Marcli 1895.] IMPOETS AND EXPORTS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE. 369 



one occasion, in 1879, 119;350 head of sheep were received from 

 United States ports, but recently the sbeep from this quarter 

 have not reached a tenth of that total. In the past year, 

 194,000 were received from the United States. The importation 

 of 136,692 Canadian sheep is also by far the largest entry of 

 live sheep from Canada recorded by the Customs. In 1883 and 

 1886, the Dominion sent 94,286 and 94,356 head respectively of 

 our imports of sheep, but since the year last mentioned, the 

 arrivals of Canadian sheep have never exceeded 56,000 head. 

 There has been a remarkable increase in the trade in sheep from 

 Argentina, which was more than three times greater than in 1893. 

 This export would appear to have sprung into importance in 

 1890, when 22,000 Argentine sheep reached our ports. But for 

 the next three years, there was no augmentation in the supply. 

 In 1892, the total fell to 14,550 head, and in 1891 and 1893, 

 our imports of Argentine sheep were 20,941 and 22,372 head 

 respectively. The imports of sheep from Iceland in 1894 were 

 more than double those of 1893. 



The follov/ing table shows that the quantity of fresh meat 

 imported into the United Kingdom in 1894 was about 15 per 

 cent, in excess of the receipts in 1893, the increase having 

 been about equadly divided between beef and mutton : — 



1 Description. 



Quantities. 



Values. 



1893. 



1894. 



1893. 



1894. 



Beef - - - - 

 1 Mutton - 



Pork - - - 

 1 Rabbits - - - - 



1 Total - 



Cwts. 

 1,808,051 

 1,971,500 

 182,091 

 103,823 



Cwts. 

 2,104,094 

 2,295,065 

 180,383 

 108,476 



£ 



3,830,596 

 3,873,863 

 455,544 

 287,737 



£ - 

 4,213,671 

 4,341,227 

 436,546 

 296,918 



4,065,465 



4,688,018 



8,447,740 



9,228,362 



In beef, it was again the increased entries from the United States 

 which almost entirely accounted for the larger entries. Australasian 

 mutton has again increased in quantity, the receipts from this 

 source in 1894 having been 1,439,000 cwts. as compared with 

 1,187,000 cwts. in 1893, and 977,000 cwts. in the previous year. 

 Argentine mutton also entered oar ports in larger quantities 

 during the past 12 months than in either of the two previous 

 years, the quantities being 586,000 cwts., as against 516,000 cwts. 

 in 1893 and 471,000 cwts. in 1892. There was a slight decrease 

 in the importation of fresh pork, while the imports of rabbits, 

 on the other hand, exhibited a slight augmentation. 



The quantities and values of the imports of salted and pre- 

 served meat are given below :— - 



O .85876. G 



