496 CATTLE AND DAIKY FARMING. 



In connection with tliis raoveinent it is of interest to take note of tlie 

 information convoyed tlirougU English statistical returns of the butter 

 imports into that Kingdom during the same period from the chief 

 butter exporting lands, viz, thje United States, Belgium, France, and 

 Holland, 



It will be sufficient here to give these import returns for the year 

 1883, which were of the following nature, viz : 



From— 



UDited States. 



Belpum 



France 



Holland 



Qaantity. 



CwU. 

 120, 163 

 50, fi38 

 503, 290 

 988, 26G 



.Value. 



$2, 733, 000 



1, 275, 000 



12, 683, 000 



20, 433, 000 



Upon critical investigation, however, of the returns for previous 

 years, it is seen that the butter exports from the United States have 

 been subjected to considerable fluctuations; that whilst these exports in 

 1869 only amounted 17,203 cwts., they had in 1876 reached up to 118,131 

 cwts., continuing stilf on the increase for some years, when in 1870 

 they had attained their maximum i>oint of 301,054 cwts. From that 

 date they have apparently been on the decline until in 1882 they are 

 only seen to amount to 51,246 cwts., again rising, however, in 1883, to 

 120,163 cwts. The imports from Belgium are likewis^e seen to have 

 been retrograding. They would appear to have reached their highest 

 stage at the close of the sixth decade to the commencement of the 

 seventh, when, in 1871, the imports from that country are credited with 

 94,539 cwts. All the subsequent years show a gradual decline, and at 

 the present day they figure for little more than one-half of the amount 

 attained in 1871. 



The butter exports from France to Great Britain have, on the other 

 hand, been maintained without any perceptible changes, whilst the ex- 

 ports from Holland are found to have met with a very considerable in- 

 crease; but this rapid increase is more apparent than real. It is with- 

 out doubt in great measure due to the very large production and export 

 from that country in the latter years of spurious batter, and which in 

 the English returns are not classed under a distinct rubric, but are indis' 

 criminately mixed up with real butter ; thus, whilst the exports from 

 Holland in 1872 were only 269,091 cwts., in the year 1883 they figure 

 for the large amount of 988,266 cwts. As before mentioned this great 

 increase is chiefly made up by the heavy exports of butterine, &c. 



In instituting a comparison between the exports from Denmark for 

 the year 1883, with those from the other previously mentioned lands, 

 it will be seen that the exports from this Kingdom are nearly three 

 times as large as the exports from the United States, nearly seven 

 times as large as those from Belgium, and are only inferior to those 

 from Fra^uce and Holland. 



It is at the same time of interest to examine the estimated values 

 which are placed upon the butter from the different countries in the 

 English statistical tables, these valuations in the returns for the year 

 1883 being denoted as follows, viz : 



Danish butter *„„ r„ 



French butter *~ ^" 



Belfiiau butter ~^ "" 



ITni ted States butter miVL 



Dutch bu,tter ,."..".".".""..".'"'.."'.'".."'."'.;"..".:'.:'.;'.;".;".:".." f^ oo 



