168 



COMMERCE, INTERNATIONAL. 



America. The annual consumption per head 

 of population in Great Britain is estimated at 

 not less than 105 Ibs. In 1876 France sent 

 622,000 cwt. into England, Holland 403,000, 

 Germany 234,000, and Denmark 205,000. That 

 these great quantities do not consist exclusively 

 of the natural product of the dairy is evident 

 from the fact that not only in the United States, 

 but in Holland, France, Germany, and Austria, 

 large factories are employed in the manufac- 

 ture of artificial butter from tallow and fat ; 

 in two of the largest of these establishments in 

 Holland 400 cwt. of fat is worked up into this 

 substance every day. 



In contrast with the fitful exportations of 

 butter, the trade in American cheese Las un- 

 dergone a more even and natural development, 

 showing a steady increase in almost every suc- 

 cessive year during and since the civil war, 

 and advancing at a rate of progression that is 

 unparalleled by any other commodity. Be- 

 tween 1856 and 1859 the annual imports of 

 American cheese into England averaged 56,000 

 cwt. ; in 1860 they rose to 187,000, and the 

 following year to 323,000 cwt. Between 1866 

 and 1870 they averaged 494,000 cwt. ; in 1871 

 they were 731,000 cwt.; in 1872, 598,000 ; in 

 1873, 790,000; in 1874, 849,000; in 1875, 958,- 

 000; in 1876, 936,000; and in 1877, 1,082,000. 

 The Canadian exports of cheese to Great Brit- 

 ain, which were only 10,000 cwt. in 1865, in- 

 creased rapidly until they reached 279,000 in 

 1875, but receded to 250,000 in 1876, and 214,- 

 000 in 1877. Although America has grown 

 thus suddenly to be the largest exporter of this 

 product among all the nations of the world, 

 the cheese-producing countries of Europe have 

 not diminished their exports, the greater quan- 

 tity of which go likewise to Great Britain. 

 The exports of France in 1876 were 182,000 

 cwt. ; those of Holland, 456,000 ; and those of 

 Switzerland, 402,000. The imports of cheese 

 into Great Britain in that year amounted to 

 1,531,000 cwt. About the same quantity is 

 produced annually in the British Islands. The 

 yearly consumption of cheese in the United 

 Kingdom is estimated at 10 Ibs. per capita. 



The exportation of fresh meat and live ani- 

 mals from America to England is a trade of quite 

 recent origin, which has grown to important 

 dimensions after various fluctuations. After 

 a number of disastrous experiments, the first 

 successful attempt to regularly supply the Eng- 

 lish market with living cattle transported 

 across the ocean in good condition, on steam- 

 ers specially constructed to allow the beasts 

 the necessary fresh air and daily exercise, was 

 made by Canadians in 1875. In that year 

 1,212 head of cattle were exported to England 

 from the Dominion ; in the following year, 

 2,655 live oxen and steers and 2,607 sheep ; 

 in 1877, 7,639 live cattle, 6,825 sheep, and 373 

 hogs; in 1878, 32,115 head of cattle, 62,461 

 sheep, and 1,798 hogs. The exports of living 

 animals from the United States began to as- 

 sume considerable proportions in the year 1877, 



and in 1878 they far exceeded the Canadian 

 shipments, and began to make a powerful im- 

 pression on the price of meat in the British 

 market. The imports of living animals from 

 the United States into England are reported 

 as only 299 cattle in 1875 and 392 in 1876 ; in 

 1877 they are given as 11,538 cattle, 13,120 

 sheep, and 226 swine; in 1878, 68,450 cattle, 

 43,940 sheep, and 16,321 swine. In the report 

 for the latter year a large portion of the Cana- 

 dian exports are included in the invoices from 

 the United States ; the total shipments from 

 the United States and Canada together in that 

 year amounted to 86,439 cattle, 84,072 sheep, 

 and 16,321 hogs. In February, 1879, an un- 

 fair blow was dealt to the export trade from 

 the United States by the issue of an order of 

 the Privy Council, on the pretended or sup- 

 posed discovery of a case of pleuro-pneumonia 

 on one of the vessels, to the effect that all 

 American cattle should be slaughtered on the 

 foreign animals wharves, which are very few 

 in number, and the largest of which is at Dept- 

 ford, near London. This enabled a small ring 

 of London cattle-dealers to buy up nearly all 

 the United States shipments at their own prices, 

 and occasioned severe losses to shippers. The 

 same discrimination was not made against the 

 Canadian cattle. The influence of the English 

 landholders and of the farmers' interest was at 

 the time brought to bear on the Government 

 to induce it to compel all foreign cattle to be 

 entered and slaughtered at the foreign animals 

 wharves. If this arbitrary application of the 

 Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act is main- 

 tained, for the protection of British landlords 

 and stock-raisers, this large and promising 

 trade will be nearly destroyed. It will not 

 suffice, however, to keep American meat out 

 of the English markets, since a still more re- 

 cent improvement in the means of transporta- 

 tion enables American shippers to supply the 

 British consumers with fresh meat in good 

 condition. After many unsuccessful attempts, 

 a method of refrigeration has been perfected, 

 by which butchers' meat is transported across 

 the ocean in large, cold, air-tight chambers, 

 from which all germs of putrefaction have been 

 expelled, and through which is passed a con- 

 stant current of dried and purified air. Mr. 

 Eastman, a New York cattle-dealer, made the 

 first thoroughly successful attempt to transport 

 fresh meat, with a cooling apparatus constructed 

 by J. J. Bate, in 1876. The same year J. H. 

 Wickes devised another refrigerator, with which 

 a line of steamers sailing between Canada and 

 England were provided. The extension of the 

 fresh-meat trade in consequence of the adop- 

 tion of the new system of refrigeration com- 

 menced in April, 1876. The imports of slaugh- 

 tered American beef into Great Britain in 1875 

 amounted to but 3,098 cwt. ; in 1876 they had 

 risen to 144,336 ; in 1877 they were 439,440, 

 and in 1878, 479,118. For the latter year a 

 large part of the Canadian shipments are prob- 

 ably included. In 1876 the direct shipments 



