Dec. 1896.] PRICES OF LIVE STOCK. 331 



in England alone between the three quarters now contrasted 

 stands thus :- — 



Cattle at Scheduled Places in 

 England. 



3rd 

 Quarter, 

 1896. 



3rd 

 Quarter, 

 1895. 



3rd 

 Quarter, f 

 1894. ) 



Number entering markets 

 Number weighed - 

 Prices returned with quality distin- 

 guished. 



170,820 

 6,573 

 4,939 



210,373 

 6,401 

 3,619 



227,194 j 

 5,533 

 3,419 



The Scotch record is in every way more satisfactory, the 

 returns for the three quarters being as under : — 



Cattle at Scheduled Places in 

 Scotland. 



3rd 

 Quarter, 

 1896. 



3rd 

 Quarter, 

 1895. 



i 



3rd 

 Quarter, 

 1894. ! 



Number entering markets - 

 Number weighed - 

 Prices returned - 

 Prices returned with quality distin- 

 guished. 



56,526 

 17,898 

 17,542 

 11,918 



60,458 

 15,919 

 15,726 

 10,196 



52,392 | 

 15,078 j 

 14,989 \ 

 8,797 | 



1 



Examining in more detail the position at particular markets, 

 it will be observed from the table appended to this article that 

 in only two of the English markets — London and Liverpool — 

 have the numbers of cattle weighed reached four figures. These 

 two markets, although accounting for only 35,000 head of cattle out 

 of 171,000 entering the markets in England, return 5,197 instances 

 of weighing out of the total of 6,573 reported in the quarter. On 

 the other hand, in only one of the five Scotch returning markets 

 have fewer than 2,500 head of cattle been weighed in the three 

 months, and the total reaches nearly 18,000 head out of 56,500 

 shown in the markets, or near]y one in three, against one in 

 twenty-six only put to the test of the weighbridge in England. 



Sheep to the number of more than 3,000 were reported to 

 have been weighed at four markets in England, but only in 

 London and Liverpool have the numbers any significance, and it- 

 is to be regretted that in the Metropolitan Market, out of 2,280 

 cases where sheep were weighed, prices were reported in only 

 77 instances. In Scotland nearly 8,000 sheep were weighed, 

 and with comparatively few exceptions prices were reported, 



With insignificant exceptions the weighing of pigs seems 

 restricted to the markets of Leeds and Newcastle. 



The customary , table below gives both per stone and per 

 cwt. the average prices during the third quarter of 1896 of 

 fat cattle at the markets whence quotations have been pre- 

 viously published. The range for inferior grades of cattle runs 

 from 24s. per cwt. to 31s. 8d. For second class stock, the lowest 

 price, 29s. 4<i, comes from Liverpool and the highest, 33s. 2d, 



