is coming into 

 the market, but no actual depression has taken place. 

 Trade is good, so we shall counsel patience and firmness 

 in the seller. We have no idea the American struggle can 

 last long; only let the Southerneis feel the firmness and 

 energy of the North, and the people, if not the politicians, 

 will soon demand a cessation of such unbrotherly quarrels : 

 what with slaves to watch and the North to fight, they will 

 soon tire, 



SUFFOLK . 



After the piercing coid winds from the east and north-east, 

 which have been so productive of colds and discomforts to the 

 human, of white frosts and stagnation to the vegetable, and 

 of scarcity of food to the animal world, the present change to 

 the cheerful influences of the rays of an unclouded sun, of 

 mild genial breezes, and refreshing rains is most acceptable. 

 Till within the past few days we have had no spring weather, 

 and vegetation has struggled at heavy odds against opposing 

 forces into development. Both Nature and men have literally 

 looked blue under the north-east visitation, and whilst agri- 

 culturists have complained generally of their prospects, 

 and specially of the scarcity of food, those engaged in 

 trade have regretted the absence of customers, and 

 the whole tone of society has been a chronic complaint 

 at the absence of prosperity. Undoubtedly the community 

 at large are feeiiug the efftcta of a deficient harvest, and of 

 the monetary drain upon the resources of the kingdom, to 

 purchase that as food from the continent which we usually 

 produce from our own fields. Suffolk, as specially a corn- 

 producing county, much suffers ; nor does she escape loss as a 

 root and meat-producing district. Her return ia certainly 

 £1,000,000 below her average annual production ; and when 

 it is considered that not only is this one million not resulting 

 but that auttber million has to be found in other resources — 

 in banking firms, friends, or somewhere if possible to supply 

 its place, and allow of culture for the future crop of the pre- 

 sent year' it need be no matter of surprise that the whole 

 community of Suffolk suffers — farmers, of course, especially, 

 but trade also, aa a natural consequence. Economy in ex- 

 penditure is a dire necessity, and if the earth fails in its 

 fruits, Suffolk, as a purely agricultural county, loses the only 



