THE UNITED KINGDOM 215 



The percentage bred for the dairy about 20 5 for the butcher, about 

 80 per cent. 



Of late years stock in Scotland has decreased. Disease imported from 

 time to time in live stock, causing farmers to cease from breeding cattle, 

 has to a great extent been the cause of this decrease. 



Another cause is to be found in the improvement of the cattle, mak- 

 ing them ready for the butcher earlier. And a third cause is the in- 

 crease of population and wages, and consequent enhanced demand for 

 butcher meat, which for many years has been sold for high prices in the 

 Scotch and English markets. 



IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF MEAT AND CATTLE. 



The stock of cattle in Scotland is not nearly equal to the consumptive 

 demand. 



The stock as shown is not sufficient for home demand, excepting ped- 

 igreed stock, which is exported to the United States, Canada, Australia, 

 New Zealand, West Indies, and the continent of Europe. 



The farmers who in consequence of imported disease have ceased (in 

 a measure), as already mentioned, to breed cattle, mostly get their sup- 

 plies of feeding-cattle from Ireland, where a good many are bred and 

 not many fattened. 



Some cattle from the United States and Canada have also been fat- 

 tened in Scotland, and there seems to be no reason why this latter trade 

 might not be extended to the advantage of all concerned. But if the 

 Scotch farmers bred and fed cattle to the utmost of their ability the 

 supply of fat cattle would still not be nearly equal to the consumptive 

 demand. The continent of Europe^ United States and Canada supply 

 a large proportion of the beef consumed in Scotland and there is every 

 reason to expect that the British demand for beef from these countries 

 will continue to increase. 



THE NATURE OF THE IMPORT SUPPLIES. 



From the continent of Europe the beef is mostly in its live state ; 

 from the United States about half the amount dead and the other half 

 live. A large quantity of tinned or canned meat is also imported from 

 Chicago and elsewhere in the United States. Some cargoes of frozen 

 mutton have come from Australia and New Zealand which appear to 

 have been a success. This trade is likely to increase. 



IMPORTS FROM THE UNITED STATES. 



A large number of live cattle, fresh meat in refrigerators, and tinned 

 meat come from the United States. 



THE BEST MEANS OF INCREASING- THE EXPORTS OF AMERICAN MEAT. 



If the United States Government would take, measures to extermi- 

 nate pleuro-pneumonia and to suppress any contagious diseases when 

 they appenr, the British Government would then admit freely the im- 

 portation of fat and store cattle, greatly to the advantage of United 

 States producers and of British farmers and consumers. The British 

 farmers would profit greatly by having a supply of good store stock 

 from the western plains, and fat stock would fetch a better price if they 

 could be moved from the ports of landing to inland markets. 



