DENMARK. 497 



The Danish butter thus being placed at the head of the list as regards 

 value and at considerably higher rate than its competitors, next com- 

 ing France and Belgium, thereafter the United States, and last of all 

 Holland ; the low values for this country being again influenced as bo- 

 fore remarked, by the large amount of spurious butter included in the 

 returns. The tottal estimated value of these butter exports from the 

 above- "saentioncd five countries in 1S83 closely approached $48,000,000. 



^^hilst passing these figures under review it must not, however, be 

 forgotten that the estimated values of these tables are based upon the 

 aggregate imports from each country, and that it chiefly tends to show 

 Ihat the high position held by this Kingdom is mainly owing to her ex- 

 l)orts consisting on the whole of a high standard class of butter ; whilst 

 a far greater proportion of inferior butter is included in the exports from 

 tlie other countries, and it must on no account be taken for granted from 

 these tables that Danish butter at all times commands the highest prices 

 in the English markets, as it is a well known fact that it by no means 

 obtains the ])rices paid for the fresh, sweet, unsalted classes of English 

 and French butter. 



From France the imports may be said to consist of two kinds. The 

 one coming from the northern part of that country is sweet and unsalted 

 and jnade up in pieces of 2 to 3 pounds weight, packed in small boxes of 

 willow bark, whereas the other sorts are from the collected purchases 

 from the smaller landowners throughout the country, but salted and 

 packj'd in ordinary buttercasks. This sweet, unsalted butter of England 

 and France can at all times command in the English markets the higher 

 price of 4 to cents per pound above that of the very finest quality of 

 Danish butter. 



In the latter case a smallquantity of this sweet, unsalted butter, packed 

 in the same way as the French article, has likewise been exported from 

 this country ; but the long sea route and the present restricted steam 

 intercourse with the English ports, have prevented any great develop- 

 ment in the manufacture thereof, whilst the French producers, being on 

 the other hand favored by a short sea route and almost daily steam 

 communications, are enabled to secure the full advantages of these ex- 

 treme prices. The sweet, unsalted description of butter is almost ex 

 ciusively directed to the great London market, whereas in the great 

 Manchester market and other largo northern towns in England, Danish, 

 French (salted), Dutch, and American butter is chiefly to be met with. 



Without question the sweet, unsalted butter must be considered as the 

 Uuest and most renuaierative description for export, and which tlio 

 producers in the northern parts of Franco are fully alive to. Here it is 

 equally ielt that more satisfactory results could be obtained for the Dan- 

 ish butter if it could only bo exported with all safety in the sweet, un- 

 salted state, but, unfortunately, it is too liable to injury during the 

 lengthened period of transport under the present restricted means of 

 steam comm unication between the two countries. The great importance 

 of a more rapid and more frequent intercourse with the great London 

 market is now so keenly felt here by the agricultural classes that pe- 

 titions have been sent in from all the agricultural societies to the homo 

 ministry for subsidies in aid of proposed line of steamers to run from 

 the port of Esbjen, on the west coast of Jutland, with a biweekly serv- 

 ice. It is calculated that a sea voyage from that port to London may 

 be accomplished on ordinary occasions within thirty hours, and that, 

 with an appropriate regulation of the time tables for the different rail- 

 ways in connection with Esbjen, that the entire transport can be made 

 in meli short space of time as to allow this description of unsalted bnt- 

 H. Ex. 51 32 



