604 Live and Dead Meat Trade in September, [oct., 



prices. The first market at Islington on the 6th was much depressed, 

 the more so from the rough character of the supplies, which consisted 

 almost entirely of heavy wether sheep from Ireland, Kent, Lincoln, &c, 

 while the proportion of neat, small sheep suitable for the London trade 

 was very insignificant. A clearance was impossible, and the nominal 

 decline of \d. per lb. would have had to be much larger to force sales. 

 Some other markets during the week were nearly as bad, yet the 

 average for first quality Downs in 17 markets was a fraction over 

 y\d. per lb., and 6\d. for second, practically the same quotations as 

 those of the last week in August, while the average for Longwools 

 was quite unchanged. The only places in England where 8d. per lb. 

 was reached were Chichester and Dorchester, prime Sussex Downs at 

 the former being quoted at Sid. At the second market at Islington 

 on the 13th the price for prime Downs fell to yd. per lb., and the general 

 average only exceeded it by a small fraction, showing a slight further 

 decline, while descriptive reports of the markets were of a still more 

 gloomy character. 



In the third week there were again no signs of improvement. At 

 Liverpool, Ipswich, and Carlisle there was an upward tendency, most 

 of the markets being reported unchanged or with lower values. 

 For the first time in the course of the existing depression, first quality 

 Downs only averaged yd. per lb. in the English markets, second quality 

 remaining at 6\d., and Longwools at 6\d. and $\d. per lb. Fat ewes 

 were extremely unsaleable everywhere, and ^\d. per lb. was quite a 

 frequent quotation. It should be clearly understood that the above 

 figures are derived from estimated weights with the offal given 

 in. The latest reports show that the trade maintained its dragging 

 character to the end of the month, though London and Norwich, 

 without claiming anything like a general improvement, were certainly 

 no worse, and both reported a little better demand and firmer values 

 for the prime small-weighted sheep on offer. It may be worth men- 

 tioning here that at the Metropolitan Cattle Markets all through 

 September many hundreds of coarse, heavy sheep, failing to find direct 

 buyers, were slaughtered and sold for what they would fetch in the 

 dead-meat market. Reviewing the net results of the month's trading, 

 we find that prime sheep lost about \d. per )b. of their value during 

 its course, but that second quality about held their own. 



Fat Lambs. — The trade for fat lambs was no better, relatively, than 

 that for mutton, but there was perhaps a little more inquiry for prime 

 small lambs on account of scarcity. Average prices, however, were 

 lower on the month by about Id. per lb., finishing at y\d. for first, and 

 6f d. for second quality. Twenty British markets continued to 

 report business in lambs as distinct from sheep. The price was very 

 uniform, and in the third week only three markets reported up to 

 Sd. per lb. 



Fat Pigs.— The demand for fat pigs continued good, and the average 

 of 30 markets held in the first week was js. 3d. per stone of 14 lb, 

 for small bacon pigs, and 6s. 8|J. for those of heavier weight. There 

 was a rather wide difference in values, which ranged from 6s. 6d, at 

 Dundee, to 85. 2d. at Chichester. In the second week there was an ad- 

 vance of \d. on both first and second qualities. The following week small 



