1909.] The Corn Markets in October. 687 



Barley. — The excellent malting samples grown in Wilts, and above 

 all in Dorset, which were shown at Dorchester on the 16th, gave an 

 impression of the year's yield which the Brewery Exhibition in London 

 appeared to endorse, though the Championship in London went to 

 Somerset and not to Dorset. Unfortunately there exists no doubt that 

 the proportion of good malting samples this season is less than usual. 

 The London Championship was won by barley secured on August 9th, 

 the Dorchester Championship by barley secured on August 12th. But 

 the vast bulk of the barley of England in 1909 was not ripe before the 

 fine weather broke up. Suffolk is the great grower of Champion barley. 

 But the Suffolk barley at this year's London show was secured at 

 Rushmere as late as September 20th. Other Suffolk dates varied from 

 September 1st to 9th. These were Chevallier sorts. The Goldthorpe 

 Championship also went to Somerset, but the rules of the competition 

 make dates optional, and the date when this barley was secured is not 

 given, but other prize Goldthorpe samples were secured on dates varying 

 from July 20th to August 7th. The Haygrove barley sown on January 

 30th and reaped on July 20th will count as one of the year's features 

 in the barley world, and we may look to see a demand in the future for 

 types which ripen early. 



The barley average shows little change from this time last year, but 

 English malting ranges from 31s. to 395., as compared with 34.9. to 

 415. then. Moravian malting has fetched from 435. to 445. and is scarce. 

 Russian feeding barley has been offered at 20s. per 4001b., and 

 at the close of October the price began to attract custom, and 

 205, 6d. was quoted at the markets. The Russian shipments of 

 October exceeded three million qrs., but the increase in the supply on 

 passage to this country during September was not continued during 

 October, the total on the 31st being 560,000 qrs. A very heavy sale to 

 the Continent took place all through the month. Malt has been a fairly 

 good business, English making 385. to 435., Scotch 39s. to 445., Brown 

 34 5. to 365., Black 33.9. 6d. to 35s. 6d., Californian 395. to 405.. and 

 Anatolian 405. to 42s. ; all malt, foreign and British alike, is sold per 

 quarter of 336 lb. 



Oats. — For the first eight weeks of the new cereal year oats averaged 

 ijs. Sd. per qr., against about sixpence less in 1908-9. The Dorchester 

 show produced some splendid White oats sown in March and reaped 

 in August, and Mark Lane was never, throughout October, destitute 

 of a few fine new lots worth a guinea to 22s. per 336 lb. There were 

 some samples shown at Dorchester which weighed 352 lb. It is, how- 

 ever, to be recorded on the other side that miserable quality has marked 

 the bulk of offerings at Lincoln, Norwich, Peterborough, and a number 

 of other important markets. Averages such as 16.9. iod. (Lincoln, 23rd),. 

 16s. Sd. (Norwich, 23rd), and 16s. 3d. (Peterborough, 23rd) show value 

 almost down to Russian and La Plata level, for the buyer gets 312 lb. 

 of English oats against 304 lb. only of imported. The demand for oats 

 was weak all through October. Russia shipped 1,100,000 qrs., but no 

 other exporter did anything material. 



Maize. — About 800,000 qrs. were shipped from New World ports and 

 about 200,000 qrs. from the three older Continents, so that October's 

 export trade was almost exactly a million qrs. This is less than an 



