13 



article which cippeared in this Journal for September, i 

 wherein it was shown that in the three years 1893-95, a- 

 period in which the home production of hay and roots was 

 seriously reduced from climatic causes, the supply of Russian 

 barley constituted practically 60 per cent, of the total 

 importation of this grain. In 1894, when the imports of 

 barley from all sources amounted to 31,241,000 cwts,, Russia 

 contributed as much as 19,447,000 cwts., but her average 

 shipments for several years prior to 1893 had been about 

 6,000,000 cwtS. The following figures show the proportion 

 of Russian grain in the barley imports of the past two 

 years : — 



1896. 1897. 



Cwt. Cwt. 

 Russia - ... - 9,245,400 7,494,100 



Roumania 2,975,000 3,275,200 



Turkey ------ 3,680,800 3,150,700 



Other countries - - - 6,575,800 5,038,700 



22,477,000 18,958,700 



The average value of the Russian barley imported in 1 897 

 was IS. 9|d. per bushel, and this has been about the value for 

 the past five years. It may be assumed that practically the 

 whole of this cheap grain is used for feeding stock, and it is 

 probable that some portion of the inferior varieties received 

 from Roumania and other countries may be similarly 

 employed. 



The principal features of the import trade in oats are dealt 

 with elsewhere in the present number of this Journal. Our 

 average net importation of oats in recent years has been 

 approximately 16,000,000 cwts. yearly, of an average value of 

 ;^4,ooo,ooo. The quantity of this imported cereal used for 

 purposes other than stock-feeding is inconsiderable. 



The average annual importation of beans into the United 

 Kingdom in the past three years has amounted to 3,360,000 

 cwts. Oriental countries have for some time past furnished 

 the major part of our foreign supply of this article — Egypt, 

 Turkey, and Morocco being credited with about 78 per cent, 

 of the total importation in the period mentioned above. Of 



