Our Imports of Feedincx Stuffs. 



15 



the rate of 432 lbs. to the quarter, amounts to 415,000 tons ; 

 of rape-seed the yearly imports for the same period were 

 230,000 quarters, or about 44,000 tons. To these seeds 

 must be added an importation of 385,000 tons of cotton-seed. 

 Thus the average annual supply of oil-seeds for the three 

 years has been about 844,000 tons. Tn estimating the 

 quantity of oil-cake produced from this supply of oil-seeds, 

 allowance must be made for the extraction of the oil and 

 for waste in manufacture. According to statements furnished 

 in 1892 to the Departmental Committee on Fertilisers and 

 Feeding Stuffs, the production of cake would represent 

 approximately 50 per cent, of the weight of the seed 

 imported, and this output corresponds approximately with 

 calculations based upon the known percentages of oil con- 

 tained in the various seeds in question. If this ratio of cake 

 to seed be accepted, the total amount of oil-cake and oil- 

 seeds imported annually in recent years would represent 

 about 722,000 tons of cake, and this supply at the price of 

 104s. per ton, which was the average value of oil-cakes im- 

 ported in 1895-97, would be worth ^3,750,000.* 



An attempt may now be made to estimate what proportion 

 of the principal products mentioned in the foregoing para- 

 graphs is consumed by live stock, including horses and 

 poultry. Barley and maize, as has already been shown, are 

 employed in brewing and other industries as well as for 

 fodder. In the case of the former cereal there can be little 

 doubt that the grain received from Russia is, owing to its 

 inferiority and cheapness, used mainly as a feeding material 

 for stock and it is probable, that some portion of our 

 receipts of Roumanian and Turkish barleys are utilised for 

 a similar purpose. For the present estimate we may there- 

 fore include under the heading of fodder-barley the whole 

 of the consignments from the first-named country, leaving 

 some margin for the smaller proportions of other varieties 

 which may also serve as fodder. In this way the quantity 

 of fodder barley imported annually during the past three 



* It is probable that the average value of the cakes manufactured in this country 

 rem imported seed would be more than that of imported oil-cake. 



