348 Imports of Grain in the Cereal Year, [sept., 



have increased, and the number of ewes kept for breeding is 

 now larger than in any year since 1900. 



Other sheep, one year old and above, have increased by 

 95,000, or nearly 2 per cent., while lambs have been augmented 

 by 385,000, or 3f per cent. 



Sheep. 



1907. 



1906. 



Increase or Decrease. 



Ewes kept for breeding 

 Other Sheep (one year and 



above 

 Ditto (under one year) 



Total 



Number. 

 10,277,428 



5,194,029 

 10,645,046 



Number. 

 10,061,104 



5,098,876 

 10,260,380 



Number. 

 + 216,324 



+ 95,153 

 + 384,666 



Per cent. 



+ 2 - 2 



+ 1-9 

 + 3'7 



26,116,503 



25,420,360 



+ 696,143 



+ 2-7 



The largest relative additions to the stock of the country 

 has, however, to be noted in pigs, and an increase of 13J per 

 cent., or 313,000 swine, has been recorded. The total is now 

 2,636,808, of which 380,272 are sows kept for breeding. 



IMPORTS OF GRAIN IN THE CEREAL YEAR, 1906-7. 



At the end of August, it may be assumed without much 

 risk of error that the stocks of wheat and other grain remaining 

 in farmers' hands from the harvest of the previous year are 

 practically exhausted. The close of the cereal year, which 

 may be reckoned as extending from 1st September to- 

 31st August, affords therefore a convenient opportunity for 

 considering the extent to which this country has been dependent 

 on the Colonies and on foreign countries for grain to supplement 

 the home production of 1906. 



The yield of wheat in the United Kingdom in 1906 amounted 

 to 7,577,000 qrs., a very similar quantity to that produced 

 in 1905, viz., 7,542,000 qrs., and the imports for the two cereal 

 years have also been approximately alike. In 1905-6 the 

 quantity received was 94,558,000 cwts., while in the year 

 1906-7 which has just ended it was 94,737,000 cwts. Con- 

 verting these figures into quarters (of 480 lb.), the total supply 

 of home and foreign wheat was 29,682,000 qrs. in 1906-7 as 

 compared with 29,606,000 qrs. in 1905-6. To this must be 

 added the imported wheat-meal and flour, viz., 13,221,000 cwts. 

 in 1906-7 and 14,433,000 cwts. in 1905-6, quantities which 



