414 On Agricultural Statistics 



of England, Wales, and Scotland, arranged, on the plan of the 

 Registrar-General, in topographical order, which is in every 

 way preferable to the alphabetical plan adopted in the return, 

 which brings into close proximity Cornwall and Cumberland, 

 Derby and Devon, and so on. In addition to the number of the 

 different kinds of stock, I have given the calculated proportion 

 of stock to the acreage of each county, Avhich is taken from the 

 Weekly Return issued by Mr. W. Clode, the superintendent of 

 the Statistical Branch of the Cattle Plague Department ; the 

 ratio of stock to population I have calculated specially for 

 present reference. The advantage of such a view of the dis- 

 tribution of cattle will be obvious from this one example : — 

 Cheshire possesses 247,725 head of cattle, sheep, and pigs; 

 Lancashire, the adjoining county, has double that number 

 (470,542) of stock ; but in proportion to the area of the two 

 counties Cheshire has almost as many head of stock per acre as 

 Lancashire, whilst it has more than twice as many head of stock 

 in proportion to its population, 



1 also append Tables showing the number and relative pro- 

 portions of the different kinds of stock possessed by foreign 

 countries. The population and number of stock are taken from 

 the Board of Trade Return, and the area I have given from the 

 most authentic sources, so as to correspond as nearly as possible 

 with the population. I have not yet had an opportunity of verify- 

 ing the figures of the return with the official statements of the 

 different countries, and as no clue is given to the date to which 

 the population refers, it is difficult in these days of territorial 

 changes to identify an undated population with any specific area. 

 With regard, for instance, to Russia, the population quoted by 

 the Board of Trade includes the Asiatic dominions, and I have 

 consequently given the area corresponding thereto, but it is by 

 no means certain that the Returns of Stock include the cattle 

 of Asiatic Russia. With this proviso, we may gather from the 

 Table that, ranging the different states in the order of their 

 numerical wealth of horned cattle in proportion to their areas, 

 Holland has the greatest number; then follow Belgium, the 

 German States, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, 

 Prussia, Sweden, the United States, and Russia. Of sheep, the 

 United Kingdom heads the list with 33 sheep to every 100 acres 

 of area, France has 27, Prussia 27, Spain and Denmark 19, the 

 German States 15, Holland 13, Austria 11, Belgium 9, Sweden 

 2, and the United States 1. Of pigs, Belgium has 7, Austria 

 and the German States h^, the United Kingdom 5, France, 

 Prussia, Holland, and Spain 4, Denmark 3, the United States 

 2. The United States have the largest amount of stock of all 

 kinds in proportion to population, and Belgium the least. 



These facts are important as bearing upon a question which 



