413 



LIVE WEIGHT PRICES OF CATTLE. 



The returns received from the twenty-one places in Great 

 Britain scheduled under the Markets and Fairs (Weighing of 

 Cattle) Act, 1891, showed a material increase in the number of 

 cattle, sheep, and pigs entering the markets during the third 

 quarter of 1902 as compared with the corresponding period of 

 1901. This was most noticeable in the case of cattle, of which 

 293,000 head were offered for sale in these markets, as against 

 224,500 head in 1901. 



Animals. 



3rd 

 Quarter, 

 1902. 



3rd 

 Quarter, 

 1901. 



Cattle : 



No. 



No. 



Entering markets ... 



293.293 



224,506 



Weighed 



42,140 



33,534 



Prices returned 



33 ? I7I 



27,948 



Prices returned with quality distinguished 



27,012 



22,771 



Sheep : 







Entering markets ... 



1,524,749 



1,482,746 



Weighed 



10,305 



9,014 



Prices returned with quality distinguished 



8,466 



7=898 



Swine : 







Entering markets ... 



80,323 



7i,367 



Weighed 



618 



630 



Prices returned with quality distinguished 



618 



630 



The number of cattle weighed also reached a higher aggregate 

 than in any corresponding quarter, and represented a higher 

 percentage in England, but a somewhat lower proportion in 

 Scotland of the total recorded. Prices showing the quality of 

 the animals were available for about one in every eleven of the 

 cattle exposed in these markets. The weigh-bridges are only 

 employed to an insignificant extent for sheep and pigs, while, as 

 will be seen from the table on page 416, the number of cattle 

 weighed and priced at several English markets is still very 

 small. Sufficient data for the calculation of an average price 



