882 The Corn Markets in January. [fee-., 



an expectation that it would do so was fairly general. The London 

 millers are prepared to make flour by the Hungarian method and to 

 sell it at 34s. per sk. The ordinary Household grade of flour is a 

 trifle lower than a month ago — 285. to large cash buyers. The compe- 

 tition of flour up from the country rather than from America is the 

 cause of this slight, but none the less significant, depression. Country 

 millers have to spend perhaps an average of is. per sk. on getting 

 their flour up to London, but they pay very much lower rates and 

 taxes than the London millers. A good trade has been done in Kansas 

 flour, but Minneapolis and Duluth are not quite the names to conjure 

 with that they were ten years ago. The Canadian mills have gained in 

 prestige, and send fine flour rich in gluten at 315. per sk. It is 

 difficult to say what quantity of American flour London can now 

 take weekly without depression ; 50,000 sacks seems to depress the 

 average market. Glasgow, Dublin, and Belfast are good buyers of 

 American flour, both of fine quality and of the " first bakers " or 

 middle-class grade. 



Barley. — The average price of English barley continues to be 

 maintained at a slightly higher level than that prevailing a year ago. 

 Kent and Berkshire have given some noticeably good averages, and 

 prices are not unsatisfactory in Surrey and Sussex. The sales have 

 been rather smaller than usual, but it cannot fairly be said that business 

 has been dull. Foreign barley at 215. to 225. for the light 400 lb. 

 kinds has moved off steadily ; the demand for barley meal is constant, 

 though its exact disposition is not easily ascertainable. The imports 

 of the United Kingdom for the first five months of the cereal year 

 were larger than in the like period of last season, but the supply 

 included a material proportion of 448 lb. barley, an entirely separate 

 trade from the feeding kind. The Californian brewing barley is coming 

 in very handy, and is serviceable grain of a very fair value to the brewer. 

 Anatolian barley is not to hand in usual quantity, and is missed. 

 There were 763,000 qrs. of barley shipped from Russia in January, 

 against 87,000 qrs. from Roumania, 81,000 qrs. from North America 

 and about 50,000 qrs. from all other countries. 



Oats. — Farmers are very disappointed with market prices of oats, 

 which at scarcely any exchanges realise more than a sovereign for 

 good 336 lb. sorts. The average on the sales of twenty-two completed 

 weeks since harvest was only lys. 3d. per qr., a fall of is. on the year, 

 and a price which may be said to urge the grower to make the most 

 he can of the produce on the farm. Possibly his live stock will 

 benefit, and the low market price prove a blessing in disguise, for 

 when the average is over 205. per qr. there is a distinct tendency 

 to sell the oats off the farm and to buy other staples, especially 

 maize, in their place. Maize is seldom dearer than, say, 55. iod. per 

 cental, whereas 20s. per qr. (312 lb.) for oats about equals 6s. $d. per 

 cental. The cheap light 304 lb. oats on offer from Argentina, 

 Russia, Roumania, and European Turkey are priced at from 155. to 

 16s. per qr. Argentina in January shipped 271,000 qrs., Russia 

 391,000 qrs. Other shippers were completely outclassed, and the United 

 States did not ship at all. The quantity ok oats on passage is heavy, 

 but they are almost exclusively of the 304 lb. sorts, which do not compete 

 with English. 



Maize. — The fall in prices in the maize trade during January was 



