191 1.] Live and Dead Meat Trade in April. 179 



difference, is a comparatively depressed price. The linseed market at 

 Buenos Aires fell 35. per qr. on the month, but only 229,000 qr. were 

 shipped, while India showed more relative firmness, yet managed to 

 ship 508,000 qr. It will be manifest that the whole trade in these 

 much-needed feeding stuffs and fattening- foods is quite unsettled, and 

 that no forecast can usefully be attempted. On the 30th there were 

 172,000 qr. of linseed and 30,000 tons of cottonseed on passage to the 

 United Kingdom. 



Various. — Soy beans are costing about seven guineas per ton, of 

 which £1 6s. goes for freight and insurance, and £6 is. remains for 

 grower and merchant. The demand, though still excellent, is not 

 quite what it was in 1910, the year succeeding the "discovery" of these 

 beans, as highly valuable fattening feeding stuffs. Beet sugar has 

 declined 2d. per cwt., but many expect a recovery shortly. Indian peas 

 are in unusually large offer, and at 6s. per cental for sound white are 

 a good bargain. Lentils from India vary much in type and value, so 

 that prices in turn range from 55. to 6s. per cental. The price of gram, 

 55. per cental, makes this staple, which is botanically very much the 

 same as our chick pea, an article strongly to be recommended, seeing 

 that its Indian drawback — it causes a partial paralysis of animals fed 

 on it exclusively and for a long period — is not one within the range 

 of probable occurrence in this country. Indian dari at 245. per 

 480 lb., Argentine canaryseed at 44s. per 464 lb., screened, and good 

 Burmese hand-picked haricot beans at 37s. per 504 lb., are among the 

 minor staples for which at prices asking there should, on feeding value, 

 be a steady demand. 



THE LIVE AND DEAD MEAT TRADE IN APRIL. 

 A. T. Matthews. 



Fat Cattle.- — Supplies of fat cattle have been about normal as re- 

 gards numbers, and above the average for quality and finish ; indeed, 

 at a large number of markets the quality has been described as excel- 

 lent. This was certainly the case in London, where it was by no means 

 uncommon for prime Norfolk Shorthorns to realise over 405. per live 

 cwt. Prices have varied but little throughout the month, but they have 

 been decidedly better than, those of March, as will be seen by the fol- 

 lowing averages :— Shorthorns averaged 8s. 33d., ys. yd., and 6s. 6\d. 

 for the three qualities, against 85. old., ys. 4^., and 6s. qd. ; Here- 

 fords, Ss. 6d. and ys. nd., against Ss. 3^. and 75. Sd. ; Devons, 

 Ss. $%d. and ys. 8^d., against 8s. ifd. and ys. qd. ; Welsh Runts, 85. 2d. 

 and ys. y\d., against ys. u{d. and ys. $d. ; and Polled Scots, 8s. ^d. and 

 8s., against 8s. \\d, and 7s. ghd., per 14 lb. stone. Roughly speaking, 

 there was an average advance of Id. per lb. for the month in the English 

 markets. The Scotch markets were also very firm till the last week, 

 when some weakness was shown compared with the strong tone prevail- 

 ing in England. 



In the last week there were signs that the supplies of stall-fed 

 cattle were beginning to fall off, those from Ireland being nearly 

 finished, and as the season advances, it seems extremely probable that 



N 2 



