1909.] The Live and Dead Meat Trade. 



795 



horns, 6£d. for Welsh, and y\d. for Devons. Of these last there were 

 100 present direct from their native county, which made a good show. 



Fat Sheep. — The depression overhanging the mutton trade has given 

 rise to much speculation as to its causes, but no explanation that the 

 writer has hitherto seen put forward seems very satisfactory. The fall 

 which took place in April came very suddenly, and has been followed by 

 a uniformly bad trade through the summer and autumn, with very 

 little, if any, general improvement in December. It is many years since 

 good fresh killed mutton has sold as low as in the latter part of this 

 year, when thousands of wether sheep have only realised 6d. per lb. For 

 the purpose of comparison, however, we may take the values which 

 have been current during December for the best small Down tegs, and 

 these, roughly speaking, are only worth 8d. per lb., or id. less than 

 last year at this time. At the first market at Islington in December 

 there was a quotation of %\d., but this was only for a comparatively few 

 very small weights. At the Christmas market, notwithstanding the 

 small supply, the demand was so weak that the market failed to clear, 

 and nothing fetched more than Sd. per lb. There was a slight rally on 

 the 21st, and the top quotation advanced |<2. per lb., but this was again 

 lost on the 28th, with only 3,480 on offer. London prices for the very 

 choicest small sheep have been a trifle higher than those of most of the 

 country markets, only Dorchester, Derby, and Chichester occasionally 

 exceeding them, but sheep weighing 80 lb. and upwards have sold, if 

 anything, better in the country. The first quality of Downs were 

 quoted at Hereford on the 16th as low as yd. per lb., and *]\d. at Crewe 

 on the 14th. 



Fat Pigs. — The trade in bacon pigs and porkers has been irregular 

 during December, but on the whole, values have remained low. A weaken- 

 ing tendency was observed at the beginning of the month, but prices, on 

 the average, hardened a little during Christmas week. The factors' price 

 to farmers for bacon pigs of small weights have been as low as Ss. gd. 

 per score, which seems to leave a wide margin for profit, in view of the 

 scarcity on the market and high price of dried English bacon. 



Veal Calves. — Very few calves are fed at this time of year in this 

 country, and the demand is also small. The supply at Islington has 

 been almost nominal during the month, and the few on offer have not 

 been of very good quality. On the 7th the highest quotation was y\d. 

 per lb., and considerably higher prices were made in the large country 

 markets. In that week, 8|d. was quoted at Newcastle, S^d. at Wake- 

 field and Salford, and Sd. at eight other markets, while gd. was reached 

 at Salford on the 15th. 



Carcase Beef. — The scarcity of best quality cattle in the live-stock 

 markets, which has been such a prominent feature, has prevailed with 

 equal force in the dead-meat market, and has extended to the supplies 

 of foreign to quite the same extent. Until the week before Christmas 

 the value of Scotch long sides remained level at 6%d. to 6£d. per lb., 

 or fully \d. per lb. more than the best English. The chief reason for 

 this great difference has been that Scotch graziers have had a better 

 season than the English, and they have also steadily sent consignments 

 of their best quality, while the few really good beasts which have been 

 brought out in England this year have been slaughtered in the country. 

 There has been an abundance of beef in the dead-meat markets, but a 

 very large proportion of the foreign supplies has been of second and 



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