THE ELABORATING COMMERCIAL COUNTRIES 121 



manufacture, and as regards the cakes and meals, as feedstuffs 

 for animals ; so far as these cakes and meals were fed to dairy 

 cattle, the imports of oil-seeds reappeared in part as exports of 

 butter and cheese. In the same year Holland imported cereals 

 and feedstuffs of different kinds (excluding rice) to the value of 

 about ,(21 million in excess of exports ; an important part of this 

 excess was accounted for by maize and barley, which are essentially 

 animal feedstuffs. 1 Thus when animal foodstuffs alone are con- 

 sidered, Holland exported in the year 1912 an excess value over 

 imports of about l\ million ; but when the values of the excess 

 imports of cereals and feedstuffs are included, there was a consider- 

 able deficit on the agricultural business of the country, this deficit, 

 however, being more than accounted for by the local consumption 

 of the 6 odd millions of the population. 



The per capita consumption of meat has been estimated at 70 

 Ibs., of butter at 13 Ibs., and of cheese at 11 Ibs. The meat con- 

 sumption is moderate, the butter consumption somewhat low, 

 owing probably to the large supplies of margarine available, 

 and the cheese consumption higher than that for any other country 

 for which figures are available. It appears, therefore, that the 

 consumption of dairy products, including margarine, is greater per 

 capita than for most European countries, while that of meat is 

 under the average. There is little likelihood of a marked increase 

 in the per capita consumption of animal foodstuffs, and particu- 

 larly of meat. It should be noted that the poultry industry has 

 increased greatly in importance in recent years ; while formerly 

 there were net imports of eggs, there have more recently been 

 considerable net exports. It is probable, therefore, that the local 

 consumption of poultry and eggs has increased per capita in the 

 last two decades. 



Holland is a country of rich pastures, and the methods of agri- 

 culture and of stock-raising are highly intensive. As in parts of 

 Germany and of Denmark, sugar beet are cultivated in conjunction 

 with stock-rearing, so that the country has net exports of sugar in 

 addition to those of animal foodstuffs. There has been a general 

 increase in the productiveness of live stock, especially of dairy 

 cattle, in recent years, and this may well continue in the future, 

 provided it remains possible to obtain the necessary supplies of 

 raw materials in the form of feedstuffs from overseas. These 

 supplies are the basis of the export trade in animal foodstuffs in 

 countries such as Holland ; if they, or the supplies of cereals for 

 hum:>n consumption from foreign sources, fail to any extent, the 

 exports of animal foodstuffs will dwindle and may disappear. 



1 Part of the barley and other grains imported was used in the distilleries 

 which are established on a large scale. The refuse from distilleries has small 

 value as feedstuffs. Some deduction should be made from the imports of 

 cereals, therefore, in attempting to construct a balance sheet of the trade in 

 foodstuffs and feedstuffs. 



