1909.] Live and Dead Meat Trade in October. 689 



fact tnat prices have been so well maintained points to a healthy 

 condition of the demand for English beef. The average price of first 

 quality Shorthorns has certainly fallen about $%d. per stone during the 

 last few weeks, but it is extremely doubtful if it would have done so 

 if the high condition of the animals could have been maintained. The 

 prices that have all along been given for the few really ripe cattle 

 seem to point to a defect in the system of feeding pursued by graziers, 

 who rely too much on a purely grass diet, unassisted by concentrated 

 food. Vast numbers of half-meated cattle have been sold to kill this 

 October, which ought to have gone to the stalls for two months' good 

 feeding. There has, in this way, been a great waste of good material 

 for the production of prime beef. 



Shorthorns described as first quality have been very steady in value, 

 and 8s. per stone has been their average all the month. Even second 

 quality only varied to the extent of about §d. per 14 lb., the average 

 ranging from ys. to ys. 3d. 



No other breed is separately quoted in more than four or five 

 markets, but during October, Herefords, Devons, Runts, and Scots 

 varied considerably more in their averages than the Shorthorns. For 

 purposes of comparison, however, prices during the month having 

 varied so little, it may be sufficient to give them for each breed as 

 they stood during the last week. Shorthorns in 21 markets averaged 

 exactly 8s. per stone for first and ys. for second quality ; Herefords, 

 8s. ^\d. and ys. gd. ; Devons, 85. 4^. and 75. ^d. ; Runts, ys. io|d. and 

 75. 35'd. ; and Polled Scots, 8s. 3d. and 8s. o\d. 



As regards comparative prices at different markets there has been 

 a very wide margin. Ipswich has maintained its curiously isolated 

 position, and, in the first week, stall-fed Shorthorns were quoted up 

 to gs. 3d. per stone, against ys. yd. at Leeds, Liverpool, and Wakefield. 

 Even second quality at Ipswich fetched 8s. 3d., which exceeded the 

 average for first quality in 24 markets by 3d. per stone. In the last 

 week the top price at Ipswich had fallen to 85. gd-., while Liverpool was 

 still the lowest at ys. yd. 



The live-weight prices of the month were very instructive, and go 

 far to prove the strength of the contention that well-bred and well- 

 finished cattle are by far the most profitable. In the last week at 

 Dundee an exceedingly nice lot of cross-breds averaged 395. per cwt., 

 and pure-bred Polls a little over 405., while on the same day the larger 

 portion of cattle fetched only 345. 6d. to 365. At Edinburgh on the 

 26th prime lots made 425. to 44s. gd., and at Glasgow on the 27th good 

 Polls reached 435. 6d. During the third week a Hereford at Wellington 

 (Shropshire) realised 42s. 6d., and these cases have been frequently 

 repeated. At the Metropolitan Cattle Market very few cattle have 

 been weighed, and scarcely any of the best. All the choicest animals 

 have been taken off in the early morning by large buyers for contract 

 purposes, and therefore the instances given in the weekly notes in 

 the Market Returns of weighbridge results at Islington have read very 

 low in comparison to other markets. 



Veal Calves. — -There is singularly little to record in connection- with 

 the calf trade. Prices have been moderate and very even throughout 

 the country, reports having come from about 24 markets in England 



