68 



Market Prices. 



[APRIL, 



Christmas and about \d. per lb. higher than those prevailing 

 in the late autumn. During the week the top price in London 

 was 6%d. per lb., this being exceeded at several country markets 

 by \d. per lb. 



The trade for fat sheep, which for so long a time has been 

 remarkably steady, has shown a certain want of animation, 

 owing largely to the fall in the value of skins, but apart from 

 this consideration mutton itself has remained fully as dear as 

 last year. In the first week of March, 1907, the highest quota- 

 tion for Down tegs at Islington was g\d. per lb., and this was 

 about the average price returned for the whole country this 

 year ; although at Derby g\d. was actually paid for sheep by 

 weight, and at Salford the estimated price of iod. was returned. 



There was very little demand for lambs in London early this 

 season, and the half-bred Dorset s were very slow of sale. At 

 the first March market, lambs were quoted at Islington at 10^. 

 per lb., while at Leicester they were fetching is. old. and at 

 Salford and Wolverhampton as much as i.\d. 



In the dead-meat market at Smithfield there are seldom 

 any striking fluctuations from week to week, although many 

 small ones are of daily occurrence, and the same may be said of 

 dead meat in the large provincial markets. March began with 

 Scotch sides of beef at 56s. per cwt. in London, 58s. 4^. in 

 Glasgow, 53s. Sd. in Edinburgh, and 56s. at Dundee for first 

 quality. While English sides were 52s. 6d. in London, and 

 53s. 8d. at Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. Port-killed 

 beef usually fetches as much in London as the best English, 

 and the first March quotation was exactly the same, but at 

 Manchester it was 2s. /\.d. per cwt. less. There are often curious 

 variations in the relative values of chilled beef. For the wee ; 

 in question American hindquarters were 51s. 4^. in London 

 against 52s. 6d. in Leeds and 53s. 8d. at Glasgow ; forequarters, 

 of course, being far less valuable. Frozen New Zealand fore 

 and hind quarters averaged about 29s. per cwt., and Australian 

 and Argentine a trifle less. 



Carcase mutton was dearer in proportion than fat sheep at 

 London ; which is seldom the case in this market. Small Scotch 

 tegs were exceptionally dear, and gd. per lb. was obtained in 

 London, Liverpool and Manchester. In London the small tegs 

 from Holland compete strongly with Scotch during winter, but the 



