TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION F, 



835 



Scotland to her surface, has more than three times as dense a stock of cattle and 

 more than eip:ht times as many pipfs, although not much more than half as many 

 sheep to the 1,000 acres. Although beaten as regards the number of pigs maintained 

 on a given area by Denmark and by Hungary, Ireland's cattle art? more than twice as 

 numerous relatively as those of France, where the population is not so very different 

 in proportion to the soil. 



Among countries where the areas are still greater in proportion to the resident 

 population it may not be without interest to group together — as regards their 

 present density — persons, cattle, sheep, and swine. 



Such figures serve to emphasise the vast difference between the flocks main- 

 tained in our Australasian colonies and the other countries in this group. 



The animal wealth of England by herself, omitting the Celtic fringes above 

 quoted, may be compared with a nearer competitor. Belgium has 893 persons to 

 1,000 acres, England 925; and Belgium has 195 head of cattle and 160 head of 

 swine, but only 32 sheep, on an average area of this size in her little kingdom, 

 against 144 cattle, 64 pigs, and as many as 488 sheep in England. A'S'ere the 

 comparison to be made more closely yet, the cattle stock of Belgium agrees 

 closely in point of density witli, say, the particular division of our area com- 

 prising the north-western counties of England, which have 194 cattle to 1,000 acres, 

 or considerably more than the great butter-exporling country of Denmark, and 

 at least a very close approach to the 197 head per 1,000 acres which are to be found 

 in the fat pastures of the ^Vetherlands. 



These limited comparisons on single points of agricultural production in 

 single countries do not, I know, satisfy the demands which are often made 

 lor world-wide surveys and comparisons on a larger scale. I confess I 

 somewhat distrust the strength and due coherence of the statistical bricks on 

 which these heroic conclusions are built up. It is most usual in corn trade 

 journals, and the practice is sometimes followed in serious debate and repro- 

 duced in the year-books of the United States Government, to give a yearly 



In 1890. 



In 1888. 



3h 



