243 ON THE PRICE OF GRAIN. 



found at Berwick. Now the Cambridge malt rent for the spring and 

 early summer is 15*. 4</., Houghton's price being 15*. g$d., those of 

 Oxford 2\s. 4d. and 20*. Eton and Reading are each 2is. ^d.; 

 Winchester and Newbury 2 is. and 19^. ^d. There is a similar cor- 

 respondence in the price of oats. Rye is dearest in the Northern 

 markets and the South-west, cheapest in those of the Midland 

 counties. Beans are dearest in the Home markets, especially at 

 Reading. At Cambridge they are at i8s. Sd. in Houghton, 205-. in 

 the College account. Grey peas are dearest in the South and South- 

 west, white peas in the South-west and Midland markets. 



1692-3. The collections for this year extend over eight months, 

 or the last three quarters of the agricultural year. The highest 

 average is that at Brentford, 65^. 2$d. ; the next at Kingston-on-Thames, 

 62s. z\d.\ then at Rumford, 6is. >jd., and Wycombe, 6os. 6\d. The 

 average at London is 54^. $\d. The lowest prices are in the Northern 

 markets. Wheat is at 30^. in Berwick, 36^. 6d. at Hull, 40^. at York 

 and Liverpool. At Oxford it is at 52-$-. Sd., the corn rents being 52^. 

 As a rule the rise is towards the end of the agricultural year, the very 

 bad prospects of the coming harvest being recognised. Thus at 

 London the first entry in January is at 54^., the last in September 

 at 64^. At Bury the price rises from 44,?. to 64.$-., at Chichester from 

 48^. to 64.$-. On the whole the greatest rise of the year is in the 

 Eastern markets. The highest price of the year is realised at Brent- 

 ford in the early autumn, 76^. The lowest prices are at Pembroke, 

 but it has I believe been noticed not infrequently that corn prices in 

 South-west Wales are often low when they are high elsewhere, this 

 district often obtaining an immunity from disastrous wet. This was 

 noticed, as I have it on the authority of a noble friend 1 of mine, in 

 1879 and onwards. The Home markets give the -highest average of 

 barley and malt, the rise in the price of which is fully proportionate to 

 that of wheat. The next highest price is that of the Midland market, 

 where the general average is raised by the Derby rates, which are the 

 highest in the whole country, and for the reason given above. On the 

 other hand, the price of barley and malt in the Eastern counties is 

 lower than in any locality other than the North. The price of malt in 

 London is 27^. $$d., in Cambridge 22s. 2\d., in Oxford 28^. %d., in 

 Reading 29*. of</., in Newbury 245. The College rents only differ 

 fractionally from these figures. 



Oats, except in the Midland, South-west, and Northern markets, are 

 very dear. At Cambridge they are at i8.r. ^d. But the Cambridge 

 1 Lord Kensington. 



