82 EXTRACTS FHOM DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR [Sept. 1894. 



REPORTS. 



Agricultural Depression in Denmark. 



Mr. A. P. Inglis, Her Majestj^'s Consul at Copenhagen, in a 

 recently issued report on the agriculture of Denmark, quotes 

 several passages from a report by Captain J. C. Lacour on the 

 position of agriculturists in Denmark in the year 1893. 



Captain Lacour refers to the universal depression in agricul- 

 ture, and the increasing difficulties which threaten this industry ; 

 among these are instanced the rapidly growing competition of 

 Australia in the English butter market ; low prices for produce ; 

 isolated cases of disease among cattle, of themselves causing 

 only slight losses, but gaining importance owing to prohibitive 

 measures adopted in countries which afforded the best outlet ; 

 stagnation of trade 'in general ; and diminished consumption of 

 farm produce consequent thereon. On the other hand, it is 

 shown that things have not been better in other countries, and 

 that for an important item in the Danish exports, viz., pork, 

 good prices were obtained. 



Cattle and meat gave very poor returns, the English coal 

 strike being instanced as one of the causes. Stock had to be 

 sold at any price owing to short supplies of fodder, while at the 

 same time imports to the English market from Australia, La 

 Plata, and other sources, amounted to 4,000,000 carcases, a trade 

 unknown 13 years ago. Owing to prohibitive measures adopted 

 in neighbouring countries, the export of fresh meat had to be 

 resorted to, and abattoirs under the supervision of Government 

 inspectors were established in Copenhagen, Esbjerg, and Aalborg, 

 but owing to the meat thus exported not always being in the 

 best condition, results obtained did not fulfil expectations. 

 Many old stock-raising farms are said to have gone over to 

 dairying. 



The decline in demand for horses from abroad, concurrently 

 with increased production and scanty supplies of fodder, caused 

 a fall in prices. The imports of light horses from Russia rose 

 considerably ; 10,800 horses were exported from Denmark in 

 1893, and about 5,800 imported. 



Pigs presented an exception to the general depression, prices 

 being higher than in 1892, which was considered a good year, 

 especially in the trade with England. 



The gross value of the harvest for the whole country was 

 14,693,906^., being a decrease of about 3,000,000/. compared 

 with 1892, or about 18*6 per cent. This was caused to a great 

 extent by a falling off in quantity, for while prices for some 

 produce have been lower, in other cases they have been some- 

 what higher ; compared with the average for the previous five 

 years the value in 1893 shows a decrease of 2,200,000/., or 13*3 

 per cent. 



The cultivation of wheat shows a considerable decline, not 

 only have the imports of this cereal increased, but the surplus 

 export of flour has gone down to under one-seventh of what it 



